The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-09-14
MR.. BARTON DISCUSSES
LIQUOR DEALERS COLUMN

! Editor Pensacola Journal:
a few reflections upon the Liquor
I Dealers Association column of The
Journal:
One of the amusing features Of the
present campaign" ETC., they say, is
! the "old fashion experience meeting
way the friends of prohibition have OF
doing things. Evidently the noodle OF
/ that column has once upon time
deviated from his course into one OF
! those .'old fashion experience meet
! ings." Surely no one would accuse
him of going into an old fashion ex-
perieRce meeting" to scoff. Therefore
/ it is evident he has felt the pull OF
better influences somewhere back IN
| the more Virturous moments OF his
/ life, for he intimates he has had
| personal knowledge of the ''old fash
ion experience meeting. The intend
/ ed effect of the entire first paragraph
/ is ridicule of sacred institution as
sling at the methods used by the pro-
| hibitionists, and ridicule is the argr
ment of fools.
Paragraph states an axiom, and
then spoils its effect by a regardless
disregard of the principle contained
therein by violating it to the letter, as
IS plainly seen in the next paragraph,
and following ones.
Paragraph starts out with another
axiom, that personal pride and patriot
ism are praiseworthy even when car
ried to extremes. The rest of the
paragraph knocks the knocSer," who
ever or whatever that may - The
inference one may naturally draw
from the term and its environment
refers undoubtedly to the fellow who
IS trying to knock out the saloon.
The only place ever heard or
where a man is "repudiated by his
fellow-men" for being a 'knocker" Of
whiskey plant is in hell
Paragraph 4 is mellow and beneVO-
lent 1t exhausts itself in apologiZing
for the sling at the ''old fashion ex-
perience meeting" in paragraph one,
and comes at you with all due re-
spect," etc., and with wet eyelashes
and palpitating pulse reminds the
contributor TO the prohibition letter
file that his enthusiasm and interest
may have bubbled over and fooled
him, bless my soul.
Paragraph IS simply supposition,
an imaginary Pigment of the brain, to
which paragraph offers an answer.
If it had an absolute basis of truth
in it, argument would find a legiti-
mate subject to wrestle with. AS
mere speculation, it is worthless.
Paragraph goes for the ''knocker"
and the booster" Whoever heard OF
town being boosted by squirting it
full of whiskey from bar rooms, but
this is the argument of paragraph Z.
Paragraph s has caught On to-an-
other truth, so long as the boosting
comes from a moral and elevating
force.
Paragraph 9, who knows what it
means? This morning / pushed into
the Liquor Dealers Association
column in quest of reasons to sup
port their cause. / did expect some
sort of gamey argument that would
show the thing had some reason to
exist, but l slipped up on a lot of
lolly-pop.
Every day will be Sunday bye and
bye" Yes, the Saloon needs a rest. It
has hit hard in its time, and has
earned a long, long holiday Every
day will be Sunday bye and bye" But
every one must eat, and the fellow
who can't I'LL up on whiskey must fill
up on grub, if he expects to remain
here in good company. The grocery
store will put in another door, and
get acquainted with more people. The
dry goods store never went broken
hearted over a fallen saloon. Who
ever saw rags loafing around a dry
goods store? You can photograph
them at any old time wfping their
chops in bar room. Lor mel And
the people viii rush to the banks to
get their money, when the last lone
treat is DER, and they've closed the
bar room door, and ships no longer
will sail the seas, for a port that's
lost its whiSkey wheeze.
Who ever heard tell of a shin re-
fusing a charter from a port where
bar rooms were closed? Really, does
the ship come to Pensacola for cargo
or for whiskey? From my long ex-
perience with ships, am sure every
owner and nearly every master would
gladly help close every bar room in
town. Drunken sailors are the great
est curse a ship ever sailed UP
against.
Oh, yes, l know what You have up
your sleeve. HE will get his whiskey
just the same" So he will. to a Ger.
tain extent, for some man stands
ready to violate the law and sell to
him. just like other men who stand
ready every day in the year to vio-
late every law against crime on the
statue book. When any state or COM
munity can enforce absolutely the
laws against crime, we will all be in
heaven with wings Amen.
W. B. BARTON.