Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1911-05-04
another Observer" Answered.


Dear Sir:-In the
! Advocate of last week appears a
communication written by a
party under the pseudonym An
other Observer" For short we
will call him ''X,"
He denies the right of petition.
ing the Council and County
Court on the assumption that
these are only executive - bod
les. If this be true, what be-
comes of the right of Councils
to make public laws, to regulate
paving at private expense, the
building of homes ON ones own
land, and many other things? If
it be true why does the law OF
West Virginia expressly provide
for petitions pro and con on the
liquor buiness? Councils and
Courts may be principally execu-
tive, but it is idle to say they may
not be petitioned on the liquor
question, when at almost every
session they hold, they have pc
titions laid before them for con-
sideration, and which they grant
or deny, on many other ques-
tions.
Ky asks g are you your BROTH
er's keeper, PROFESSIONALLY,
every man is his brothers. keep
ere 1t is fundamental princi-
pie of civil law that man must
so use his own as not to i11jure
his neighbor. This question was
originally asked by Cain when
trembling in sense of blood guilt
mess for Staying his brother, in a
vain effort to conceal his guilt.
A bad example
*" says we live in free
country, etc" Yes, but not in
anarchy, not RIGHTEOUSNESS. No
country can be so free" as to al
low each man to do as he p1eases
without respect to the rights of
others or the public welfare.
Free" countries have govern
ment; and what is this for but to
protect each man from the ravage
of another man and for pro-
noting the security, the order
and the welfare of the public ?
The freest government is at best
a compromise between private
rights and public welfare. Every
right and power conferred upon
government is so much taken
from the individual. If no pri-
vate rights were taken, we should
have universal social 1icentenious-
ness and political anarchy. Our
laws hedge the individual in on
many sides. He may not even
hunt or fish except at certain
times. Yet, the liquor business,
which admits of no wholesome
restraint by our present strong
laws, nor by the honest men en-
gagged in it *" would put be-
yond further control, and even
deny the people the legal right
of petition against it. or for it.
Let him read the statutes of
of West Virginia before he takes
such position.
AS to the tempest in a tea
pot of which he speaks, l have
not felt the tempest" nor even
the boiling teapot If there
be boiling teapot, +" it must be
: wet. - Dry pots do not usually
boil over.
THERE'S no rational argument
for licensing the liquor business
but personal friendship and pri-
vate financial gains. Statistics
from towns around us that have
gone dry show that no license
has improved business. The
" personal liberty" plea is spec
ious and aliunde when there
are many laws on other subjects
that limit personal liberty" for
public welfare.
No man in the community has
had the temerity to stand up pub
licly and advocate license. Yeti
am told that some men are work
ing hard in private to fasten
upon us this uncomfortable busi-
ness like an octopus to squeeze
out the manhood. from men and
boys to degrade the weak, to-
starve wives, and reduce their
children to rags and beggary.
Sincerely Yours,
A. G. HOPKINS.
John W. Davis.
John W. Davis. of clarksburg, was