The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1908-07-16
REPLY TO THE CRITICISM
OF THE MOUNTAIN DEMOCRAT
Of the One Nile Limit In the Local
Option Law.


| understand that the Editor of the
Mountain Democrat in last weeks issue
of that paper attacked the one mile
clause of the local option act that closed
up the saloon at Accident and several
others in the county and declared that
such malicious laws would certainly
drive the Republican voters into the
Democratic party.
Now we ask the Editor of the Demo-
crat if we are to take this to mean that
the Democratic party in Garrett county
is to be the refuge and the sheltering
and protecting organization of the
saloon keepers and distillers.
We would like to know if the Demo-
crat editor thinks that the hundreds,
yes thousands Of good temperance citi-
zens who consider the saloon a menace
to society and ask the question what
good is the saloon in any community if
these men shall have any consideration
at the hands of his party?
Yes, it may drive a few old whiskey
soaks out of the party 1--WE do not mean
the habitual drunkard for he is usually
glad enough to get rid of the curse)
But We would like to know at the same
time what consideration a temperance
man would find in the Democratic party
! in Garrett county, so long as it is being
controlled by its present leaders.
When any one party allows itself to be
dominated bv the saloon element as the
Democratic party is controlled today in
this county it casts reproach upon the
definition Of Democracy, and when it
elevateS to the position Of School Com
missioner man who has always been
stumbling block to temperance legis-
latiOn it commits an act of shame from
which good thinking men should turn in
disgust. And yet our friend thinks it
malicious to outlaw the saloon and to
offend the barroom proprietor
Some have raised the cry that our
county-seat should have been included
and not exempted. The writer of this
article would have been too anxious to
have our countyseat included but also
believe that half loaf is better than
none. All great undertakings have
small beginning: Christianity grew
from thirteen leaders to what it is to-
day; the Pilgram band was the seed
of this great nation; the anti-slavery
crusade had only few leaders in its
early stages. If this entire county were
to 20 dry some one would raise the cry
what is the use of having one county
/ dry and the rest of the state wet? If
/ the state were to go dry the same COM
/ plant would be heard IN reference to
/ the country at large, but the time is
coming and Mr.. Saloon Keeper you had
better read the handwriting on the
wall
You have filled enough drunkard S
/ graves, made enough children orphans,
wives widows fathers fiends and Young
men criminals. You have filled our
prisons and furnished the victims for
our scaffolds. You have corrupted
politics and bribed legislatures. You
have murdered the souls of men and
paved the road to He'll with your vic
tins. You have paraded through the
land as the mother of all denominations
and the father of all crimes, and now
the people will rise in righteous indig-
nation and smite you once and forever
in your march of devastation and the
rum soaked hamlets, villages and towns
shall be made dry, and rum rule shall
be at an lend, May God speed this
happy day.
AN OBSERVER.