The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1910-10-15
LICENSE FROM A
BUSINESS MANS
STANDPOINT
.(Communicated.)

Communicated
An undecided voter and business
man had talk the other day about the
coming election. The conversation
turned upon the probable result OF the
local option vote. We give the col
loquy as possibly helpful to others who
may be misinformed or in doubt as 10
their duty in this matter.
Business Manhood morning.
John! How are things in your end OF
the county, How will the vote go
on the eighth OF November? | hear
the liquor people are at work. | hope
the Anti-License forces are wide
awake and doing
Undecided Cltizer-'Well there is
some talk pro and con- They say the
license folks are working hard on the
quiet; but | am not particularly inter-
ested myself one way or the other. AS
| feel now, | shall either not vote at
all or | shall cast my ballot Tor IL
cense."
Business Many on surprise ME be-
yond measured | counted you a
stanch prohibitionist. What has come
over you? How did you egt yourself
INTO tlllS state Vi llllliQ.
Undecided Citzen-'Some OF us fel-
lows have been talking the thing over
and we are just sick and tired OF these
preachers and professional reformers
and other temperance cranks trying to
cram their notions down our throats
and interfere with our liberty in the
matter OF what we shall drink"
Business Man-"You think, then,
that the people who are working so
hard to carry the county Tor license
and SO be able to open TWENTY
ONE rrmshops in it are your friends
and acting in your interests, do you!
AS a man OF sound mind and good
sense, YOU know you do not believe
any such nonsense. What have the
preachers and temperance people to
gain in this fight? Have they any
personal Ratchet to grind? Are they
not entirely unseltish and disinterest-
ed in their conviction that the best
wel-beng of the community is secured
by the abolition and absence of the
saloon? On the other hand, does not
all experience prove and do you not
know very well that the saloon men
are purely selfish in their desires; that
revenue only; that the only liberty they
know or care about is legal liberty to
rake into their tills in exchange for
their ruinous stuff as much of the good
hard cash OF the people--the weak and
the tempted, as they can, and are they
not utterly indifferent To the suffer
ing OF wives and children. the ruin OF
homes, the wreck OF lives and the dis
order, immortality and crime which
their business uniformly and univer-
sally produces:"
Undecided Citizer--"I guess when |
come to think about it, you are not
far from right in your account OF it..
But am surprised beyond measure to
hear such sentiments from business
man like you. | have been led to be-
lieve that its benefit to the business
of the county was TIE Conclusive rea-
son III favor OF Ercn1e: that is the
song the license Iucn are singing
they are pointing Us to progressive
Newark and Havrc de Grace as sam
piles of what whiskev can and will do
for town. They say that all the bust
ness men OF the county are opposed
to the present prohibitory law because
vi IT'S HNiltlul ChNNt WI DuSihNSn' dS
people spend their none for other
supplies where they get their drink. |
see that you have different views and
| should like to hear what you have
to say on this phase of the question
as a hardheaded successful business
man.
Business Mani vas once dcluded
into voting for license by the very ar
gument that you have just mentioned.
! am ashamed to acknowledge that
could so easily be taken in. For this
argument though specious, is very
shallow \ moments thought will
show anyone how utterly absurd it isl!
Like the colored preacher who having
divided his sermon into two heads
the things that were contained in his
text and thOS" that were not-Said,
We'll wraSSle with the last part first y
let us first go to Newark. not as some
of our fellow citizens are alleged to
do to seek the spritus ardentcS. but
to see whether the rum spirit is the
spirit OF progress it is cracked up to
be. A Stalwart lie may be so strongly
stated and so pcrsistently restated as
TO gain credence as a truth When
the English king asked the savants
OF his day, why dead fish weighed
more than a live one" thew at once
began to assign reasons for the alleged
fact, without stopping to inquire whc-