The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-07-07

50 SOHS Curn OUT failures through
drinking vices? The answer was
their father used to have whiskey
about and it was freely served to the
harvest hands,.
An old lay-member of the church
was waited upon by two representa-
tives of the ministry because of his
endorsement of an applicant for a
liquor license. AS respondent to the
ministerial citation he complained
that conditions had so greatly
changed since the good old days."
Among his assertions was the state
ment that whiskey used to be as free
ly dispensed as water and that there.
was no noticeable drunkenness then.
But the well-meaning patriarch was
permitted to proceed with his widely
ranging narratives and it was but a
short time until he included in his
story, the account of erection of log
building in which figured old timers
who were drunk and who quarreled to
the extent of settling their differences
through adjudication by fists.
1 used to marvel at the drinking
tendencies of a certain family-don't
try to guess, for our home county like
others, has many a family to whom
the above allegation would fully ap-
ply. But in conversation one day an
aged man remarked incidentally that
on one occasion when he was with the
father of this family, the father could
not get the gate open in broad day
light. And later l CHANGED to be with
one of the sons whom considered an
eminently worthy man, who was then
visitor from a western state, and
under certain circumstances / know he
sought for some "whiskey". l had
recognized effect or result as applied
to this family; at last l had come to
also discern cause.
When the aged brother in the
church voiced his lamentations of
liquor not being what it had been in
the good old times, the preachers
soon silenced him on this score by re-
minding him that if his conception of
the situation be true, it was not the
liquor of the days past that was being
of the day when it was drunk, which
was being poured down the Threats
of its hapless victims. And the time
of this episode was back some years
before the enactment of the Volstead
amendment. But the preachers knew
also some scripture, which from their
viewpoint applied, and which they con-
fidently asserted went back far, far
beyond any of the good old days" of
the brothers recollections, and back
of the days of his parental ancestors
of many generations. They referred
to Proverbs POL, "Wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging: and whatsoever
is deceived thereby is not wise"
"Strong drink is raging" is a defini-
tive assertion which applies as truly
today as it did when written, and the
men who made "moonshine" more
than forty years ago, to furnish their
own supplies of "firewater" became
as beastly, ragingly drunk as the
grog-slave of before or since. Some
of the worst DRINKS l ever knew were
also members of the well-organized
"moonshine" fraternity. They had
had enough experience to insure
equality" in their product.
l regret that the question or repeal
of the Eighteenth Amendment should
have been granted recognition by
either of the dominant parties. And
that its repeal should be fatty de-
manded by the organization which
professed to be rather strict construc-
tionists on constitutional grounds.
Yet notification has been chosen be-
fore and in attempt applied within the
history of our nation, hence we need
be on guard lest we be "like dumb
cattle driven. On one occasion at
Mountain Lake Park, Sam Jones be-
rated the Republicans for blindly fol-
lowing party dictation. 1t raised quite
a laugh in the audience. l suppose
much of this came from the opposi-
ton. "Sam" waited until the laugh
was through and then exploded this
bomb, land you Democrats would vote
for anything your party put up, even
if it were 'yaller dog.
After all, haven't we enough man
hood of morals and sturdy character,
irrespective of political affiliations, to
maintain principles and sentiments OF
moral rectitude and purity in COM
munity, commonwealth and nation?
Are the intelligent masses of our peo-
pie so inclined to grovel before the
demands of debased appetite as to
yield sanction to that which is recog-
nized as a common, pernicious null
sance? And what will be the result
when the government again recog-
nizes the selling of Intoxicating liqu-
ors for purposes of beverages as
legitimate business, which is the pur-
pose of the proposed repeal of the
amendment. Are all other laws con-
ducive to mortality, but which are in
many cases winked at, or inadequately
enforced, also to be treated in like
manner? Did not France recognize
prostitution as necessary evil'', and
give this abominable vice and sin
governmental recognition, and thus
legalize and legitimatize harlotry and
whoredom? Is it not well-known
that in our own land such vices and
denominations abound; shall all extern
sively violated and transgressed laws
be rejealed, and crime and delinquency
eventually receive state sanction? If
the people yield to all demands for
the repeal of all statutes of law and
order, how shall order and equity be
maintained?
But, however gloomy and depress-
ing the manifest trend and status of
the multitude may be there is yet an
open door for the Individual, and the
word of truth is yet constant: "He
that is slow to anger is better than
the mighty; and he that ruleth his
spirit than he that taketh a city,
D,.o1y 1890 Tho ;niI1nction stands