The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-01-05

more infants were sent to heaven every
year by the excessive use of candy
Than were ever men sent to hell hS
the use of liquor. If we must have
prohibition. save the babies and pro-
hibit the sale of candy.
Did you ever stop to think that 30
per cent of the people Of the world
arc moderate drinkers, : per cent. total
abstairers. and that only 3 per cent.
drink to excess? And. Is II fair that
the per cent. shah decide what the
80 per cent. shall not do to save the
per cent. who WON'T be saved anyhow!
Abe Lincoln once said: Prohibition
Will work great injury 10 the cause of
temperance. 1t Is a species of intem-
perance within itself, for IL goes be-
Nnnd the bounds of reason in that II
attempts to control n mans appetite
by legislation and making crimes out
Of things that are not crimes. A pro-
hibition law strikes blow at the very
principles on which our government
was founded. have always been
found laboring % protect the weaker
classes from the stronger, and ! can
never give my consent TO such law.
Until my tongue shall be silenced In
death j shall continue 10 fight for the
rights of men"
Siekenns Sight Of Drunkenness.
States who has not seen sickening
sight of drunkards of tine worst order.
The drug stores are frequently turned
into very remuueratIVe bars. and
through hidden channels whiskey and
gin food the community.
Through the entire Southern States
the sale of opium, morphine. cocaine.
etc, has increased TO an alarming ex-
tent since prohibition has been In
efo Is ha .-,,r1a aff hE maxi
ing drug fcnds uf our men?
Herbert Spencer has said: Every
man is free to Go which he wiiled,
provided he infrlnges not on the equal
freedom of any other man.
The seriousness at this question is
apparent to every one. but progress
is to be hoped for only from the most
careful analysis of all the factors of
this probe m Yet. instead the nation
leaves it to the unthnking, the emo
tIonal parts of the population. In the
teftrS of tt1r silver agitation it was
matter Of admiration TO the whole
world. the wonderful seriousness with
which large crowds listened in hun
dreds of towns. evening after evening,
through long hours Of difficult tech
meal discussions on currency Six
teen to one was discussed by the
whole nation. and arguments were ar
TdNeh aEalEiSt arguments peipiE uS-
Cision was reached.
Must Face IL Seriously.
1t Is necessary that the method be
taken az soon as this problem is
touched, question far more complex
ard difficult than the silver question.
and OF far more import TO the moral
habits in developing the nation. A
minister hangs the American flag over
his pulpit. fastens large patch of
black color on IT, declares that the
patch stands for the liquor evil which
smirches the country. denounces wild
" the men who spend money for Ii
quor which ought 10 buy medicine
for sick children, and then madly
tears the black cloth from the Stars
and Stripes and gTinds 1t under his
heel, then the congregation rHshAs
out as excited as il they had heard
a convincing argument. And this su
perfiCiality is the more repeliant be-
cause every glimpse below the sur
face shows an abundance Of hypocrisy
and search fer cheap fame and sensa
tIonalism. Even the agitation itself.
with its threats of ruin. borders too
often on graft and blackmaii. and
thus helps to debauch the public life.
Excessive Use Injurious.
! am temperate man, and | stand
FOR the temperate use of food and
drink. Because a few patrons Of my
hotel may be gourmands, II does not
follow that the manufacture Of food
stuffs should be stopped: neither can
il be said that a small percentage Of
drinkers who have been weak enough
to go - excess in the use of intoxi-
canting beverages should he cited as
good reason why the vast majority of
temperate drinkers should De deprived
Of "A constitutional right to indulge
moderately and temperatelS. Every
man here must agree with me that the
excessive use of liquor IL In every
sense Injurious, and leads to misery,
want and ultimate disaster, The hotel
keeper must exact of his guests the
same degree of moderation in the use
of beverages that such guests would
practice In their tsWn- homes. or in the
homes OF their friends He must soc
to IL that the bar attached to the hotel
is conducted properly. and he must
permit nothing to happen therein
which would offend the sensihilitIes Of
gentleman. / know of no hotel
worthy Of the name to-day which per-
rats ANYTHING sh1,a Esseed tttr3esr %si thu
bar run ia connection with TIT is a
nee essary requirement. 1t would he
suicidal for hotel man to permit
anything else. lie caters to the hest
class of travellers. The best class is
made up Of gentlemen. He must con-
duet his house in every department
in way that would appeal to a gen
tleman. Wherever he finds that he
has been imposed upon. il is has dutK
to expel the offender. All this is
com monpiace. II goes without saying
No weil-informed hotel keeper could
consistently have any other view of
the ease. The hotel bar must be "A
resort fit for a gentleman.
Works Injury to Business.
But there is an economic reason
why the hotel man. as. n MISTER of
business IL compelled tn take this
stand against the menace OF statu-
tory prohibition. We all know that
any political policy which proves to
he detriment to mercantile business
must in consequence be injurious TO
the hotel business. We know that
i'm prosperous days hotels are crowd
ed and in panicky days they are all
but deserted. As a class. therefore,
we must stand for policy of gov
eminent which would conduce to bus
mess prosperity. and we must, on the
other hand. he opposed to any poll
ca that has proved to be a positive
menace 10 material prosperity anu
commercial expansion. find upon a
brief study Of this subject that there