Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-06-29
Local Option Quackery.

Editor Sentinel Logical results spring
only IRON actual facts. Any one who in
sists on treating fiction as TACT does 30 for
the purpose OF deceiving the public and is
dishonest, whether he Is advocating Just
Or a wicked cause
b Il. g., in your columns on the 9Th in
slant, recited dolelul tale OF the expert
ences OF an unfortunate town with slick
young man and high license saloon. A
murder case was very skilfully woven In TO
heighten the interest. thought he was
disappearing facts In regard TO u particu-
lar town, but from his answer In your issue
of the 22d instant, fear that the whole hor
rible example was a Pigment OF his imagi.
nation. II there was such town he would
name IL. If he does not, all that he deduces
from these probably fictitious statistics falls
to the ground. II there is such town let
him name 1t or forever hold his peace. IL
he does not let us verify his so cal led facts
the people Of Montgomery county will be
lieve that he has followed the example of
another "honest, honorable, christian gen.
tleman" who seems TO require certificates of
good character 10 give currency 10 his state
ments.
b X. G. is an ardent prohibitiopist, and
doubtless would remain 80 II there were a
hundred speakeasles, instead of sixteen (as
he admits) between his home aud the dis
trict line, and he would still follow Mr. Lit.
tlefled and "hurl back the Islander to Its
source" fit was stated that the people were
dissatisfied with their condition. Would II
not be- better to agree to give the people
chance TO vote upon the question, and see
il they are satisfied, instead OF accepting the
quack, quack, quack talk about IL by Quack
moralists, Quack economists, and quack
~ In rio
of other communities, with identically the
same kind Of law and It's ack nowledged fail
ure, has no more influence than the ac-
knowledged fact that their own law is u
dead letter The State Of Maine, from which
they get their law, might have hundred
times more speakeasies and hundred times
more criminals and drunkards than another
State with high license system would make
no difference 10 them They would still
"harp upon my daughter"
Is II q intimaies that the Bible does not
contain prohibition against the selling and
drinking Of distilled alcoholic liquors, be-
cause the process of their manufacture was
not discovered until more than sixteen hun
dred years alter Christ" This assertion 10
Of a piece with his other fairy tale statistics.
Now the Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. VII,
page 800, says The art appears TO have
been known In the East IRON the most re
mote antiquity. II was known and prac
tised by the Chinese In the earliest times A
rude kind of still was used in the island of
Ceylon from time immemorlal." Captain
Cook lound the inhabitants Of the Pacific
islands distilling spirits from alcoholic In
iasions. Tho art Is thought TO have been
brought from Asia many ages ago. The pro-
cess of distiling spirits from fermented wines
/ Iub N a ri uinUQ fnnnn in The
pyramids, built, il Is said, by the children Of
lsrael, In the time OF Moses. In Pompeii
the production and sale of alcoholic spirits
was recognized industry. But even II we
assume b. X. e. statements 10 be true, and
that the reason for the failure OF the Bible
10 contain some specific injunction against
the saloon IL found Tin the fact that dis.
titled and alcoholic beverages were not dis
covered or manufactured until more than
sixteen hundred years after Christ" does Is.
X q mean to say that the Almighty God
who through the prophets foretold every
thing of Importance for thousands Of years
before the coming Christ, and that the latter
while on earth could not look ahead and
provided warning against such an impend
ing evil ~ the saloon appears TO be TO Is X.
G.2 Or does Is. X. q. think that mistake
was made when the Bible was being made
up ny not providing express auIhOrlLy ior
the religious feature OF the anti-salOOn
league, which would also be strong plank
for its political PLATFORM
When Christs first miracle was performed
at the marriage feast, 10 order that the guests
should be made merry, He knew that the
alcohol in the wine was the active agent,
and when He passed the cup at the last sol
emn supper vi His lie, He cheered his sor
rowlul disciples with wine. Ia b, K q.
willing To amend the law Ia Montgomery
county 30 as 10 permit the sale Of wines OF
about the same percentage Of alcohol IA
that used by Christ and His apostles, and
Of beer Of much less percentage, and allow
the prohibition against the sale OF distilled
liquors 10 remain2 II 30 a settlement Of the
question might be easily effected. Let him
answer this question, and cease TO manufac-
ture statistics suitable only TO be read 10
league meetings 10 be published over real or
twisted initials. Let him do something
straight, even II he only signs his name prop
erly. The public will hardly consider II fair
or manly for one TO be casting his poisoned
darts at other people 80 long a. he keeps his
own identity safely concealed behind an ar
bitrary set Of initials.
JAMES G. THOMPsOH