The Corvallis Gazette

A Boy Drunkard.

Another case which merits the condemnation of every good citizen has come within our observation during the last few days. Young McLaughlin, a boy of about fourteen years of age, has for some time past been getting drunk and thus far he has evaded all efforts of the city authorities to ascertain where he obtained his liquor. On last Saturday the Marshal again found him drunk who placed him in the city calaboose where, at this writing, he yet languishes. Such an occurrence as this is a burning shame and disgrace to a civilized people. This has arrived at such a condition of affairs that parents cannot safely live in town and raise a family of boys without running the risk of some outlaw giving or selling to their boys intoxicating liquors and find them coming home drunk from the effects thereof. When such things as this occur frequently and also the sale of liquors is repeatedly made to parties who are declared to be common drunkards it turns a great many thoughtful persons against the traffic in intoxicating liquors who have heretofore remained passive on the subject satisfied to permit everybody to do as they please in the matter. But when every law of the land is violated and young boys are made drunkards repeatedly while parents remain powerless to avoid the awful calamity it forces every sensible man to the irresistible conclusion that such an infernal traffic should be blotted from the land. Such a contemptible evil should not even be tolerated by a license.