Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1907-08-23
INTERVIEW WITH HON.
JOSHUA w. MILES.

IN LhN LEW III HUN.
JOSHUA w. MILES.
1 had never met Joshua w. Miles,
but | knew him to be broad-minded
statesman, an eminent lawyer, and
a man of signal ability. l did not
even know his views concerning local
option. Guided by his name on the
window, I entered his office, and was
most cordially welcomed by a distin-
guished looking gentleman, clad in
a comfortable white linen suit, who
upon learning my business, became
communicative.
81 have no hesitancy in saying
that Princess Anne owes her peace,
prosperity and morality to the alb
sence saloon" said he.
"DOes the county suffer the loss
OF such revenue as might be derived
from the sale Of liquor?" I asked
ooh, of course not" he replied.
''Ihat is always an expensive rev.
enue at best. The crime, disorder
and poverty the sale of liquor pro-
duces, always cost more than the rev.
enue amounts to-"
"Then, you are practically free
from these bad conditions ?" said.
owe are" he said. "There is
scarcely any crime among us. Our
Criminal Courts are of very little ex-
pense to the county. DisorderIy
conduct is an unknown thing upon
our streets. They are as respectable
for a woman to walk on Saturday
night as on Sunday night. Political
meetings, which in the Olden days
were drunken orgies, are now orderly
and undisturbed by drunk
us there any drinking among
your young menu" l asked.
"There is practically no drinking
among them. The Punishment of
the saloon does away with the temp .
tation and that sort of sociability
presence invites. Besides, l
in a dry town, people soon begin to t
look upon drinking with disfavor,
md soon society puts its ban on tue I
thinker" a
''How about the speakeasy ?" I =
lsked. t
"Well. he said. 'When a dis I
riot first goes under the operation a
If the local option law, it is to be "
expected that the illegal sale of whis- h
,ey will crop out here and there. a
We, Of course, had that experience, d
'ut we drove the thing out. 1t does u
lot exist here any more. When l
yas States attorney l sent a number
f these fellows to the House of Cor
ectiOn, and a few to the penitentiary. G
III you have to do is to enforce the
wv, just as you would against the
lief, or other criminal. " r
Until three years ago, we We're IN ~
instantly threatened, as you are g. g.
ware, with Salisbury on the one ="
de and Pocomoke on the other. n,
has now gone dry, and if If
were not for licensed Pc 3omoke, tn
1u would never see an intoxicated to
9rson on our streets. LIE
"There is another proposition" In
id Mr.. Miles, (which your inteili- y. "
mt voter should seriously consider. nc
hat is the colored man. Years ago
hen liquor was sold in Princess
ane, we had the most disreputable gel
ID worthless lot of colored people St,
laginable. Under no license that an
IS been changed. They are now so
.iet, orderly and respectable. When wa
u pour the liquid they sell in sa- COZ COZ
ms and barrOoms down a colored S Stu
ms throat, you set him on fire, see
d make fiend Of him. ags
II have colored man, who has
en- with me for a long time. He
zindhearted, trustworthy and hon E
d. He would do anything in the gar
rid for me, and l am very much inc
ached to him. When sober, he coI COZ,
uld not harm the meanest thing s.J
the face of the earth. Some cor
srs ago, he got terribly drunk,
Mt home, and beat his wife nearly g.
death. He barely escaped the S
Both the court and orig
jury were acquainted with his roe
tile, docile disposition. They w.
wv that rum had transformed him a. ~ :
} a fend, and even with all that,
with every effort in his behalf
ich was capable of exerting, he
ely escaped.
Without rum that crime would b
er had been committed. nor hors
lid the vast majority Of crimes be wild
united without it. Then shall ana
man insist that it is desirable to lou loan
nse and protect a hing which The
notes crime? ~