Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-07-20
WHISKEY-SELLING.
(Mathews Journal.)


Il must be source of great re-
gret to the law abiding and self-re-
specting people of this county that
it seems matter of impossibility
for the offi,'ers of the law to secure
evidence against those people who
disregard both the laws of the
State ami the moral law and carry
on an iuiquitious traffic in whiskey.
There can be no question that there
is inherent evil in whiskey selling,
regardless of law, and that it is an
evil that is far reaching must be ad-
mitted 10y all candid and honest
minds. The consequences to society
in rural districts are as harmful as
could well be related, but we believe
that notwithstanding the injury of
debauchery and drunkenness which
accrues to the individual, perhaps
the most degrading effect of the
speak easy is the fact that it creates
a pact between the patrons which
makes them liars and perjurers. 1t
is so we'll known that to state It is
to prove its truth that men who
hang around places where every
thing points to the sale of whiskey,
men who 60 there sober and return
either drunk or with their breath
reekiIg with the odor of whiskey,
men otherwise respectable, will pat
.ronize these places and will after
wards swear upon oath that they
have purchased nothing containing
spirituous or malt liquor in Mathews
county in two years. AS to the
character of the places they frequent,
it is nothing unusual for bills run
ming up into hundred of dollars to
be sent against them by whiskey
houses to collection agencies, and in
a recent failure in this county there
were whiskey accounts probated
against the debtor amounting to
from $500 to $500.
Not only is this trne, but the
Anti.Saloon League will furnish any
one who may write them list show
ing a dozen or more merchants in
this county to whom the United
States Government has issued
| licensed.
And yet drinking men who hang
around these places having United
States licenses and emerge therefrom
with the fumes of whiskey on their
breath, will solemnly swear they do
not buy it, nor did they see anyone
else purchase anything of the sort.
This to us is the most degrading in
fluence, the most corrupting, of all
the iniquitious consequences of the
violation of the law against the sale
Of whiskey.
Now there is some way to put a
stop to this vicious practice, and it
lies in the arousing of the public
conscience and in determined or
ganized and combined effort to stamp
out this evil and to discountenance
not only the man who sells hiskey,
but the man who is a particept
criminis in that he patronizes him
and lies in order to hold his debaucher
immune. Men high in the council
of the church will tell you of this
evil practice of whiskey selling, bat
do not wish to be brought into the
trisl themselves or be known as Civ
ing any information in regard to it.
Unless the people of Mathews desire
to enforce the law against whiskey
selling, it is certain that the officers
will be able to do but little. Another
strong deterrant against this lawlesi
traffic lies in the hand of the jurie,
of our county. In Lancaster, Nor
thu m berland, Louisa and other coun
ties when these violaters of the Law
are convicted it is nothing unusua
/
for jury to put fine of $500 OIL
him, but in Mathews, when they ar
caught red-handed, the highest fin
|, the jury has ever assessed was $10e
a mere nothing to fellow who j
dealing as largely in whiskey a
some violators of the law have bee
proven to be in our county. Let tn
preachers, stewards, deacons, elder
, and vestrymen, and all the good pee
pie Of the county determine to max
/, eternal war upon whiskey sellin
aud some headway will be made to
wards carrying out the law.