Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1882-09-06
OUR SITUATION NOW.
Mr.. EDITOR From all we see

Mr.. EDITOR From all we see OF
our surroundings we can come to no
other conclusion than that we live in a
fast or progressive age That our ma
ton and people are living fast is self
, evident, our broad land is all dotted
over with school houses and churches,
aad these have their influence on some
of our people to make them wiser and
better and more useful citizens, and
again this same broad land of ours is
all d"tted over with another set of
buildings that are used for purposes
that have baneful influence or effect on
others of our people in the good old
State of Pennsy lvania. We still have
the old License Law by which our
judges of the Court are forced to grant
license to any who comply with the
demands of the license law. Such |
am told is the compulsory nature of
the act, and that our Judges in the State
have no discretionary power in the
matter. This most certainly is great
wrong. Our Judges should have a
negative power in the matter of grant
ing license am sure that three
fourths of the good people of your hOr-
oush would say that we do not want
any beer saloons or drinking places IL
censed in our town, for many good rea-
sons. They know very well that in
those places their husbands, sons and
fathers are led astray and many times,
while under the influence of strong
drink get into trouble. The man who
is a constant drinker spends moaey for
that which is injurious to him and the
money that his family may possibly
need goes into the pocket of the
saloonist.
Now | do not wish to be understood
as finding fault with the men who are
engaged in the sale of intoxicating
drinks. l suppose they are acting up
on their moral convictions of right, and
are doing Gods service in selling
strong drink; of this they must be the
judges, but as to the effect of their trade |
the people have right to judge, and
all the citizens of your town could bear
testimony to the evil that is being done
by the sale of alcoholic drinks in the |
place. Your streets from night to
morning and from morning to night are |
never clear of more or less persons stag
gering along the pavements, especially |
at night, and making night hideous
with their blasphemous orgies, especial
ly on Saturday night the ears of your
wives, daughters and children are salut-
ed with the most terrible oaths, and OBJ |
scene and vulgar language that it is
possible to conceive, and it does not re-
quire Soloman TO tell where it all |
and it is duty that par
ents owe to their children to protect |
them from such surrounding influences
as these, for they will surely have
their effect, and the tax payers of the
county shold see to it, for it will be to
their interest to abate the nuisance, for
from these; places of resort your jail is
filed almost all the time There are not
ten persons committed to the Jail in a
year but the cause of the whole trouble |
had its origin in those places of resort
where the screen is across the door and |
Of all cases tried in the
Criminal Court of our county can be
traced to the same origin, and | am
credibly informed that it costs the
Commonwealth about $50 per hour to
run the Court of this county. Will |
you sit still and see this terrible
scourge sweep your town continually
once heard lawyer sey when plead
Dg a case in Court that had its origin
N beer saloon, "that these places
were nothing but the gates of hell and
sinks of iniquity," and | think he was
half right. 1t is time the people would
effect and see where we are drifting
%, before it is too late, for the end will
surely come. 1t is strange TO- think
hat men will sign petitions asking
he Court to license places of this sort
hat wont bear the light of day, for
hey always have screen across the
entrance and blue or red light over
he door. And from these places niue
imes out of ten starts all our murder,
assault and battery cases and thefts. |
.ould cite many cases in your own
quarter Sessions to prove the truth of
he above statement. 1t is high time
hat all good citizens AMI fathers and
mothers who love their children would
wake to their dagger aud drive this
monster of iniquity from their door, or
will you sit still with folded hands and
zee your friends and neighbors dragged
lown TO the lowest depths Of degra-
lation and misery without trying to
ave them AS ever yours,
IDEM.