Temperance | AdventAI

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Aug 30, 1883

Temperance.

Cruelty of the Liquor Traffic.

THE liquor traffic is cruelty of the most diabolical character. Nothing can exceed it, for it proceeds upon the principle that "perish who may it must and shall be maintained."

Government is a partner in the business, and its share of the profit is called revenue. Government grants the licenses, receiving therefor a certain price which the manufacturer and vender pay for the privilege of making and selling.

But Government, while it sets the wheel in motion, discountenances the work of the traffic—in fact, punishes the man who drinks and gets drunk.

Government says: "If any one will pay into my treasury $50 he may sell alcoholic spirits to any who will buy;" but if a man drinks to drunkenness, and becomes boistrous on the streets, Government punishes him for it; locks him up in a guard-house and makes him pay a fine. And should he, while drunk, steal or commit high-way robbery, Government will lock him up in the State prison; and should he commit murder, Government will put him to an ignominious death.

One might suppose that, inasmuch as the drunkard is helping the Government to raise revenue when he drinks, he would be treated like a gentleman when he drank a great deal and became drunk. But not so. The same Government that encourages drunkenness by the sale of licenses, keeps its officers and courts to arrest, try, and punish the drunkard.

And not only so, but how wide-spread is the sorrow which this traffic inflicts! If the drinking man—the drunkard—was the only sufferer, the case would not be such a hard one. But see how it is. The poor man addicted to drink has a family who are dependent upon him, and instead of spending his wages for food and raiment for those dependent upon him, he goes to a grog shop—a Government grog shop—and spends the last cent of his week's wages in a drunken carousal.

By midnight he is beastly drunk and, having no more money to spend, the Government agent—the bar keeper—kicks him out upon the street and there the policemen—Government officers—find him and hurry him off to the guard-house to spend the night.

To-morrow is Sunday, and yet the wife and children are at home without a morsel to eat and perhaps without fuel. Cold and hungry they huddle together and await in terrible suspense for the coming of husband and father. But he comes not! for Government, having made him drunk, has locked him up as a punishment for being drunk. Ah! what suffering in that drunkard's family. Sunday morning dawns and the Sunday-school bells ring, and the well-dressed children of sober parents are hurrying along, with bright faces to the Sunday-schools. The drunkard's children, in rags, and suffering with hunger, look out from their dirty hiding-place and compare their own misery with the brightness and cheerfulness they see upon the street, and oh, how their tender hearts bleed!

Monday morning comes and the drunken father is summoned before the mayor. He is charged with drunkenness and disorderly conduct. What does Government do? Does the mayor say to him, "You are a patriotic citizen because you spend your money freely to help support the liquor traffic and raise revenue for the State?" No. But Government says you must pay a fine of five dollars.

The poor man says: "I can't do it. I have no money. Besides, my wife and children are at home cold and hungry, and surely you will not be so cruel as to tax me again, seeing that I spent my whole week's wages Saturday night helping to support the traffic and the Government."

But Government says: "It is no concern of ours if your wife and children are suffering; we must have five dollars or you must remain in prison five days."

Will not God take vengeance upon such a system of cruelty and oppression? Aye! "Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord!"—Spirit of the Age.