The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-08

source The State of Pennsylvania
derives from this traffic in Philadelphia over
two hundred thousand dollars year, and
leaves the city of Philadelphia to pay the ex-
penses of our criminal and pauper population,
made such principally by this traffic in liquor,
at q cost of nearly a million OF dollars per
annum. This is the direct cost in money to the
city of Philadelphia of the traffic In liquor. 10
this is to be added the cost of the liquor itself,
the idleness which IL engenders the destruc-
tiveness which Is consequent upon 1t, the losses
from fire and other accidents which result from
II, and the expense to the friends of its victims
of their maintenance and support after this vice
has thrown them helpless upon their hands.
The cost of this traffic to the people of Phila-
delphia amounts to many millions of dollars
year, for which they do not receive one benefit,
either mental, moral, or physical
tbs all q dead waste of poverty, crime, dis
ease, desolated homes, and the cries and sor-
rows of the hapless women and children and
relations of the victims of this traffic. short
experience as Grand Jurors will convince you
that two-thirds of the business of this court Is
the result of the traffic in whisky and lager
beer, and that it is very equally divided between
them. ....
Intemperance is the ally of both idleness and
ignorance. 1t engenders both. 1t takes the
streng man and casts him to the earth. 1t takes
the cultured man and thrusts him into the
sloughs and stews of society, and makes him
the companion of the filthy and vile. 1t takes
the man of intellect, and makes him drivel-
ling idiot or q raving madman. 1t takes the
man of wealth and despoils him of his property,
And yet hitherto society has permitted this
destructive tr affc to exist and to grow without
rebuke. Is it not time for the people of Phila-
delpha to inquire if they have not suffered suf-
fciently from this ruinous trade, and to seek
| legislative aid to rid themselves of ii ?
Gamblers and dealers in lottery policies will
| also require your attention. 1t gives me
pleasure to notice the earnestness and zeal with
which the present learned District Attorney has
sought to break up the haunts of these despoil-
| ers of their fellow-men and to bring them to
justice. j trust that you also will lend your aid
| to drive these pests of society from our midst.
Night walking and licentiousness also require
attention at the hands of the public authorities
Certain of our streets 80 infested with these
| shameless wanderers of the night that decent
people hesitate to appear upon them, much less
| to take their wives and daughters with them.
The streets of Philadelphia should be thorough
| fares for the people, and not the market-place
of prostitutes and their equally vile associates.
| Let those who seek them be compelled to search
| for them in their haunts; that their Haunting
| presence may not be made temptations to our
| youth, and an offense to the modesty and de-
| cency of our citizens. The police officers
| should be directed to arrest them and their COM
| panions whenever they appear in public plying
| the arts of their vocation.
| have referred to these several matters to call
| your attention publicly to them, that our
citizens may cooperate with you and the public
authorities in endeavoring to repress these evils,
and may give to you and the courts and public
officers their direct support and the sanction OF
| their approval to the efforts which maybe made
for their correction and cure.
l beg to urge upon you that as many members
| of your body as possible will attend every ses-
sion of the Grand Jury, as bills of great i'm
| portance sometimes fail for want of a full at
tendance of the Grand Jury. Not fewer than
| twelve of your number must concur in finding q
bill of indictment. You have the right to have
| such witnesses brought before you as will aid
you in your investigations, and the Court, If re-
quired, will compel their attendance in further.
| ance of public justice. With these remarks,
gentlemen, you are dismissed to your duties.