The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1906-12-11
ARE STRIKING At CONDITIONS
Ministerial Association State:
Fully its Position.
Practically the Entire Community
al Reforns-Eyes of the Public on
the Action of the Boar.i of Alder
men-The Matter Considered i'm all
its Essential Details.
published by ReQuest.)

1t is charged that the ordinance sep
arating the sale of groceries from
liquors would be unfair to those nav
ing On hand a stock of both.
In answer there are four considera-
ticns-The first is that there is an
being unfair to those engaged i'll the
liquor traffic. When a man enters this
business, he does 50 with the full
knowledge Of the tremendous moral
forces at work against his trade With
scores Of other occupations before aim
where there IS no such opposition, Ii
: deliberately chooses TO take Il trade
whose license is dead every six months.
whose dangers and evils are 50 mani
fest and serious as to exact payment
I of taxes not only to city and INT
and state. out even to the United States
! government. No other business on
earth is thus treated by the law, aside
from the attitude Of moral forces, aside
from the we'll established fact that
: ninety per cent. of the crimes ana
Indebtedness of the country arise di-
rectly OF indirectly from this business,
a fact accepted by the men who con
! duct it. These men are willing to take
a six months license, willing to pay
the heavy charges eXacted by the law
! of their land, willing to face the oppo-
; sition of strong moral forces. willing
to engage in a trade that fills their
country with crime and sin n sorrow.
Whose is the fault then, when they
! find the evils of their business so Sc
riOus, and the powers against those,
: evils SO determined that the day OF
reckoning. is at hand, which they knew
in advance might come at n time:
It is like the nan who puts out 20 sea
in d vessel whose untrustwOrthinesS he
knows, in the face of the evident oppo-
sition Of dangerous elements, and then
blames everything, but himself, for
the disaster that comes.
The second consideration is that the
movement now at work takes into
account the possible financial loss to
the dealer and provides for sufficient
time to dispose of either groceries Or
liquors. Those behind the movement
are seeking to act in all fairness, with
no desire to injure any man. They are
striking not at men, but at conditions.
The third consideration is that it
must necessarily be true. that under
the six months license the stock OF
either groceries or liquors is not more
than can be disposed Of in three
months. In any instance where 4 man
with a family, desires to give up his
liquor business, that part OF his pres
ent stock which he fails to sell by
March 1st will be bought by a commit
tee, whose card appears in todiys
paper.
The last consideration is that the
openings for new business in Whining
ton were never so abundant and so
promising as today. This fact is evil
dent to every business man IN .touch
with existing conditions Of the life and
progress of the city.
1t is a mistake for any man to think
that the present movement is conEied
ITO the association which presented
the resolutions of last Monday ni2nf.
Save where friendship, selfish inter
I est. moral corruption, or coWaTdlce &C.
ters, practically the entire community
Of thinking people stand together III
their recognition of the evil OF existing
conditions and their determination TO
back necessary reforms. Even the Det-
Ter class of liquor dealers would come
forth for reforms. but for their unWli1-
ngness to seem to seek their own AZ
vantage in the injury to men IN th2lI
| same business. II is only fair TO say
that if the present effort is defeated
if will be the signal for q stronger
fight on more far reaching INES
The ewes Of the public are or the
men who have solemnly sworn to &c
, all in their power for the safety. peace
! and moral welfare Of their
: Those who are present on MONDAY
night will quickly detect the aosen"'
of any man who seeks 20 snun the IS
7 SHE. the effort of any man to cloud O.
, delay the issue by tecnnlcalty or SUD
; +erfrce or compromise. Every alder
man NAV expect respect for homes
oDinion. but not if divorced from 81
intelligent grasp, a fearless facing am
! a fair treatment of the situation.
meth is wrong. when more tha!
two hundred arrests are necessary =
II ona month. when several white womel
/ have very recently been frightened l..
< drunken negroes, when a negro ma
IS walks the public streets wearing a but
ton picture of a white woman, VINE
Is negro mel and women and low elias
:! white men meet together in saloon
. where white hands deliver drinks VII
enough to fire the passions OF tn
sluggard.
And where something is wrong some
thing must be done. If II is not don
N now we may look for some fearful on
rage, with deep shame n suncrih
for the innocent, for which every ma
y will be responsible, who does not q
< his duty at this time. The issue IS NJ
n only in the hands Of the aldermen:
,- is in the hands of every man VINO M
not the mind Of an imbecile. or II
- heart of a brute.
y, u
IA Mildred and Rouclere at tho Acadeni
IL The Mildred-Rouclere Company a
d peared at the academy yesterday ate
ne noon and night, and by their mysteT
- and adenf nerfOrmance greatly q