The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1905-01-12
NO %DISPENSARY, PLEASE.

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that a petition was being circulat-
ed for signatures favoring a dis
pensary for this place. The pc
Triton is being circulated but 1t
has not yet been presented to us
and perhaps will not be presented.
We are for the up-buildlng OF
the town and county in which we
live and we are unable to see any
good to result from a dlspensary.
We are aware that the petition
is signed by some good people,
but we think they will see their
error, perhaps when too late to
to remedy it.
There is nothing elevating IN
any form of the liquor traffic but
on the contrary any form of the
traffic is degrading. No living
man can point out a single good
feature about it, but the cry of
"blind tlger'' is brought up in de-
Tense of the traffic. Let every
man be honest and confess to the
truth. A blind tiger cannot pos
sibly do the harm of n possess
ed Of good eyes. Suppose two
fierce tigers, one totally blind and
the other possessed of good eyes,
should be- turned loose on the
streets of Hladersonville which
would cause the greater conster-
nation? Men would arm them
selves for the tray and would not
stop until both had been slain.
There is another feature that
perhaps parents who signed this
petition have never thought of.
An open saloon, and a ~dispensary
is not much else, presents opportu-
mites to the boys that blind tigers
can never present. The boy who
is brought up in the absence of
these alluring dens of vice will
not put himsef to much trouble
to hunt them up. And we want
to say right here that just a few
years of prohibition in any town
is not a proper test. 1t takes
many years to eradicate SO great
an evil as the traffic leaves behind
it's unsavory work. Two of the
most progressive towns in North
Carolina have had prohibition for
many years and the boys that have
grown up under this good infu-
ence are free from the habit of
tippling. They are growing into
noble manhood. The towns re-
ferred to are Concord and High
Point. Confer with any reliable
citizen of either of these towns
and you will get the truth as 1T is.
One plea brought forth by the
advocates of liquor is that prohi-
bition does not prohibit. Grant
this in part, but it does prohibit
to a large degree. Will these
same people claim that u law
against murder prevents the crime
of murder? Would they repeal
the law against murder? The law
against theft, or any other crime
comes under the same category.
Some say sit will be sold any
way and I had just as well. get
money from the business as any
one else" Here is the key note to
the whole matter, barring the love
OF the beverage. Only a moneta-
ry consideration. The moral side
of the question seems to be of
minor Importance when the oppo-
site should be the case. We all
love to 9 our town progressing
but it's institutions must be built
upon solid foundations. Nothing
that tends to degrade can ever
build up. A ten-thousand-dollar
license to sell liquor in the town
of Hendersonville is a small con-
sideration when compared with
the character of even one bov.
who might be it's victim for de-
struction. All institutions that
are unable to stand upon their
merits should fall rather than try
to sustain them by things of
doubtful propriety. There are
men in this town TODAY. T dare