The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1908-03-02

prineiple OF pewpna liberty TAe pro;
lhltll lrnlsts tsemsslsss ire not lfec
iS8m tile tsint ri hspoesy -Four
lertis leg RiSegaeaa ss
ls.ary aceoEs ling leslEl desseSs.
oae 81 our it6tet reeaIyea I
tEer rom q II conc sitilis
s6ln e RonIds Send hem jnaE5le Is
EoIsany persons ia tlhes community Who
lhs though might be- kelly puEs
Echase wet goods They had a very
me brand ofs Whlsk that hey Wilsts
lea to comment: They would give
him ten per cent: on all sales SmaidilJa
Through him. Well the hotel man
Thought he would have some fun and and
Ito he sent I'M the names OF about thirty
IoiI the most rabld prohibitionlsts I'm
Ithe town: He thought NO more! about
Ethema until about two months Ia
Tier, whine he receLyd a check for $2z
las. his commission on sales aggregat=
1 Ing $27o. / don't think the prohibit
tionIsts IN Rlverhead are a. blt5more
Ihypocritical then they are in any otlh-
Ieri place. A saloon kepre in another
town told me recently that some O. the
Tout and out prohlbi tionists IN hlstown
were among his very best customers
on the quiet Such incidents 81 false
prtense and cant are all too common
4 tnevery community.
And now, word about this local
loptlon scheme Local option Il just
lslmpiy the old prohibition nostrum
with a new label on It It is an enter
ing wedge. It Is a bait held out to
catch those that could not eScaught
on the straight prohibition line. The
prohibftfonists could make no head
way in this statewith the old war cry.
and SO they have taken p4this local
option plan to help them get foot
hood. M one respect local option Is
worse than downright State prohibf=
tiou. 1t kepes the liquor question eter-
nalIy open. 1t creates a thousand local
contsets in place Of one general con-
test. 1t is a Damoc1ean sword con-
SANITY hanging over the head Of the
community. In principle it is just as
Ubiquitous as prohibition and in prac-
tice 1t is just as demoralizing, It is an
outrageous injustice to the lIquod deal.
er. He is constantly threatened with
financial ruin. Today, you tell him
be may go ahead. invest his capital
and carry on his business under the
protection Of thelaw. Tomorrow you
have an election and lo;s the man
| fnds that his business has become a
crime against the State. And 80 you
force him to become either a criminal
or bankrupt. Now, what IS this but
downright confscation, lega1ized rob
berry? with all due respect to the adj
vocatse OF prohibition, I venture to
suggest that even a liquor dealer has
some rights under the constitution OF
this country. Again, local option is
an Instrument Of graft. II at were not
for the fact that these Anti-saloon
Leaguers are all honorable men we
should be tempted to suspect that the
scheme was devised for the sole pur-
pose OF levying blackmail. It places
the saloon keeper at the mercy Of ev-
cry political striker in the commun-
lily II also has tendency to de-
grade the saloon. Looking forward to
the possibility that his town will vote
no.llcense at the next election, the sa-
Iloon keeper is under the constant
temptation to resort to unlawful and
Improper methods Of increasing his
Income in order to lay up enough mon
ey to tide him over the "dry" season
IThis seesawing from wet to dry and
from dry to wet lIsturbs business, cor.
rupts politics and has demorallzing
effect on the whole community. It Is
not infinitely better to say to tie sa-
loon keeper: You may retain your
license just as long as you conduct
your business in decent and lawful
manner? Is it not better to treat the
saloon keeper with Justice and fairness
than to treat him as il he were an out
flaw?
The complaint Is often made that
the liquor interests in this country run
our politics. Well, II this is SO, whose
fault is it? Is it not the fault Of those
who have devised all these unjust,
extreme sumptuary laws? In Europe.
the saloon keepers never ATTEMPT to
control the elections. They don't.
bother their heads about politics. And:
1 don't believe they would here Il they,
were. not compelled to do SO. They
are forced to keep in politics In this
country to protect their business from,
the assaults Of the fanatical reform M
ers on the one hand and from a whole
horde Of political strikers and graft
erB on the other hand. The prohtbi=
tionlsts and the protessio politist
x ,6t,,n 4 sbaT35r IN 1Iaad the