Mexico Missouri message., 1910-07-28
TOWN VS. COUNTRY.
1t is Not Fair-Give the Drunk
ard a Chance.


reader near Santa Fe.
The liquor men asks this: "IS q
fair for the country to force pro-
hibition upon the city,"
The country does not force pro-
hibition upon the city. 1t never
has. never can. and never will.
The country cuts no figure as the
country. and the city cuts no fig
IRE as 4 city. save in local issues :;
local option is an example of this.
In a local option election the
country votes by itself, and the
city by itself, and each abideS By
the results Independent of the
other. We have plenty of wet
towns and cities, wet because
they voted wet, while the coun-
try around them is dry. because it
voted dry.
When the liquor question be-
comes a burning question all over
the state. it is then no longer a
local question. but state wide
one. When enough legal voters de-
mand through the initiative the
prohibition of the sale and manu-
facture of Intoxicating liquors,
then it becomes by law a state Is
sue. 1t touches every citizen of the
state. whether he be "A resident CT
city. town, or country. Just as in
electing a governor or president,
no one asks for the vote of the
cities by themselves. or of the
country by itself, but only for the
states vote as a whole; just as in
voting on any other amendment
to the constitution. or on chang
ing the capitol. every section Of
the state must be heard from, so it,
is now. This concerns all.
The cities could not exist three
months without the country to-
furnish them fuel, frui'; :. meat,
milk, vegetables. and all manner
of food stuffS. The Smelters would
shut down without the country s.
products of the mine. The mills
would close without the cOuntry's
grain. The lumber yards wOuid
close without the country supply
of timber. The factories would
close without the country $ cotton
and wool. They draw their very
life from the country. Why shout |
the cities force saloons upon their
henefactOrS The country hates
and has largely Out-lawed the =
,oOnS.
The country cannot force pro-
hibitiOn upon the city. Only a
state can do that. and a state puts
it upon city, county, village, and
hamlet alike: The state undOuh-
teddy has a right to protect itself
from the saloon.
But the city does, (withOut the
action Of the state at large, and
therefore unfairly 5rrce the Sa-
loon upon the country. No one can
claim there is any harm in going
without liquor. No one can claim
abstinence will injure the pocket
book, wreck the health, or destroy
morals. When the state stops the
saloon, as the state has a right to
do, she injuries no mans charac-
ter. hurts no families, wrecks no
wife's happiness, but the city
when it keeps its saloon, while all
the country around is dry, actual-
ly forces itself upon the country.
A net work of railroads and street
cars bring the farmers to town
and to the allurements of the
drink palaces. Every farmers son
is tempted by the open asloon
each time he drives load of pro-
duce to the city. The men go back
to the country to sleep off their
DRINKS and curse their families.
Every city saloon forces itself up
on the country.
Make the proposition state
4: wide. Close every still, every
l brewery, every dive, every saloon.
n