Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1915-07-22


members OF the Nation, State or Coun-
~. | hope st. Mary's viii succeed Ia
getting the voices of her people IN the
matter of local option. They have
tried the wioe-oDen policy of the easily
licensed saloon and of the country
stores. with its wcll-known and readily
omitted evils. where often in Il week
| the revenue for wet goods was found
larger than for dry commodities. And
the people have seen dissipation. l0ut-
| iShnesS, idleness, iniemperance and
even lighting drunkenness go forth
hand in hand with poverty and sin e.
cast blight upon their beloved land.
and write ruin upon homes. farms
human lives.
Next, ST. Mary's went through q
campaign for high license. which was
certainly remedial and reasonable
measure, and IL looked good % me, a.
a half loaf of relief seemed better than
none al ali. But high license was
voted down, and a project we'll calcu-
lated To minimize IL not altogether ~
move the existing evils from the too
common sale of alcoholic beverages
was defeated at the polls, and fer rea-
sons hard To understand, but which
did not seem To emanatc from the true.
/ religious. sagacious. iar-sighted and
proYident spirit that has always made
ST. Mary's County Il marked one in
Southern Maryland. The cry OF the
men who opposed high license was
that this was q piece of glass legisla.
ton, that the rich man alone would
benefit by il, or that II would neither
help nor mend matters: but said oppo-
nents then declared that IL local option
was put in the field they would stand
for il. Alright, let them and every.
one else, especially the young men.
give local option a trial. seeing thai
everything else i taboocd. Let tho
county try local option for Il year oi
more. No one will die under il il IN,
people bar out the sale of drink for a
| season. but rather thrive Hndcr Ii a
people in neighboring counties seem
To have thriycn so evidently. How
eveI, / do not appeal To- the experience
of other counties for none is so well
situated aS is ST. Mary's To receive
| benefit FROM the local option measure.
Let her Judge for herself by a home
/ trial and get rid of a temptation thai
| has proved so disastrous 10 MANY a
generation TO her sons. " all mcr
| had the self-dcnial or self-control
necessary to one who hopes to handle
strong drinks safely, there would bC
no need to talk OF prohibiting the sale
OF intoXicantS or restricting the oppor-
tunity of buying the same in the coun-
| ~. But taking men in bulk or in gen
| eral IL is well for them To have safe
| guard against indulging too freely in
an appetite that too often has deplor.
| able consequences. Local option MAY
he the best safeguard. III afterwards
! through the application Of local option
the larger and more reliable part o
the people say: 'No; we don't want
liquor sold in our midst" let the
minority yield 10 the popular verdict
! Here is no question of politics, nor o.
| OF what is sometimes styled denomi
national supremacy: but a question
that has to- DO with the morals of the
county.
Democrats and Republicans. Cath
| olics, EpiScopalians and McthodiStS
Christians and Hebrews, can one anC
all stand on the same platform anl
wave the same banner under the tri
umphal arch of Local Option. /
means the same to- all, though all may
not have the same motives for deSir
ing this discretionary measure. SOM
will want local option because ~ /
| they hope to- he able to take n cracl
ut alcohol, as the saying is. and {,
knock out John Barleyeorn simply
because they regard alcohol in itsci
to tie an evil and 10 have no lcgiti
mate use at all, either as food al
medicine, either as Il stimulant or 4;
prophy Tactic.
haven't these extreme and unten
able notions ia regard Ia strong drink
Alcoholic beverages are not an evil IL
| themselves. because in themselves the,
arc the result Of chemical action i'm III,
grains or fruits of nature, and aS such
are among the creatures Of God. Bu
strong drinks Is So open to abuse anc
has been so long abused by men anC
so often been tine cause of disgrace
sin and loss in old 81. Mary's that
| believe the day has come when th,
wise, long-headcd. God-fcaring. home
making people Of the land will rally
to the local option cry and by ihi,
measure remove frcm sale something
that is such constant menace in tn,
hands of the unwary To all order &c.
ccncy, prosperity and righteousness.
/ ", for any good reason alcoholic
beverages are needed. prudent folk
will find way OF obtaining a suitable
or moderate supply without putting
the same on sale or OF huying il in the
county: and il the incorporates. the
imprudent and foolish cannot get the
| liquor they crave, they will. no doubt.
Suher n little Inconvenience for awhile.
But aS they find their bodily and
spiritual condition improving by their
enforced abstinence und their pocket
hgsr L. FsseH a. l.
drcu looking better fed and better
educated and better housed, and their
farms better worked and mortgages
falling of them, while prosperity and
cOntentment like twin angels attend
their footsteps, they will bless the
day when old ri. Mary's decided "a
make trial of "A measure that seems
to have brought untold Improvement
in neighboring counties and right To
be allowed chance TO operate its
good effects in a land that can bc
flowing with milk and honey and
Astounding in copious harveStS and in
all joys of what is prophesied of local
option is even half realized. OF course.
love the dear Southern land where 1
labored for six years and which today
holds so many sincere friends of mine
whom ! will always cherish and who /
dare believe still keep n little corner
IN their hearts for me As one who al
ways wished them we'll, and so as "A
friend To friends and not as
taking hand in any politics, heart
tly 90 on record as favoring local
option in far-famed ST. Mary'S, even
though the objections TO this measure
are te some neither few nor trilling.
Give local option a trial and WEIGH
It's advantages against any defects il
may contain.
WM. j. STANTON, $. J..