The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1910-11-13
LIBERTY" AND
WHAT IT MEANS

Editor Pensacola Journal
Would you kindly publish in your
Vox Populi column the following edi.
toria1 from the Woman's National
Daily? as 1t so completely covers the
question Of issue in our own state in
the coming election.
Respectfully,
MINNIE WOLFE RUTHERFORD.
Personal Liberty.
The people Of at least three states
OF the Union are hearing a great deal
at present about personal liberty
All of the great instruments of pub
licity, including orators, newspapers,
billboards and advertising cards in
street cars, are being utilized to in
form voters that denying a man the
privilege Of drinking liquor when and
where he desires to drink it is strik.
Ing a blow at the very foundations
Of freedom. CAS- WELL" say these pub
licity agents, prohibit a citizen from
eating meat as prohibit him from tax.
ing glass of beer"
Did you read the case Of Louis
Drochter as set forth in The D lily of
recent date? Because personal lib
erty" is denied st. Louisans on the
Sabbath. the saloons being closed
l1oua SoIuIuoy mluuISuL uuLlI hOIl'
day morning, Drochter went across
the Mississippi river into Illinois to
spend the day. There he became in
volved in quarrel with a friend who
refused to buy beer for him with the
result that he is now lying, danger
ously wounded. in a St. Louis hospital.
He is receiving treatment at the ex-
pehse OF his family. Meanwhile. he
Is not working. Now. the question is.
how does this sort Of personal liber.
ty benefit Droohter or any one de-
pendent upon or interested in him?
And how about the friend, also a bene.
ficiary OF personal liberty" who is
responsible for Drochter's present
condition, and for whose board in Jail
the people Of St Louis are paying:
How about the members of this as
sallant's family? Has the "persnal
liberty that their son and brother
enjoyed been of any advantage to
them? Has 1t been Of any advan age
to anyone concerned with the affair?
Would either Drochter or his assail-
ant have been deprived of anything
valuable If the right to buy liquor had
been denied them?
Thousands of identical and similar
cases might be cited. but here is one
that involves points OF interest to so
ciety as whole. The police records
OF st. Louis show that there were
recently arrested in that city four
men who are accused of having driven
team at mad pace down Broadway,
the principal business thoroughfare,
hitting women In the faces with the
lash Of a whip as they drove. One
man stood on the rear of the wagon.
welding the whip. He slashed at
every woman who vas close enough
to the curb to be within reach. He
hit a number. one Of them being
struck across the eyes. Finally the
man jumped from the wagon ard pur.
sued a woman who had lodged one
OF his blows. and the result was that
policemen captured him. OF course,
the man was drunk; no man who
was not would ever have committed
such an offense. Nor is this all. The
next day the other members OF the
original party repeated the exploit OF
the previous day. and this time the
entire crowd. except the driver of the
team, was arrested.
These men enjoyed to the fulle.
what the champions of the liquor case
are pleased to call personal liberty"