The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-10-12
dope, VERSUS WHISKEY.

The press Of the country and es-
|pecially of the south, has had much
Ito say of late about the rapidly grow
ing dope habit among our people. II
half of the reports are to be believed
the dope habit is taking a fearful
clutch upon the people Of this coun-
try. Some newspapers. ana among
them those most strongly advocating
and some Of u minis
tiers do not hesitate to say that this
habit is doing more harm
Ito the public than intemperance.
Especially among the negroes Of the
lsouth is this habit making fearful
slaughter. While states. counties and
towns pass laws and adopt ordinances
Ito drive out alcoholic liquors sold from
licensed saloons, the drugstores, are
lgiven free license to dispense the poi
ison more deadly to body, mind and
The dope" habit has taken fearful
hold on the negro and some ministers
iof the gospel and some editors do n
hesitate to say that the carnival of
lcrime among the negroes which has
developed in the last few years is due
to the pandering by certain white men
Ito this depraved appetite of the negro.
If this be true it is a fearful charge
They bring against their brother white
linen who for a small gain are willing
to wreck the lives Of their brothers
in black and endanger the peace and
happiness of many a white family.
Charity and Children says of the
dope habit that liquor IS bad enough
lin all conscience, but We believe the
l"dope' habit is the greatest evil of our
day. 1t is more deadly 10 the moral
nature and makes it's victim more Of
Ia beast than the meanest Whiskey
that ever ran out of a blockade still"
In the dope" habit the two ex-
tremes of society meet. The debased
negro and the high class society white
lpeople meet on this plain of debase-
Iment.
In his article on the subject the
|editor of Charity and Children goes on
to say, in speaking Of this habit, that
l"it is more respectable however. than
the liquor habit, and, consequently, it
breaches higher than whiskey and in
Icludes a larger proportion of the pop
|ulation." He tells Of women who be-
come addicted to dope" but who do
not. fall low enough to drink liquor
until they have become drunkards.
ISays the editor: "One oma we have
in mind who was so enslaved that she
Iopenly and frankly stated that she did
not want to Quit-that she knew she
was in danger of losing her soul, but
that the effect Of the drug was so fas-
~;cinating and exquisite that she in
tended to indulge in it until she was
killed by it. She made this statement
to the trained nurse who was employ
ed to attend her" That editor de-
clares that there are a dozen dope
fends where there rs one drunkard
and that there is more hope for the
latter than for the others.
And this is what our drug stores are
doing under license-un Sundays as
well as week days-while there is a
Igreat cry against the six-day-in-the-
week saloon.
We are not defending the saloons.
The country would. 9perhaps. be better
off if there was not one in existence,
but we only wish to show that there
is in our midst a greater menace to
the physical and moral welfare of
people which is not taken account of
by the moralist and the temperance
leader in their fight for the uplifting
of humanity-an evil hiding under the
cloak Of a business held far more re-
spectacle than the dispensing of
whiskey, brandy or beer over the
counter of a saloon.