Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1922-03-04
EV. BUNTING
EXCORIATES THE
BOOT-LECCER
Cause of the Death of Mitchell
and Vandergrift Last Sun
day Near Berlin

Messrs Editors:-The first news
heard Monday morning was the fatal
accident on the State road a few
miles from Berlin. Two young men
of Shovel were instantly killed.
Wednesday afternoon ] attended and
assisted in the double funeral. A
multitude of people filled and SUR
rounded the church. How many there
were no one could say do know
it required one hour and five minutes
for the crowd to pass the caskets.
Drunkenness was the cause of the
death of the young men.
This is one of the worst and most
tragic accidents that has occurred in
cur county, however auto. bile
Smashups resulting in loss of life is
a constant event. And, alas. fail
to see little if anything being done
TO better conditions. |, therefore, beg
privilege of expressing myself
through your paper.
First, believe in safe road. A
drunken man seems to have mania
for speed. Ninety per cent of acct
dents are caused by reckless haste.
person of only little experience
AN control slowly moving car, but
fast automobile often becomes un-
manageable in the hands of experts.
state officials whose business il is to
regulate traffic should be very eau
tious in granting license to men of
questionable habits; in case of drunk
cnness the license ought to be re-
voked and for an indefinite time.
Maryland people built these fine
roads to lead TO safety, not to
slaughter pens; for comfort not for
murder. No ravenous beast shall go
on the highway of the Lord. He in
sured safety to his children. We are
actually safer in meeting lion, or
any monster of the jungle than an
automobile driven furiously by a
drunken fool, who is at the same
time both an alcoholic brute and a
road hog. The driest, sanest man
with his family is liable to be crush
ed to death by such fool If go
sensibly am entitled to protection.
Secondly. believe that home brew
ers and bootleggers AS SUCH, ought
to be dealt with as rattlesnakes. We
are told that this is the way booze
gets around now "Woe unto him
that giveth his neighbor drink, that
putteth thy bottle to him, and maketh
him drunken also" The home dis
tller is the commonest dregs of
society. He is an outlaw before the
nation and state; venomous para
site to poison community; snake
hid in the grass to bury his fangs in
the heels and hearts of innocent pass
ersby. If any man persists in such
traffic may the strong hand of the
law hold him within the prison walls,
until lie rrpents, and & there IS re
repenting, until the judgments of
Eternity hurl him into the outer dark
ness. He is the comrade of Cain, for
he has split the blood of his race; he
is the twentieth century Judas for
he has betrayed and broken the laws
of his land and sold the souls of
youth for tainted gold.
recall a dramatic and pathetic
scene at this funeral. A brother of
one of the slain men was bidding his
brother goodbye. As | remember
he spoke words like these, you left
home, crossed the ocean, went to
France, were under fire in battle,
came back sound, then one night in
time of peace decoyed out and killed,
ali, murdered.
Thirdly, may we look at ourselves :?
We have been asleep. When under
God give him the credit-the
Eighteenth Amendment was ratified
the whip end of the liquor question
was placed in the hands of the
righteous people of the nation. What
has been the attitude? Unpardon-
able Indifference. The friendly citi-
zen said the liquor question was a
settled issue. the barber shop and
street loafer joked about corn-stack-
buck" executive officials of the law
passed the buck" the ministry spoke
in the dignity of lifeless nomencla-
ture and wrapped himself secure in
ecclesiastical cloth, church boards
shut the church doors against the
most effective agency of prohibition.
am today convinced that our high
; ways will ever be crimsoned with
human blood so long as this is con-
tinued. At the funeral il was said
many of the people knew where drink
was made. Action in time might
have saved life, but tears. however
sincere. do not bring back the dead.
But have heard so many good people
remark that they thought it awful
to inform on a neighbor. have no
new definition for the word neigh
bor" this | do say, that person who
insults the God of the race, defes and
breaks the laws of the land, poisons
and makes drunk my neighbor-per-
haps my own chid-is no neighbor to
me.
How long. o Lord? Until the peo-
pIc ceased to be duped with love for