The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1912-10-29
DR.. A. N. BartOn'S Letter.
Dear Mr.. Editor

going of your peope with the
probable mention of some old
time acquaintance, is to me a
source of much interest. Aside
from these personal features, the
News brings the glad Things"
of the work, your good people
are doing in the cause of temper
ance; nothing could be more
worthy on the part of an intelli-
gent and christian people, as
nothing will aid so much in up
lifting citizenship, or tend so
much to elevate the social and
moral status of a community as
sobriety. BY sobriety, we mean
abstaining from the use Of alco-
holic liquors as a beverage with
out any reserve; hence it will be
seen that the so-called temper
ate man who advocates, or indul-
ges in moderate drinking is not
in harmony with real sobriety;
nor is the avowed personal liber-
ty man who seeks an excuse for
tippling, in keeping with sobrie-
ty.
The doctrine of moderation is
the main prop of the liquor traffic
the doctrine Of personal liberty
is the slogan of the booze vender
the pass word of the bar-room.
Yes, it is the so-called good citi-
zen, the Mr.. Jones or Mr.. Brown
who advocates the doctrine of
moderation, or of personal liber-
ty that apparently gives the traf-
fic some degree of standing, or
credibility.
The so-called moderation man
is always held up as a standard,
in defense of the drink habit, the
so-called temperate man is al
ways cited as an example, when
soliciting for the traffic, or as an
inducement for the sober man to
take a drink; nothing is said |
about the poor unfortunate who !
has ceased to be temperate, but |
is now in the gutter; nothing is
said about the wasted life, or
blighted home; nothing is said
about the poor inebriate who has
given up his earnings, or perhaps
a fortune, in the bar-room and is
now vending his way to the poor
house, or asylum.
Strange, indeed, that such a
place as a saloon, or bar-room,
should exist; stranger still, is the
fact that a learned and supposed
ly honorable judge, should sane
ton or grant privilege for the
sale of liquor a so called business
that can in no way benefit US.
Under the Brooks law, the
granting Of a liquor license is
matter that rests entirely with
our courts; the duty of the judge
being to hear the applicant, con-
slider the number and character
of the witnesses for and against
then base his decision on the SIM
pie question of necessity.
Plain as this may seem, some
of our judges have quibbled,
talked at length obout the inter-
pretation of law, their onerous
duty, public sentiment, an so
on all of which has been regard
ed by many intelligent readers
as an evasion possibly for politi-
cal reasons. Now, that the Su-
perior Court has given a decision
on this question, making it clear
that our Judges are vested with
full power to refuse any or all H.
censes when in their judgment
the sale Of liquor is not a neces-
sity, let us hope that in the fu-
ture intelligent judges may see,
beyond question, that no such a
as the necessity for the y
sale of liquor as beverage can ;
exist, and that they will so de- {
eide.
Scientific investigation and
physical tests everywhere, have {
plainly shown that alcohol, in
any form or quantity, when ta- |
ken into the system as a bever-
age is harmful; it contains no ele- 6
ment of nutrition is not a true I
as once supposed, but g
an excitant followed by depres- I
,;o,,. banoa l;ttIo ucad oc q mod; .