The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1904-03-09
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE wee OF lNTEMPERANcE.
The Pity and the Penalty of Drunkenness
The Jovial Cup Toasts Fate, While
Crime and Disease Attend the Banquet
drinking Sigu Of Mental Weakness

drinking Sign OF Mental weakness
The drunkard is a burden to himself and
to the community. How to tighten the load
at both ends is the problem of the hour;
The jovial cup toasts fate, while crime and
disease attend the banquet. The start and
the finish involve only question of time.
Still, there is enough of pure pity for the
victim to give humanitarianism falr
chance to do bene6cent work.
The latest evidence of proper influences
in such direction is offered in the recent
report of. the State Commissioner OF Pris.
ons. The plea is very justly. made tor
greater discrimination in punishments not
only ior mere intoxication, but for crime
due to drink. e"
The penalties inflicted are markedly un-
equal. The man of means who takes the
privilege Of being "as drunk as lord"
pays the fine and suffers no Inconvenience,
while the poor man, whether he pays or
goes to prison, brings actual privation To
bis family. This certainly should not be,
although the law as it stands can make no
special distinctions to suit individual cases.
The question Of equity is, however, dealt
with from another point OF view, which
deserves due consideration. The commits.
sion claims that the offense should not be
treated as crime, but rather as disease.
is widely entertained by the medical ex.
perts. The report truly says: "Habitual
drunkenness arises largely from mental
| weakness, and it's treatment should par
take of the characteristics which the State
has deemed wise in other cases of mental
alteration" The man, also. who periodi-
cally INDUCES in his sprees is virtually in
the same category. Imprisonment or fine,
or both, does not cure either class OF VIC
tins, nor has any form of punishment for
mere drunkenness any strictly deterrent
effect. On the contrary, the offenses
against society are as constantly repeated
as are those dependent upon more. pro-
nouneed and more easily recognized forms
of insanity.
When crime is directly associated with
drink it must be proved that the criminal
was actually insane at the time the deed
was committed, and yet who could prove
that an intoxicated individual is in any
sense rational being? True, he should
not place himself in such position, but,
considering that he is suffering from mental
weakness, is he not rather to be pitied as a
sick man than blamed as an actual Grim.
inal? In any event he should not be jailed
with thieves and murderers and be forced
malefactors. The worst offense of drunk
enness is on no such level. The commits
sion very wisely suggests that some better
method of dealing with these distressing
cases should be ascertained and adopted.
Much good could also be done in pre-
venting drunkenness by educating the pub
lie concerning the purely physical penalties
Of drink. Suffice it to say in this connec-
tion that no vital organ is exempt from its
ravages-kidney, brain. heart, liver, stom-
ach and arteries all suffer in the long run,
and there is no disease, chronic or acute,
that does not owe its increased mortality
% %sf09s Der dek whose ths aieady m 3si
never reached, is in more danger in this re-
gard than the reckless and periodical de-
bauchee. No one, however, is ever an ex.
ample to himsef.-Editorial in the New
York Herald.