Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-11-09

is said, thrown aside the soldiers
garb forever.
lCommuuicated,l
A SAD COMMENTARY ON COUNTY
AND STATE GOVERNMENT.
EDITOR CITIZEN:
When a mere boy l used to read
good deal of the organized bands of
outlaws and highway robbers, such as
Jesse James, and | must confess thai
used to admire their daring deeds
a great deal, but on The other hand
wondered why men such as they
were not caught and brought to JUS
tIce more frequently in land where
the laws were so stringent against
them. could not see how a man
brought up IN this country could
hate his fellow-mau and be desirous
of obtaining by robbery and murder
the hard earnings of others, when
ways were plentiful to make decent
living and not be burdened with the
great fear Of detection which must
necessarily be ia the mind of every
law breaker. for the way Of the trans
gressor is ever hard.
Ii all reports be true there is an
organization in Lancaster county now
that beats all the highway robberies
on record; it is the organized band
of men who sell whiskey in defiance
OF the county and of the State. We
understand if they want to sell liquor
they get United States Internal
Revenue license with the understand
ing that if one should get caught
they all chip in and pay the little fine
imposed upon them by the kind
hearted county officials. What a
shame and insult to county and State
government Why, the very fact of
man getting United States license
in local option county shows that
he intends to sell liquor and by that
act says 81 am afraid to tackle the
United States laws but care not a
whit for the laws and officials of
Lancaster county. by such actions
they virtually say to the county off,
GERS, who in their oaths of office have
sworn to punish all law-breakers, al
am not afraid Of you and 1 dare you
to trouble me-" To stranger not
knowing the state Of affairs here it
makes bad showing for the county
and the people in it. 1t shows some
thing wrong somewhere. But the
blame is not all on the man who sells
the stuff, for there are others who are
parties to the organization and they
are the parties who buy it and by so
doing help and encourage the wrong,
for if they have whiskey for sale they
can't sell without customers, SO the
man who buys 10 nearly as bad as
the man who dispenses the vile stuff.
And they not only disobey the laws
for they know that when they go in
these places that there is dishonesty
there and they make up their minds
to lie if asked about it, and 10y so
doing further injure their moral
characters. Now who is the most
guilty, the man who sells or the man
who buys? Some of the buyers will
swear to lie to protect the man
who is breaking the law but getting
some compensation in dollars and
cents for so doing, while the man
who buys it not only breaks the law
but is robbing his family of the
money he pays for it with and sending
his own soul 10 hell, SO not one
cent compensation and not even the
thanks of the speak'easy man does
the buyer receive. Now, is not the
whole flock tarred with the same
stick, or as the old saying is "blrds
of feather flock together" | would
not trust one further than 1 would
the other.
Quit your meanness; be men, law
abiding citizens, and don't make
yourselves law-breakers and thus be
shunned by honest people, besides
casting reflection on the good name
of the county officials by yours and
their disregard of their duty.
LANCASTER NAN.