Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-03-20
DEFENSE OF LOCAL OPTION
Reply to an Article Signed ST." In
Potomac Progress" Headed "In-
teresting Notes from Coles Point
Mrs. SATIRA OLINp VIVIAN:


Potomac Progress" Headed In
teresting Notes from Coles Point"
MRS. SATIRA OLIND VIVIAN:
l saw a few days ago by acci-
dent your article in the Poto-
mac Progress. and though you
are stranger to me, / cannot
resist the impulse to sound this note
of warning. You wife and the
mother of boys, an advocate for bar
rooms! and say you believe local op-
tion is a s'humbug," "nuisance."
If those were my sentiments l would
not give utterance to them, espec-
tally in community where consci-
entious Christian people are doing
all in their power to suppress this
terrible evil. If your neigh hborhood
is not benefited by local option, mine
is, and while ! admit with regret
the existence of "clnb," s'speak-
easy" "blind tiger" or whatever you
may call it, in village near by,
where Bacchus reigns supreme, and
which is doing great harm, there is
not SO much drunkenness in the
country few miles from that whis-
key-steeped atmosphere. You say
'local option will not prevent men
who drink from getting whiskey."
Perhaps not some, but everybody is
not able to get it by the large guam
tity and they have to do without it.
When barrooms were in full blast
children, as well as men, frequen.ed
these dens of iniquity, and nearly
everybody could raise nickel, which
always procured them the desired
drink.
Again, you say, it was rare thing
for your husband to have a drep-,f
whiskey in the house before local
option-perhaps because of the close
proximity of the barroom. 1t seems
a strange thing to me that local op-
ton should create desire for whis
key in one who never drank before.
Well, if my children are to drink,
let them drink at home; there, at
least, they will have orderly asst
ciates. They will not be surrounded
by drunkalds and gamblers aud will
not be compelled to listen to cursiug
and swearing. In a whiskey den
there would be no possible chance of
reformation, but keeping it at home
and drinking it there, and there
only, mothers prayers and home in
fiuence might win them back to a
life of sobriety and goodness. You
say You do not think ''local option
helps much to cure the curse" Be
cause some men choose to disregard
the law and sell whiskey secretly is
no reason why there should be no
effort made to destroy this curse,
and that every effort to do so is a
"humbug." As we'll say making
murder a punishable offeLse ia
humbug because murders are still
committed. What would be the con-
dition of affairs if there was no such
lawf Colonial Beach, You say, is
olive, hustling place; the only one of
any Importance in the county; but
close the barrooms, and away it goes,
with Colton's, GlymoEt and Clifton
Beach," Heaven help the place that
receives its Importance from such
cause.
Again, you say: 81 think it would
be a shame for Colonial Beach to be
included in the district election, that
if it goes dry it will ruin it forever
as summer resort, and what will it
gain" = the respect of all right
thinking and respectable people.
Better ruin it as q summer resort
than the souls of many who go
there. l can scarcely believe, my
friend, that your article is the pro-
duct of woman's pen. Pause and
think what you have written and re-
tract before it is too late. S.
Dividing Greek, Va.