The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1911-07-28

As many times as Israel had tribes,
even to the number of twelve, has the
supreme court of the United States de-
clared that the saloon is a crime-pro-
ducer,
Yet it exists.
My countrymen. if a tree does not
bring forth good fruit. why is it not
hewn down and cast into the fire?
Whose duty is it to lay the axe. siren
uously. to the root of the tree. hew it
down and cast it into the fire?
Yet the corrupt tree bringing forth
corrupt fruit stands Down with It,
Further than that every state su-
preme court has declared that the
loon is a me-producer. Therefore,
the issue becomes not only a national
one, but, it lies. through the decision
of the states highest tribunal, in the
power of the jurisdiction of each and
every sovereign state.
But still the bay tree spreads, and its
leaves are not for the healing of the
nations. 1t is the tree of the red
dragon, under which Eve paused, and
Cain walked. and Noah reeled. Let it
be consumed. There is double author
ity for it.
Producer of crime" says the nation.
producer of crime, echoes the state.
And the baby nation and the baby
state get down on the nursery floor of
Uncle Sam, with their rattlers. to rat
tie" the same tune together. Like the
parrot of Long John Silver they seem
to have a sort of ditty swing to the
song. The .Pieces of eight Pieces Of
eight" of that famous bird Of Steven
sons lambent genius, has altered to:
Do 1f~ ~r;x
Drink and the devil and wine.
What care for 1000 fools dying a day,
| There are 200 others to fill up the line
Tomorrow!
According to Richmond Pearson Hob
| son 1000 men die daily from the eff
fects of alcohol in the United States
And yet their widows fail to draw
pension.
Would you class this as apathy on
the part of nation and state? Oh, no.
| Teetota1, absolute, inexcusable, unde-
| fensible, moral depravity.
| And yet, if the war drums throb
was heard, in the deep silence of some
Islvery night. and news was flashed
along the wires that the swords of the
iSamurai were glinting. omnious1y, be-
bond the orchar pillars of the golden
igate-nationai honor would-b be imme
idiately omniScient. Omnipresent, and
the great term defended, to the last
drop of every true patriots blood.
| But. national honor about national
law, or state honor about state law
bah! those are terms of peace. And
Ipeace means peace. The bugle's shriIl
lnote does not urge to the charge, or
the band play "The Star Spangled
Banner about these. questions. So,
the baby nation and the baby state
roll on the floor Of their Uncle Sam S
nursery. murmuring. "Producers OF
lcrime-the saloon. Producers OF
Icrime, Let US sleep"
In the afternoon / came unto a land
Where it seemed always afternoon,
All around the coast. the languid air
| did swoon"
| Suppose we adopt TennySon's "The
Lotus Eaters" for national hymn, and
drone it Ger and DER. in the place OF
1.-The Star Spangled Banner" 1t would
be so much more appropriate you
know. so much better adapted to oul
national attitude toward The Law OF
IntoXicants."
There are more than 2.5O0O00 hard
drinkers in the United States. 120,.
900 die every year. If the same mum
| ber of pigs were TO die each year
poisoned to death by something pu
into their swill. the government would
at once order an investigation to save
all pigdom from destruction. Are no
men much more than pigs?