Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1903-02-11
A Temperance Measure ON Business
Basis.

@NOie vi 1aioiihm pau VI tuC Rou"h
Carolina plan, as it exists 10 both
those States, and a number OF Others
is attracting some attention from
our people.
We call it temperance measure
because it is one of the few praetica
BILE, sensible and effective temper
ance reform measures of the times,
aud has so demonstrated.
1t starts out with the concession
that intoxicating liquors exist
and have existed from the founda-
tion of the world, and will doab tless
continue to exist till the end of the
world: that men have appetites for
them, and have had in all times
past, and doubtless will continue to
have until human nature is obliter
ated aud man is reinyested with
some other kind of nature.
1t further comedies that the use
and abuse of Intoxicating liquors
has been and is the crying evil OF
every people, and too dangerous and
Eernicious a commodity 20 be left
without governmental supervision
and control, or intrusted to fom
Dick and Harry with which to de
bauch the public morals, destroy
the public health, and in every way
endanger the public and private
welfare.
Looking this situation squarely in
the face the North Calolina plan
proposes to deal with the monster
at first hand in business like way.
1t don't propose the improbable. 1t
don't propose both the impossible
and improbable thing of preventing
the very existence OF Intoxicating
liquors hencefort'l and forever 1t
don't propose the equally impossible
and improbable thing OF eradicatlng
the appetite of man for this kind of
stimuIant. or decreeiug that he
shall not drink it or shall not get
it.
But they do propose to redu the
necessary evils and danger OF the
situation to the Minimum; and to
this end they will deny the right of
any private individual to deal with
it as mercantile commodity; they
close up all saloons, which have here
tofore beeh the bane of every com
munity, with their train of poverty,
debauchery, and crime; they close
up all "speakeasys," with their I'M
lawful traffic, destroying their pa
irons with cheap and poisonous con
coctions, and gradually undermln-
ing the public respect for and be
lief in the supremacy of law. They
say to every private citizen, to every
public hotel or other institution that
in view of the dangerous and de-
structive character of this commod-
ity, it shall be unlawful to vend it
or make il an article of merchandise
under any conditions
Then what?
Still recognizing that 1T exists,
and that men will have 1t, and these
two things cannot DE prevented. the
government itself takes exclusive
control; it opens its dIspensaries
where the liquors are stored; APP
points officers to take charge; to
which dispensaries the citizen who
is sane and sober can go and buy
as he would go to a grocery and buy
pound of coffee, or to drug store
and buy M dicine; hut he cannot
drink it there any more than he
could make his coffee and drink it in
the grocery; he cannot sit down
there, or treat his friend there, OF
spend the evening there; nor does
it concern the officer who sells
whether the customer buys little OF
much, or does not buy at all. for he
has no interest in the business.
What such system OF govern
mental control would do for the
cause OF Temperance reform will
readily sug est itself 10 every prac.
teal mind; and has been abundant
ly demonstrated where er tried, but
1t is not our purpose now to do more
than outline the features of the plan
But it will not have the support oI
the average Temperance refotnfi'
so called. 1t is too practical and
business like for that. There is no,
enough of the ideal and visionary &C
get under his hat. Doubtless il
will be defeated at the present ses
sion of the Legislature, but in the
not distant future it is destined &c
settle the iiouOr prOhlem for ,L;e