Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1911-03-29
PRIZE ESSAY.
Continued from page IL

is a direct cause Of depopulation.
The injurious influence of alcohol
upon the descendants can make it
self felt upon generations when the
latter have suffered from intoxica.
ton only through one or the other
of the original parents. Often a
man is bloodthirsty, bold, daring,
and is desirous of excitement al
ways simply because of hereditary
mental degeneracy.
The dealers in alcoholic drinks
say that they are licensed to sell.
docs it pay to license traffic
which breeds paupers, idiots, luna
tics, and criminals; and does it pay
to license a traffic which increases
taxes by creating a necessity for
jails, penitentiaries, reformatories,
police and criminal courts? 1t is
surely wrong to vote for a thing
which no decent man can defend, F.
why not get rid of all alcoho.ic
drinks and see how few crimes a.re
committed?
Alcohol is the cause of more GRIM
inal acts than anything else known
to-day. A great majority of men
who are annually sentenced to the
work-house and prison began their
criminal career under its influence.
Alcohol is puissant will paralizer.
1t captivates mans will power so
that it makes him do the wrong
thing when he should do right,
makes him anxious to do impossi-
BILE things that end in some great
great crime. The sale of alcoholic
stimulants is inevitably soul traffic,
1t goes up the scale of prosperity
only as souls go down in the scale
of humanity. 1t thrives on ruin.
1t treats men as things to be ex-
plotted, as jumping jacks to per-
form their fantastic antics to graft
fly others whims. 1t ignores COM
pletely the higher brother relation,
and crushes all the humanity out
of men for the sake of cash. 1t
creates in a man a don't care"
spirit which often leads to crimes
in which he has to care.
Here is an instance in which a
man was charged with murder. The
prisoner was asked if he had any
thing to say why sentence of death
should not be passed upon him.
The prisoner answered, ! have! l
stand here, before this bar, convic-
ted of the wilful murder of my wife.
Truthful witnesses have testified to
the fact that l was loafer, a
drunkard, and a wretch; that | re-
turned from one of my prolonged
debauches and fired the fatal shot
that killed the wife l had sworn to
love, cherish, and protect. While l
do not remember committing the
fearful deed, 1 have NO right TO con-
denim the verdict of the twelve good
men who have acted as jury in this
case, for the verdict is in accord
ance with the evidence. Butt wish
to show that am not alone res
ponsible for the murder of my
wife!" The prisoner paused few
seconds, and then continued in the
same firm, distinct, voice, Il re-
peat, your honor, that l am not the
only one guilty of the murder of
my wife. The Judge on this bench,
the jury in the box, the lawyers
within this bar, the most of the
witnesses, including the pastor of
the old church, are also guilty be-
fore Almighty God, and will have
to stand before me be-
fore His Judgment Throne, where
we shall all be righteouslN judged.
If it had not been for the saloons of
my towu, l never would have be-
come drunkard; my wife would
not have been murdered; l would
not be now ready to be hurled into
eternity. Had it not been for these
human traps l would have been a
sober man, an industrious workman,
a tender father and a loving hus-
band. But today my home is de-
stroyed, my wife murdered, my lit
tie children-God bless and care for
them-cast out on the mercy of the
world, while | am to be hung by
the strong arm of the State. God
knows I tried to reform, but as
long as the open saloon was in my
pathway my weak diseased will
power was not a match against the
fearful consuming, agonizing appe-
tite for liquor. For one year our
town was without saloon. For
one year 1 was a sober man, / was
one of those who signed remon-
strances against reopening the sa-
looms of our town. One half of
this jury, the prosecuting attorney
in this case, and the Judge who sits
on this bench, all voted for the sa-
looms. By their votes and infu-
ence saloons were reopened and
they have made me what L am"
Everybody around was moved to