The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-20

plant has resulted, but the interests
and views of the whole country step
in and determine the personal habits
of the citizens of widely separated
States on SO distinctly a personal mat
ter as the method of drinking water.
AS an evidence OF the growth of this
sentiment we quote from the editorial
which appeared in the columns of the
Roanoke Times OF date December II.
entitled The Right TO Get Drunk"
This leading editorial Just before the
Christmas holidays asked as the lead
ing question: HAS man q constitu-
tional and inalienable right to get
drunk? 2" Hear the answer: THE
oreticaiiy and legally he has. Prac-
tically ne has not" And what argu-
rnent is advanced IN support OF this
position? Hear the statement:
The constantly increasing depend
ence OF people on each other Is the
most powerful influence Of the world
toward temperance and abstinence. In
former times when eStCu utAn t4ted
comparatively. to himself and was his
own man there was little general re-
sponsibility. A man could do about
as he pleased and while he kept with
in the letter of the law nobody else
was concerned especially. Now no
man is his own man. our mutual re-
sponsibiIity to and for each other in
creases as we become more civilized,
as our Win tAGu DLUGT DE-
come more complex, as We touch each
other at more points. The laws recog-
nize this. In the matter Of drunken
ness or intempefanCe, a man may be
in position where his bad habits in3ure
nobody but himself and his own fam
lily. Xet the Law theories that even
# he be harmless and orderly, an
habituai drunkard Is a nuisance and
10 be dealt with and punished as such.
that the man who has family has The
responsibility of maintaining it, that
the State or community, has the right
TO forbid him from such conduct and
course OF life as tend to make his tam
lily public charges. Therefore society
and the law join with the corporations
and other employing powers in reguIa-
ting the personal habits and conduct
of the citizen. The right to get drunk,
like the right to strike in anger, to
denounce ones neighbors. to pasture
at large, 10 beat one s wife, to keep
ones own premises and property re-
gardless of sanitation, 10 allow ones
children to grow up Ignorance, must
be surrendered in the interest of the
public peace and general welfare.
Therefore, we have an ever~iucreasing
tendency to deal with drunkenness as
q legal, commercial and social offense
and with the druukard, habitual or
periodical. as an offender. The use
Of the probation officer and OF the
suspended sentence increase constant
ly."
Committees Position.
This is the position winch has been
taken by this committee in its re-
ports since the organization of the
league, We have declared time and
again that the personal liberty" OF
one individual Is always limited by the
personal rights OF the other in
diEidual. One mans right to exercise
his personal liberty to drink liquor 10
his comfort is limited, Is restrained,
aye. absolutely ceases. when the exer-
else Of that right infringes upon the
comfort, the safety, the happiness oil
his neighbor. And We have declared
and reiterated time and again that The
drinking man is a public nuisance, and
that he must be treated as such. Up
to this point the Roanoke editor is al
one with u.s. We are agreed that this
drunkard must be recognized as 9
menace to society. We are agreed
/ that earnest strenuous, persistent eff
fort must be made to reach the In
dfvidual and to prevent the formation
of the drink habit. rhe temperance
i workers have not failed at this point
! Not only does the pulpit sound out its
warnings and entreaties, not only has
the International Sunday School Com
mittee inserted a special temperance
/ lesson in the Sunday school lessor
course every three months, but this
Temperance workers, led by the w c
/ T. L.. have secured the Introduction
I into the textbooks of the school Of
i lessons upon the effects OF alcohol up.
on the body. including the brain. And
the AnttSaioon League has organized
a pledge signing campaign under tht
name OF the Lee~Ltncoin Legion which
+ Is being pressed with vigor
This committee favors any form ol
legislation which will magnify the sin
the crime Of drunkenness, which is &
crime not only against the drunkarG
himself, but against his family, hi:
friends and society at large, or as WI
term Ii. the State.
/ The late Senator Hepburn made ar
interesting declaration concerning thi,
question. He declared that he favored
a license system. not OF the saloon, bu
OF the Individual He would REQUIRE
every man who desired TO buy intoXi
Giants to satisfy the court that he was {
suitable person to be allowed to buy
intoxicants. after which the cour
would grant him license which
would be revoked. should any person
become intoxicated through the ust
OF that license. This method wou1t
recognized the dangers incident TO tht
use Of LIQUOR and would punish tn,
drunkard by refusing to grant him TIL,
right to buy liquor AT all
Working On individual.
/ But the logic OF the facts compel'
that we go further than does the Roa
noke editor, He says I'VE are con
centrating our efforts now In efforts
TO stop the manufacture and sale O
liquor That is working at the wront
end" As shown above, we have beer
pressing the process OF the education
OF the individual to prevent his beconi
ing drunkar9. but 1t Is necessary. als4
4 TO destroy the saloon, which stand
with open and attractive door endeaV
oring 10 bring 10 naught all of oui
labor. in order that the coyetousnes
OF the saloon keeper may he gratifieti
The Saloon-kceper Is a greater menac,
to the community than the drunkard
He is constant solicitor OF the young
senticing them 10 form the habit o
strong drink. His place is a publ,
4 nuisance. just as the drunkard il
public nuisance, for ii is the breedin,
place OF drunkards. This reasoning i
freely admitted in the case of evil
other than the saloon. Thousands o
people without any disease travel o.
the trains. They could use the rail
road common glass and no evil re
suits follow. But many other person
are diseased and they might infec
others by the use of the common cup
and so the common cup, which lis
great convenience, and which could b,
used by many without any injury i
forbidden because some persons VIII,
are diseased might abuse their op
portunity and use the cup to the detri
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