Morning journal and courier., 1881-12-05
Temperance.

Discourse by Rev. Hugh Montgomery In
 the Davenport Church-His Opinion of
 the Liquor TrahHc.
 The Davenport Congregational church was filled last evening by intelligent people who assembled to hear 8 discourse by Rev. Hugh Montgomery, the noted Norwich temperance advocate. The speaker was introduced by Rev. MT. Meserve, and, on rising to address the audience, he at once drew the attention of all present by relating an incident that
 came under his observation while travelling in Canada, and on stopping at depot at night
 to wait for a train he saw one hundred and
 fifty children waiting for a train to take them
 to Upper Canada On inquiry he found that
 they were all children that had been rescued
 from drunken parents by wealthy and phi
 Ianthropic lady of London, and the gentle
 man in charge was on his way to
 find them homes in respectable families. From
 that time, said the speaker, I pledged
 my life as @ Christian minister in the work of
 fighting the great enemy of our race intem-
 peranoe. On arriving in this city said the
 speaker, I learned by inquiring among re-
 speetable business men that there were about five hundred dram shops in this city. It is
 notftrue, ,as stated in Sunday morning paper,
 that went into a dram shop to get the sta
 
 ness. have studied the subject, however, in other places. Now we will suppose that the average price of licenses is $15O. It is a known fact that many liquor dealers pay as high as $l ,OOO for rent of saloons Then there is house rent to pay and the support of fani- lies. Now estimate that there is carried into the tippling shops by the hard la- boring men of New Haven at least $1 ,250,- 900 every year, to say nothing of the liquor that is drunk at home by the wealthy class who do not visit saloons. The average wages are about $9 week, and ask, can he afford to spend $2 or $3 week for rum? He can- not do it without cheating his grocer, his landlord or his family. If business men would look at this matter in it's true light they would put forth every effort to prevent ! this terrible traffic. The speaker then took up the Bible doctrine of total absti- \ hence and said that it was clearly taught f in the scriptures that we use no wine or ! strong drink. Touching on the subject po- ! litically, he said he believed he did no ex- aggerate when he said that for every dollar received by towns for licenses it cost the I town $1OO. The speaker urged the help of manufacturers in this work of reform. He thought business men should discharge en- ploye who got drunk unless they would ! sign the pledge and tell where they bought | the liquor. To vote for license, said the speaker, is to vote for free rum. Every ! town that votes no license is entitled to one l agent for every 5000 inhabitants to sell iq- | uor for all legitimate purposes. This would give New Haven about fifteen agents, which I would, he was sure, be sufficient for I all tipplers. The Selectmen would have 1 control of the appointment of these agents and the towns would get the benefit [ of the sales for the use of the town. Not ! over twenty five per cent. in advance of cost could be charged and the law provides that only pure and unadulterated liquors shall be
 sold. It is not generally known that there if ! such law on the statute books, but know | it is there, for helped to put it there. There fore I say that to vote for license is to vote for free rum. He urged that the law could
 be enforced if the good people in the com l munity would give it their sanction and sup. port After further remarks in regard to the \ evils of the liquor traffic the speaker closed
 with an appeal to those present to vote for | no license.