Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-11

d
S,,u 1,ir, .1,herel1pon a CONTROVERSY
#s1es can YOU imagine the beautiful Il:
&,-,uu.ya fha t1,e will use? He will ply u pom
the bar-heeper the most blazing epita pms
which would make q trooper turn p'l1e
with envy. !,
Mnst the saloon keeper stand this? Shaii
he allcw rowdyism in@Ilis place? Say ne
nuts him out and a fight sensues- Inc pai -
keaper is then blamed for striking =
drunken man. lie is more TO blame II ne
is vour SON, FATHER, or BROTHEh,
1,,,c,,,sa vou are SO sure he would not
stand and drink if he were not enticeo
into it by the blcod-sucking saloon-keeper,
who has no other object in view than 10
get what money he has
But allow me to say in the pest d 1alth
that your father, son. or brother, II he IS
a trunkard thief, liar, or murderer. Is
no better than any Their drunkare, !thiei,
or liar. and YOU are doing him great
Injustice TO shield or to tell nm othe'-
wise, and the remedy that has been aP-.
piled by the advoca ties OF temperance III
total abstinence is wrong. Wholly ara en-
tirely II they desire, truthfully ana lloit-
estly (Which seems not to be the case ~
rid society of the flru1kard. they snouid
nunish the drunl1ard. He is menace TO
socjet.. and should be removed. The sa-
loon can be run and the keeper thrive
when patrorized by gentlemen, ana IL IS
nv This class that most saloons are kept
alive. The dr1lnkard mas less place ana
receives q colder welcome there than III
our own homes.
7. is most surprising to me to see ana
1aar of the saloon being blamed LOT q
mans ruin.
It is the man, not the salocn. tnat Is "
blame It is as idle to. blame Gou 1or
placing the apple tree III the .gareen 20
ternpt man. No one seems bold enough,
as vet, to bla.ae the Almighty lor pam
inc an apple tree to tempt man; yet we
ind nnople bold enough to blame Him, or
the Devil, for planting the saloon III our
midst.
You may experiment in the various
vays as YOU will unless the punishment
falls upon the guilty one you may never
hone for success. The common Ia" oi
Virginia holds in the case OF larceny tni
tn, possessor of stolen goods IS equaliy
as guilty as the thief, but In the case y.
drunkenness the tactics are reversed anu
the one who dared to have maze tue SoouS
is prosecuted and the offending person. 40
shielded The man who drinks Until
DRINK is a menace, and should be put
out Of the way.
You NAV pass laws to the contrary
Won nav impose high license if you Will
but it will be of no avail n preventing
drunkenness. ana if drunkenness IS ell1nl-
mated. there is no harm done
Let us try and eliminate the evil Hlgh
license will, in a great measure, play
havoc with the very best saloons pul
will never reach the ones that 1t was IN
tended for, that cannot now be reached py
the common law.
The removal of the screens and "lnooW
shades will work an evil just as great. IL
vii! b, the means of putting the satooil
in the alleyways for those that are afraid
to be seen drinking in pubic.
T repeat again that the Liquor Deal-
ers' Association are not going to use any
covar7Iy method in their fight; they will
meet any issue fairly and sguarely ana
trust in God 20 preserve them
We believe we are right and are oelns
nersecrted. and ''Fie whose cause is rlSht
is thrice armed
Tn conclusion, I will say that. speaking
as IN Individual the Liquor Dealers AS
ISOLATION. am sure, is, at any ana az
times ready to aid and assist IN any soou
ca11sp that will nave as its ultimate AIN
the elevation of humankind. ara SAeS
would be glad to confer with those seh
tlen1eu Of the opposition, to ald ana assis ''
them in pointing out the rlsh1 way, do
are sure VIC have. from our iesitlllate
knowledge of the subject better riSnl
to sneak, and can offer suggestions .Ad
will be of the greatest value III prllS :,
inc about the desired effect They VIII
n,s5, ne mock and humble and not given to
| The heaping of curses or u1aleeictlon upon
any one. -cu1
October lU, wv.