The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-09-03

and the merry peals of laughter. 1t Is the
readiness with which drink can be Sc
cured that makes much of the difference.
The saloon uses its utmost en-
deavor to entice mao away from wife and
children by providing shelter. light COM
pany. especially when the days work Is
done, and all the world may be supposed
to know, that in tie gin palace the song
and the talk are as apt to be as bad as
the drink, If not more. The dispensary
may not do all that needs to be done
along these lines, but IL does good service.
I'm the dispensary there are no devices
to protract the hours beyond the allotted
time. No carefully concealed back doors
for the late customer. When twilight
arrives 1t finds its laborers expecting the
welcome stroke of the clock, that they
may shut up shop and enjoy their
liberty. The dispensary eliminates
from politics the most corrupting Nand
malignant of all evils-the saloon. What
this means as a governmental reform all
OF US understand to some extent, but
probably the full reach OF this forward
step is beyond our imagination even
and this brings the discussion to
the feeling of the reluctance amounting
In some to abhorance. with which good
men, and especially good women. regard
the suggestion that the government
the owner and dealer in the liquor bust
ness. But while we reverence the
feeling what shall we say of the logic?
Who receives the profits from the
liquor business licensed? The State. the
county. the city the federal government
each receive their share of these foun-
tains Of liquors.
ut is barely possible some people are
deceived by the word tax" (tcense.)
n a. lS-lr k-AsaA no
surface at thirgs must see that in reality,
though not in name, each of the four
departments of our American Govern
ment is a participating copartner in the
LIQUOR trade as conducted by means OF
licensed bar rooms, despite all horrors
of blood and tears and poverty which flow
from it, Men may juggle with words,
but not with facts. and so, what the
dispensary plan proposes, Is not to ini-
tiate a participation by our government
in the business. but to substitute better
form of controlling its evils. And this
1t would effect by eliminating the social
feature, the action Of private greed, late
hours at night, and Illicit trafic on Sun
days. 1t offers a safe ready way, for
stopping direct sales to minors and inc
briates. 1t says to the government
Cut lose from your debased and disrep-
utable co-partners. Whether, in
deed, the dispensary plan be contrary to
the ten commandments Is to be
determined by a fair and complete ex-
animation of the Holy Scriptures. not
by the fancies of this writer or any other
uninspired man, but certainly the dis
pensary plan can not be proved to be in
any respect whatever more un-Christian
than our present method OF licensed bar
rooms. 1t is infinitely less harmful"
l wish 1t was so l could give you every
reason this good man gives for local
option dispensary. He has seen bar rooms
prohibition and dispensary and from
| his writings 1 gather he favors dispen-
sary. He says a dispensary kills the
| cess-pools, blind tigers. that prohibition
will create. From his views l am more
| In favor of a dispensary.
First-Because II Is a safeguard 10 those
who are not addicted to the haoit OF
/ drink.
| second-Because it does away with the
| social drinking in saloons, that SO many
| OF our citizens (and good citizens too)
can not resist.
Third-Because 1 think it is the only
| means of getting our city out of debt.
az our present affairs are conducted.
am not in favor of a State Dispen-
ssrv. but of local option dispensaries,
and IL it proves an error. we can correct
n In a short time. In the dispensary
think you will have no reason to
change. More than a hundred OF the
leading citizens and business men have