The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1904-06-23
THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC
And the Church's Relation Thereto
a. Stated by the Ministers Confer
ence of Henderson.

The following paper prepared ut
the instance of the Minister'S Confer
ence of Henderson explains itself:
There is no greater enemy to humani-
ty, nor greater hindrance to the prog
ress of the gospel than the traffic IL and
use OF ardent spirits. The solution oil
this evil is one of the most difficult prob
lens that confronts the church and the
State. 1t is not theory that confronts
us, but condition, and one that should
be wisely handled The duty OF the
church in relation to the individual Is
plain. She should teach, and insist on
total abstinence from the use of mtoxi-
eating liquors as a beverage. While the
abuse OF any good thing is the objection.
more than the use of it. so general is the
abuse attending the use Of ardent spirits,
that the only safe course for the indi-
vidual is to abstain from its use, except
as medicine, in case OF necessity. We
believe that total abstinence from strong
drink, as a beverage is taught by the
Scriptures, which is our only guide In
the matter, and for this reason, we be-
lieve it to be our duty to insist that men
everywhere abstain from its use. All
that has been gained in legislation, re-
straining the traffic in spirituous liquors
is the result of the moral suasiOn and
education that has been impaired by the
church. and Christian workers, and
teachers in the temperance cause. Our
laws are made by the sentiment OF the
people, and no law, if placed upon the
statute books, can be enforced without
a moral sentiment behind it. So far are
we from believing that temperance can
be secured by law, that we are convinced
that we cannot get temperance ligisia-
ton without temperance sentiment be
hind it,
But when we get the sentiment, the
law will be enacted, and SO long as the
sentiment behind the law is healthy and
aggressive, the law will be enforced.
Therefore, it is our duty to keep the
temperance sentiment alive and active.
This can only be done by constant work:
We should keep up the agitation, and
teach the evils of intemperance from the
pulpit, in our Sunday Schools, and use
our influence as far as possible to have
temperance taught in our secular schools.
We owe it to the State, as citizens, to
do our part to aid all legislation that
has for it's object the destruction OF the
traffic in liquor The open saloon, and
the liscense system, is the worst reguia-
ton of the evil, if regulation it may be
called. The open saloon is the drunkard
factory, and the long tolerated evil ol
the saloon, has left a large number ol
drinkers of liquor who are hard to con
| troll, and whose determination to have
liquor makes the enforcement OF probibi
tory legislation very difficult. For this
reason, it is necessary to tolerate tht
dispensary in some communities. Bu'
I 4 = AoI lsAy Invst
strictest laws that can be enforced, anC
with the view to ultimately restrict tht
sale at the dispensary to medicinal, OF
necessary purposes. Because OF tne ue
termination to violate prohibitOry laws
by druggists, and others, we believe thu
best solution of the question is to restric
the Isales to dispensaries, and wheneve
it can be done, restrict the dispensaries
| to medicinal, or necessary uses OF liquor
We should guard with care the covetou
sentiment that will be apt to grow vi
in communities where there are dispen
saries, to make these dispensaries larg
revenue products. and thereby decreas
the burdens OF the tax payer. 1t is |
great gain when we have taken the proi
it out of the traffic to the individual, bu
if the sales at the dispensagy becOm
sources of profit to the tax payer, ant
he becomes welded to the dispensar.
system for indirect profit, then the ta'
payers will become as much debauche'
by the evil as the whisky seller under tn
liscense system, and public morals vii
be corrupted, and our government Wi
be run by blood money.
1t behooves us to keep all these fact
before us in dealing with this monstrou
evil, and be on the alert to avoid ever
pitfall that Satan may place in our way
, We need to meet these issues with calm
logical solutions OF the questions tha
may arise, and to avoid any fanatlcd
action that may make us the allies {
our foes. For those who are laborin
. to keep the whiskey curse fastened o
our country are some 1 mes wiser
their generation than the children OF tn
light, and will make allies OF MS tha
, they may betray us to the enemy.