Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1914-03-12
COMMUNICATED

tCoMAUN1CATED.
Editor st. Mary's Beacon:
Dear Sir:-It must hare been pain
full, as well as irritating, to Mr.. VIII
kinson's constituency, ss it was to N.Y.
self. to read the account, given by the
Baltimore Sun, March 9Th, 1914, OF
the stand he has taken on the liquor
question in st. Mary's county. The
people In the county, who are sincerely
interested in both the county's moral
integrity and its material welfare,
looked TO him, as TO the other repre-
sentatives, TO see to IL that local option
be submitted to tie vote of the people.
This expectancy on the part of the
people is fact of public notority in
the county.
The indignation, felt because oflMr.
Wilkinson's attitude, originates not
only in the fact he was elected because
OF the implied assurance that he would
support q local option measure: but
also because he is well aware that there
is something more in this issue than
mere politics and pecuniary benefit to
the county, namely, the moral stamina
of the growing generation of young
men; that too of those OF maturer
years, and the material and moral
homelife OF very MANY families.
His reason for the position he has
taken. as given by the Sun is, that the
absence of liquor from the county
would stop ''summer visitors" from
visiting the hotels, @ source of a
great deal OF money for the county. /
believe he exaggerates the money idea,
or pecuniary profit to the county;
whether he has or not, the fact remains,
that measure, which the great body
of st. Mary's countians believe would
be an effective agent toward removing
the greatest svii In tbs oounsy, 10 op-
posed by their trusted representative
on a mere money ground. The Savior
of the World was sold for thirty pieces
of silver.
We can admit that the financial
question might have bothered Mr..
Wilkinson. II so, why didn't he ex-
anime all the bearings OF the issue, as
we'll as the material welfare OF locali-
ties, where, With local option every
thing is thriving; Why didn't he, as
we'll as other liquor abettors in the
county, try and realize that q sober,
industrious community Is of more val
ure financially 10 the county, than any
mere material OF commerces Why
didn't he and they try TO realize that
the roll of Taxpayers would be in.
creased, possibly nearly fifty per cent.
" the whiskey end were removed; Why
didn't he become shocked when he
knew the fact that at least $500, 600 left
the county annually in payment for
liquor, and that such o figure means
that an equal amount Is taken away
from where it should go-in the homes
of the men. who have spent it in drink?
Had all this been done, and Mr..
Wilkinson's supporters, when he was
elected, been made 20 see, that ell this
was outweighed by the reason which
he has given them, his position would
have been endorsed, instead OF being
deprecated and condemned as an
agency acting against the county's
financial and moral wellbeing. Then
he would not be suspected Of political
chicanery when he advocates an appro-
priation for roads and so called high
license bill; nor would people suspect
that he Eonid NOT support his high
license measure even If IL were passed.
Very sincerely,
]. B. MATTHEWS, s. ].
March 10, 1914.