Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1907-03-27
What is the Dispensary?
continued from first psge)


% the bar-rcomS, lighting, hrawling, as
saults, murders. drnnksr,ls. poverty,
broken hearted wives sad m~thers, rag
I ged and ignotSnt children; these are the
fruits OF the disuensary Sad the bar. room
ali e. ha, there axe cihcr fruits that tie
bar.roOm never produced We were
ashamed 90 the ba. ,oum~ We never
parsGed their WORK. Ne never pointed
th' m ont cNullingly. &C never publish
never pointed viii pride to the profits
they made GU of the degradation of our
citizens But all this is done concerning
the dis ensary. The quarterly reports are
looked forward 10 with interest, and the
greater the amount of sales and the
greater the amount of profit. the greater
thepride and exultation of the di. prnsary
advocates. The worst fruit of the dis
pensary is its effect upon the public con-
science. 1t distinctly e!evaies the ma
ierial above the moral and spiritual II
puts things above men and women. Ii
builds public roads, sidewalks. water
works, school-houses, etc, and damns the
souls and bodies of its citizens and braeks
the hearts Of wives and mothers. The
man who brings forward the matter of
material improvements into the discus
SIGN of the liquor question shows him
self by that fact to be a sordid. selfish
creature. Who cares for watelworks.
sidewalks. school houses, or any other
material thing when the sobrieiy and the
manhood of his own son and the purity
and happiness of his own daughter are
involved. IL such question as this is
To be settled ON money basis, then money
indeed is the highest standard of Judge
ment lie us not not deceive ourselves.
city built at the price of blood will reap
terrible harvest. A city treasury may
be full, but the city itself will be bank.
rupi in character.
WHO PAYS THE REVENUE?
And after all, who pays all the money
for the liquor? Who furnishes all the
profits OF the dispenser? The people.
and, shame on the town or city, the very
class of people who can least afford il
All these public Improvements which are
pointed to with such pride are paid for
by taking the comforts of life. educa
uonal opportunities. and, oftentimes.
even the clothes and food from the
wives and children OF drinking men
surely man cannot fall much lower in
his ideals OF citizenship than to be willing
TO allow drinking people to pay his taxes
10 build the sidewalks he walks on. the
school-houses to which he sends his
children, the waterworks to supplv him
with water, and-but why continue?
The dispensary established, controlled.
managed by the State or city as rcve-
nue. producer is simply an appeal to the
sunginess and selfshness of human na-
ture. Any man who will vote for il be-
cause OF the revenue it brings would vote
10 sell opium or cocaine in the same way.
and would vote TO license gangs ofthieves
or houses Of prostitution, if revenue
could be obtained thereby. The arru.
ment is that, if il is to be sold IL i better
forthe State TO sellit and TO get the revenue
than Tor individuals 10 sell it and get the
revenue either with license or by the
blind-;iger method. BY the same argu-
ment exactly, il anything is to be done.
no matter how earthly, sensual and devil
fish, il is better for the State TO control
1t and TO get the revenue, and so gamb-
ling, opium joints, scarlet houses. ought
all TO be authorized and controlled bv-
the State and the revenue 90 to lower
the taxes OF those who do not engage in
these vices. We have no hesitation in
saying that the man who will vote for
the dispensary because of the revenue il
brings, the public improvements that
can be made, will in the day of judg-
ment take lower place than the man
who votes for the saloon because he likes
his dram and believes that no one has
the right TO take it from him.
PARTNERS IN DRUNKARD-MAKTNG
1t is difficult TO see how the State can
descend to lower depth of infamy than
when she engages in the sale of intoxi
eating liquors TO her own citizens. 1t is
clearly the duty of government to take
such measures as will control to the
greatest possible extent the vices. es- |
pecially the violent vices of its citizens |
But when the government enters direct. |
ly into the business of ministering 10 |
these vices and of making a large profit |
out of the ruin of certain portion of
It's people, it is no longer performing the
functions OF government, but is nullifying
the very purposes ofits creation. Surely
1t would seem that the citizens who not
only do not wish 10 engage in this soul
destroying business, but who loathe and
oppose 1t as the abomination of abomi
nations ought not to be compelled to be
partners in the ruin of their fellow-men
or participants in the profits obtained by
such public outraging of their con-
scientious convictions 1t would seem
that an appeal to the highest courts ought
to secure an injunction restraining anv
city, town or county government from
engaging in such business as directly
contrary to the very purposes of govern
as declared in the Constitution ~
|
This is Worth Remembering
Whenever you have a cough or cold.
Just remember that Foley's Honey and
Tar will cure it. Donot risk your heplth