The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1907-11-07
Is Prohibition a Good Thing?

(By Rev A. J. Parker, Wilmington, N. c.
Any measure that prevents one
man from becoming drunkard or
continuing to be one is a good thing.
The liquor men are often heard to
say that people in Prohibition towns
drink more liquor than the same
people do with open bars" They
claim that the Express brings it by
the Jug, case, and key and where a
man would spend only ten cents at
the counter, he is compelled to pur-
chase quart or gallons Some simple
minded people allow themselves to
be deceived with such rot and agree
with such argument. The men who
talk after this manner are heart and
soul whiskey men. The distillers
and wholesalers do their best by
mail and with drnmmers on the road
to sell all they can. If more whis-
key was used by men in prohibition
than in those where bars are per-
mitted, then these men would be for
prohibition, but because prohibition
curtails the sale of liquor these dis
tillers and wholesale men give of
their means to fight it and prevent
every town possible from becoming
dry.
The whiskey business is the great
est enemy to the poor man. A few
minutes stop at the bar on his way
home from his work, means that his
wages have been cut more than half
and that there is but a pittance left
to furnish the table or to buy clothes
and shoes. A poor wretch came to
me few days ago and wanted help.
I went to see his family and | shall
never forget the gaunt, hungry
faces, that appealed to me out of
their wretched surroundings. Out
of sheer pity for these who were
suffering as a result of the husband
and fathers action, l secured the
man a good job, that paid him near
ly $500 a day, but it was only day
or two until he was drunk again and
his job gone. / begged him to stop
drinking. He stood and cried and
told me that he wanted to leave it
off, but said he, there is bar al
most on eveay corner and | can't
stand the temptation. l knew an
other who would walk four blocks
out of his way to keep from passing
saloon on his way to and from his
work. You may say men as weak
as these ought not to be considered,
but let me tell you that the time
was when these, with thousands of
others who are just as weak, were
once Our strongest men. The misery,
hunger, cold, ostracism, and cruel
treatment which the innocent wife
and children have to endure on &C.
count Of the liquor business is ap-
palling The man who votes to IL
cense to sale of liquor in an any
form. is guilty Of crime before
God. Open your bars, hang their
walls with nude pictures, Of our
sweet Southern women, and you
open the flood gates and invite the
drunken negros who frequent these
places, to rape our girls, and follow
up this dastardly crime with another
in lynching the negro. What man
is there among us with soul so dead,
with aspirations so low, that he is
willing to license business that he
must pay for, it may be, with the
virtue of some member of his fam
lily. Is such a man good citizen?
Much less a Christian? Working
men, if you value your homes, if you
love your wives, sisters, daughters,
and mothers, if you love the child
rem which have been committed to
your care, if you want to see your
town prosper and business continue
on sound basis, if you love the
church, and place any value upon
your profession of religion, then /
beg you in the name of all that is
good vote for prohibition. Don't
let some pretended friend cause you
to cast a ballot for whiskey in auy
form, for if you do, you will have to
be making excuses for doing it as
often as you tell it, or answer some
ones question concerning it. No
man has to give an excuse for doing
right. May God help you to have
back bone enough to do right. Be a
man not a slave