Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1903-05-01
Friday, May 4, 1908.
ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS.

ERRONEOUS IMPRESSIONS.
In regard to The statement and with
due respect to the gentleman who made
the public assertion at Gloucester Court
house last Monday that "noiwithstand-
ing the fact that Ur6auna is local
option town, can buy all the whiskey 1
want in It," We have to say, the gentle
man who made the statement may be
able TO buy all the whiskey he wants here,
but we do not like for him to try TO
create the impression that any aud every
body can do so. The Sentinel his never
taken any active part in local option fight
tor the reason that we have had no oc.
casion to do SOY, yet both its EDITORS are
tooth and toe-nair' agains at the promis.
cuous sale of whiskey, either in licensed
bar-rooms or "speax-easies," and we
never expect to recede from that posi-
ton. Still it is not our purpose in this
article TO plead the cause of local option
so much as to defend the good name of
our town. While it Is pretty generally
believed that some wbiskey is sold In
Urbanna, il is done on suck very small
scale and in such Il careful way shat no
evil effects are seen from 1t, and no pos
sible clue can be gotten by which to
bring the guilty one Tor ones) 10 Justice.
as his patrons are so jealous of his wei.
fare that they do not allow themselves1
to get drunk or disorderly anywhere
around here. For the benefit of our
dry" friends in Gloucester, we will say
that Urbauna to-day is no more like
Urbanna of ten years ago than chalk's
like cheese, and to the absence of intoxi.
eating drinks is due in no small part this
wonderful change for the better. Senti-
ment all over Middlesex is largely against
whiskey, hence we here have been fortu.
nate In escaping bitter and unpleasant
fights on the question. -, .Souttside Scntiael
We give space to the foregoing
from our Urbanna contemporary
because it nails pretty conclusively
erroneous impressions that are at
times made about temperance or
local option sections. We note with
regret that many of our drummers
appear to take pleasure in disseminat-
ing such talk. As class they are
good lot of fellows, but some of them
often flock with men whose inclina.
tons are opposed to temperance and
consequently touch upon congenial
topics in course of conversation.
They lose sight of the fact. that by
far the greater number of merchants
through this Tidewater section are
temperance men, and We have heard
not few of them say that if they
know it they will refuse to patronize
those statesmen who cast aspersions
upon or make erroneous impressions
about their communities.
Our varied experience has con.
clusively proved that it is far from
the truth that anything like the
amount of whiskey is sold or drink
ing engaged in in any local option
territory under our observation.
That some whiskey is sold in certain
localities under local option is true.
Robberies and thefts also occur in
these localities; but if larceny were
licensed it would be promiscuous.
even as whiskey selling when licensed.
But We do not intend 20 argue this
point. The facts where we live are
patent in themselves and bear out
the truth of our assertion and the
falslty of those whose inclination
leads them to talk against temper
ance or whose hidden predictions |
md vent in innuendoes. The paucity {
OF whiskey drummers in this section
OF Underwater should in itself be an
argument that less whiskey is being }
sold.
While on this train of thought
we cannot forbear abiding to the i
dlreful physical results coming under d
our observation from habitrial drink l
ing OF speak-easy liquors. We are
not fanatical enough to ascribe it
altogether to the judgment of Heaven i
that so many of them are passing i
away. 1t is more attributable to the }
meanness of the men who are en- :
gagged in the unlawful pursuit, in
that to reimburse themselves for the
many and heavy fines they must sell
poor class of beverage, most of a
which is distilled from wood alcohol.
and wood alcohol has been demon
'trated beyond question to be a :,
most poisonous drug. 1t will kill y
is victim sooner or later-usually {
the man who persists in Il
oatronizing speak-easies is marking
'or himself an earlier grave than if c
ne subsisted on arsenic prescriptions. o
ALL reading men well knew and
ave prognosticated ever since the Il
ncipiency that it was only the Il
natter of a short time before Russia y
WOULD lay full claim to Manchuria. 9,