The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-02-11
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

It is reported that in one of the
ward meetings on Sunday night, in
speaking of the anti.rum movement
in the city, one OF the preachers sug-
gested something to the effect that il
the siguers of the monster petition
recently presented to the City Coun,
Gil were to abstain from drinking,
there would be less occasion for legia-
lation to closer restrict the sale of in
toxicaling drinks. Whether the gen.
tleman said anything of this kind or
not, there is food for reflection in the
hint. We believe the signers mum.
bered over 1000. Il is to be PIE.
sumed that these are all adults, or OF
an age 10 understand the evils OF in
temperance. If they are not, then
their names have no business on the
petition, and the list could as well
have been increased ind sfnitely by
copying the directories from other
cities. We must assume that the
Eigners we're old enough to know
what they were asking the Council to
do. The proportion of adults to
children in ordinary communities is
about as one to two. II this ratio
holds good in Salt Lake, then the
adult population of the city very
generally signed the petition asking
the Council to put closer restric-
tions upon the sale of liquor.
But admit that the proportion
Of adults here is somewhat greater
than elsewhere. It will certainly not
increase the adult population more
than 600 above what it ordinarily
would be. Ii We say the petitioners
do not drink. then there are but l ,00OI
adults to sustain the thirty-three or
thirsy-6ye drinking saloons in this
city. To assume such to be q fact
would be nonsense. One thousand |
persons do not pay into the city
treasury, as liquor license. S35, 600 a
year, and to the liquor sellers for ex.
penses of keeping up their establish
ments, paying for goods, etc., three
or four times the above sum. It is
evident that a good many of the
petitioners are patrons of the saloons.
They are asking the Council to do
something which they should do
themselves and for themselves
and their families. The whisky {
SELLERS do not rush upon the t
street and dragging people into t
their shops, force whisky down their +
-hrosts. They do not, except in case t
Of a personal friend. even let people d
nave drink without receiving money Z
'or it. And another thing which the
petitioners should reflect upon, ia the q
commercial fact thst a man does not Ii
Iell whisky il the business becomes
II the desire really be
% close the saloons. and put temp. .
.stioE out of the path of the young,
ct the people cease buying and t
thinking liquor. II this be done We 8
Undertake to say that before the end .
# the quarter the blinds will be
raWn and the doors locked of every Il
aloon in the city. Nobody will keep
Ip bar for the sake Of sitting behind y
t himself. We would dislike to say b
hat aoy signer of the petition was il "
be habit of drinking, but We Toul1 o.
lot mind laying a small wager :.
hat Il no one whose name ir
ppesrs in the list will drink any q
lore Intoxicating liquor, tWo-thirds "
( the Salt Lake saloons will be closed L
! six months. This is q matter IN =,
'hich the people can do much more p
IAN the City Council. The latter II
snnot prevent a man from drinking "
liquor if that man insists 81
pom drinking; it cannot stop drunk n
nness if people will persist in getting =,
.unk. The most that the Council y y
an do in the premises is to use its r
1srter authority in passing wisely N
,strictive ordinances. and then en- m