The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-10
AN OPEN LETTER ADDRESSED
ToALL LiBERsL MINDED CHI
zENs OF NEsT NlRolNlA.

"H"N "
nee the ties unitlhg MEM eEs
of our Alliance are primarily of . ,als
turai nature. We have hitherto been
ioath to enter the political arena
no should we do 80 now. were our
Commonwealth not threatened BY a
form Of legislation subyersiye Of civic
liberty and freedom Of conscience. the
pillars upon which American civillza-
ton rests.
While majority rule is essential to a
stable government as a bulwark
l.against rash innovation. it VIII. II car.
ried too far. retard a nations progress.
When once the right has been con.
coded to a majority to dictate to
self-sustaining mentally sound minor;
ity. guilty of no crime against society
what II shall eat and drink. we shall
be dangerously near to the same intol.
, erance which drove the pilgrim faith,
ers to our shores; for it is not I'm.
reasonable to suppose that those who
have legal right to prescribe our diet
and beverage will ere long insist upon
controlling our thoughts and faith as
well.
In every body polite the highest
types constitute a minority. In the
freedom enjoyed by such minority lies
the salvation OF the State. BY this in.
tellectual vanguard the path to pro-
gress must ever and again be found
and mostly against the wish of an i'm.
mature, intolerant majority. Therefore
1t is equally essential to the safety Of
the State that majority should not
exercise cor+~rl over a Iaw-abiding
mentally sound minority. When none
but majority victuals and beverages
can be obtained. when majority rule
invades every household, when major
ity vote can legalize the shackling Of
all individuals in advance of their age
the advocates of prohibition legisla.
ton will haze reached their convicted
millennium, for then a dreary uniform.
ity will pervade our social life. and
the unbroken peace Of the grave will
everywhere prevail.
We are opposed to the present local
option movement because it is one Of
those prohibitory measures which In.
wolves the pernicious principle that
any minority, however worthy, may be
strangled by partly fanatical, partly
intimidated and partly mercenary ma
1ority. We consider the advocates OF
all such sumptuary measures as
greater menace to society than the
drink demon itself. for they represent
the most dangerous form of ascetism
the world has ever known. Not con.
tent with applying the scourge ito
themselves. they would, with frenzied
zeal, stultify their fellow men AMI
transform the whole nation into a
Ut pool swarmIng with but the
lower forms of life.
We would willingly lend our assist.
ance to any rational movement de.
signed to counterfeit the excessive use
of alcohol. We are convinced. how
ever, that the promoters of prohibit
tory legislation have made a false d.
agnosis and are directing their energy
against mere symptom of more
deeply seated disturbance the cure for
which is to be found only in the up.
building Of character, 10 the develop.
ment OF moral self-control.
Therefore we solicit the hearty co.
operation of every fair.minded citizen
against local option and similar nro.
hibitory measures because these are
misaDplied remedies, unworthy OF
self-respectlng people Partly strife
and fractional spirit should be set aside
in order to elect to the next legisla.
ture men who will not degrade tho
Commonwealth by placing the stamp
of incontinence upon its people. The
time has come when every true Amer.
lean must defend his InaIlenable rights
against the encroachments OF deIuded,
zealots who would undermine the very
freedom for which the founders of this
country fought so bravely.
German-American Alliance
ADV. Of Western Pennsylvania.