The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-06-30
Let Us All Look
Before We Leap

trnce, and now they SNOW " an" ""ulu
shnu il n a pestileuce.
Iwarn them now that prohibition does
not mean Temperance bat Is Itself a false
pretence. aud ha- been convicted before
I the court ul common senre IA "a fraud.
Thehalots Tuesday will decide whether
we shall have in orr dear old town IN
ture Of peace and prosperity, or oi strife
between neighbors. ana in our churches.
and blight upon the business Of our
city.
Ii is too late for ANY intelligent voter
TO place his individual opinion, however
sincere. touching the yalue OF prohibition
a. a preventive of intemperance' against
the Overwhelming testimony OF both .
States and local communities which nave
given it a iull and fair trial. that prohihi- .
ton promotes drunkenness aud debanrh- .
~ the morals Of the peopl'.
Whv should seventeen ont OF twenty .
States which have given prohibition AN .
exhaustive trial repuiiate It 10y large
maioriiies. and substitute hlgh license.
unlesss it had proved n failure
Why j. prohibition confess. farce in
Maine Kansas and North Dakota
How could Mrs Garry Nation with .
her hatchet have won national notorety .
for smashing the saloons OF many towns
and citi-s ID prohibition KANSAS unless
those dives were open in defiance oi me
Jaw an1With thecOnniyance oil The people
Why did the beet moral and business
element Of Atlanta alter only NV" years
trial ofpr1hihitiOn repudiate % IN wrath.
and with overwhelming maiorlties not
wiih-tanding the Tact that -unhry Wen
intentioued hut ianatical preachers holn .
domestic and imported strongly backed .
10 would seem hs the lurii rhetoric 81 tnr .
gifted but visionary and impIactlrA"'e .
Grady entreated the people 10 continue .
the fare
Why did Griffin. Ga after five years
trial of prohibition crush its ialseh hood
and-hypocrisy beneath the heels OF ~
outraged people. and why did it, trial
there break o. n hpuri-hlng Christian
Association. And cause "a large anD lnun-
entail thri~tian congregation to c,srrt
its prohibition pastor. ami why did %
sow the stei- of bitterness aud STRIFE 10
that enlightened community
40 fanatic has had the audarity o.
deny. a. far a. | have heard. that both
atlanta and Griffin rcpudiated prohib.
tian. alter sufficient trial, whatever
such sily fanatic may think about the
wisdom. Of the action of the INTEL gent
neoplr of those communities
Whg have the great moral leaders az
Thought in this country with one'vuire
condemned prohibition ~ productive 30
more intemperanre and immortality than
the licensed traffic?
surely the Cardinals and Bishops and
.rrcAt pivines who are the Spiritual ~hep
herds Of Gods d lcks would not brand
prohibition a. a fraud il It PROMOTE
temperance and morality.
Surely the great presidents Of our grc@,
+ Universities with tens OF thousands of
our Young men IN th,ir keeping. would
not after thorough investigation brand
prohibition AZ fraud, Il thereby TEN
u4rArce and morality were promoted.
The voter " hO shnis his eyes to the
obi .ct l---ons II Atlanta and Griffin. and
-hut- his ears 10 the cOunsei- AZ al these
Wis men cannot plead hereafter 10 ex-
-pnuqriln ui hi- iai-e step and IT, bale
isl consequences that BE- was mis- 90 by
the imported agitaturs who Tor some
weeks past have contributed, almost
nightly their sinister influence in our
Courthouse 20 the production Of mn
hi-teria. iana.icism and bitterness ofieei-
ing 10 orr community
Oar people have not in the past been
accustomed 10 take counsel. 10 their own
private affairs. or 10 matters 81 grave
public concern from such wholly incom-
rofcnr advisers whose intrusion infu
our municipal hie 20 tiscrefit and ira
iucs our city government should he
viewed hy al self rerp citing citizens o.
An imp.r;iuence: ami the Intelligent
voter cannot nov shift his responsibility
for the use he makes Of bis ballot upon
such feeble shoulders.
Every sane and sober man know from
actual observation. ana deplores the hnr-
rors and untold misery wrought by the
abuse OF liquor and al good citizens ar
ever ready 20 unite ia any intelligent
movement % correct or even mitigate
the evil. and they very generally frpioTe
the very -pa-mudic and uerfunctOry inter
EFT "A zen hy the clergy in the -uhi'ct ex
cent &, he1 under the unnaruraleXci.
OH lora. option election. but none hIt q
Good emotional aud illogical woman
ran be excused for advocating prohibi-
ton after it, failure 10 promote temper
ance has been so demonstrated that the
male mind which cannot zee II mu-t be-
affected hy the light Of knowledge ~
The sore eye il affected by the light OF The
sun-the more light the greater the
blindness.
10 this emergency in the life oi our city
We must make~ure oi our guides.
The committee Of good hut misguided
, citizens who accredited the paper traiuc-
ing the Counci. practically comedies IN
+ their last public communication what ]
) hal charged. that they were not the
authors oi that iibelous document and
they prusentlv withhold the name Of the
, author.
We cannot safely follow those who
have no past to be proud 81. nor those
who have no abiding stake IN orr com
mnnity. but are here today and gone TO
greener pastures tomorrow.
: 1t has been wisely said that there
,. comes a crisis ia every mans life when
= fate takea his measure, and determines
e whether he is q real man or not
j. IL II not in the sunshine but in the
storm that the tree il made strong.
:. 1t il ea=y to float with the current and
be n neutral quantity in community
g but it requires courage and conviction
. 10 take stand for what is right am
y wise in the lace Of clamOrOus Ignorance
/. and ianaticism, especially when the lat
ter seeks TO borrow the livery OF HEAVIER
TO cloak its otherwise hopeless i'm
potency.
y Let ns vote down prohibition and al
b. fts dreadful brood OF ills Tuesday, an
fredericksburg will continue to deserv
{. the just and truthful tribute paid TO J
Is bv the President and Board OF Trustee
Of the Fredericksburg College. amongs
a whom are DR.. W RosebrO, ;. W
:, Somerville and j. Willard Adams, in il
- catalogue just published this month, viz
- This city was founded by English an
;, - Scotch merchants, whose intelligenc
~ and integrity gave to its industrial an
~ social life the high tone which still chai
acterizes the people Reverence for reliI
= ion. obedience to law, maintenance
morality and good order, and a kindl
o.io1 ;ntereourSp mark the cOmmuDitF