Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1912-08-01
HIGH LlcENSE-A REMEDY

The abuse Of intoxicating drink and
the evils which have resulted and are
resulting therefrom In our county are
deplored everywhere by everyone who
has az heart the couuty's religious,
civic and industrial integrity. That a
Iamrntable condition exists cannot,
think, be questioned. 1t is patent 10
all. Anyone who travels even small
section will have to relate some I'M
fortunate occurrence which shows a
countcnancing of degradation, mani
tests a decay Of manly character, and
reminds him OF sorrow, want and tTou-
bic ia some home.
There are two statistics, which have
ia len under my notice, 1t were well
for the serious-minded man, who values
his county's fair name and the happi-
ness Of her people, TO stop and consider.
AT the rally held In support OF High
License in the Courthouse Tuesday.
July 9th. a gentleman, who enjoys
amunp Us a character above reproach,
made the statement that two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars went yearly
from St Mary's County 10 purchase in
toxicutng liquor A year oINso ago, II
was stated in one of the papers Il do
not recall the name) that approximate
" one million dollars went in one year
fer the same purpose from the three
counties Prince Georges, Charles and
St Mary's. The census for the year
1910 gives these three counties popu-
lation of about seventy thousand souls.
Eliminate from this figure the women
and children and we have the body of
men among whom are the consumers
Of liquor.
What the profits in this gigantic bus
mess are for the statesmen, we can con-
lecture. Undoubtedly they are great.
What the effects on the consumers, we
know. First, the consumer has nothing
to show for the fruits of his toll; sec
ondly, In instance after instance there
is ruin of the moral, religious, civic
character; thirdly, an object lesson in
the practice of vice is introduced into
the home; fourthly, a badly fed, badly
housed, and scantly clad family; fifth
w. the merchant, who should be ben
efactor in a community and esteemed
as such, is damned as a law breaker
and Propagation of evil.
The subject might be amplified. The
condition briefly described is to my
mind appalling enough, it clearly man
ifcsts d fragrant waste and prostitution
of hard earned means, which If saved
would make many families happy; il
hetrays the existence in our midst Of a
deprecated and widespread evil; an
evil to which we must look, 10 1ccoqnt
in great measure for the inertia, lassi.
tudc, absence Of enterprise ard amoi-
ton IN 80 many, who should be the
bone and siHeW Of our civic and rehg,
ious life; it reminds Us that we are In
duty bound, Independent Of party afiili.
alton or personal consideration, tomake
strenuous effect, to root out pest that
is undermining the bestof our county Z
social and religious fabric
Ln regard to the High-License bill Of
fered our citizens to be voted on Aug
3, 1912, / am unable to say how mncf
Of restriction its enforcement woulc
put upon the unprincipled tradesman
I have been assured by those who
know, that High-Iicense has worked
well where it has been enforced. just
here, ii ] may be allowed a depression
I would observe, that we all know
what was done to get from our legisla.
tors High-License measure in the
full sense OF the word, and we know
and should remember how summary
the effort was ignored, and we should
know that when the wishes of com
munity regarding measure strictly To-
cal are put before it's representatives
and there is no doubt our representa-
lives knew that st. Mary's wanted
either ptrictly High-License measure
or Local Option submitted to her regis
tered voters, ---it is unquestionably
their duty to respect those wishes. Ii
the present issue, those wishes were
not respected; but measure has beer
sent us whose salutary effects arr