Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-04-03
AT PLYMOUTH CHURCH.

AT PLYMOUTH CHURCH.
Plea for the Enforcement Of tho City's
Ordinances Respecting the Saloons on
the Sabbath, aud Selling Liquor to Min
ors-A Conservative and Practical Tenn
Psrance Discourse.
Rev. DR.. Dana spoke last evening to an in
terested and large audience in reference to
saloon closing, aud selling to minors, and
awakened not a little feeling among citizens of
every class present, as to these great evils.
Speaking from the words in Mark vi. 5, "And
he could do there no mighty work" he re-
marked: This brief sentence tells the whole
story, as to what comes of lack of faith in
God and in his truth.
THE POWER OF THE FAITH PRINCIPLE
makes all the difference between man of
earnest convictions, and one who is Indifferent
and morally unpronounced. The believing
man has been in all ages the strong
man, and the great and fruitful
centuries in the worlds history have
been characterized by faith. By the latter are
wrought all the grand works which inure to
the good o. society. 1t is not enough to see
what is wrong, the sincere, braye soul will at
once commit itself to righting what is wrong.
The impotence which decries all efforts to
rectify evils, as useless, is the feeling which
cOnsigns mankind to hOpelessness and suffer
ing. The first condition of successful reform
IN city or commonwealth, is to Undue the citi-
zens with the belief that all wrongs can be
corrected; all evil practices can be overthrown.
Moral sentiment once aroused, is mighty for
uprooting even entrenched wrong, and the
history OF human progress is but the nara
tive of how earnest effort, under wise leader
ship, has triumphed over what was opposed
to the public veal.
MUNICIPAL REFORM
is to-day the uppermost question in our land.
Popular government in our great cities is
pronounced by not few, failure, because
ignorance and demogogism and intemperance
rule them. There is hardly metropolis of
any size and importance that is not seriously
canvassing what to do to bring about the
reform ofexistlng and fragrant evils, which
menace the public safety, and imperil the in
terests of religion and virtue. How to make
certain businesses respect the ordinances,
framed to abridge and regulate them, is an
unsolved problem, yet every thoughtful citi
zen, va uing the good name of his town, and
interested in its moral and material prosperity,
is desirous of seeing municipal ordinances en-.
forced. and an augmented regard generated
| for the laws intended to conserve general so.
| briefly and public order.
OUR CIVIC NEED
| is not just now of more legal prescripts, nor
additional ordinances, but the impartial and
| constant enforcement of those we at present
have. 1t is in an issue, so broad and imper.
| alive as this, that all citizens of every name,
should unite, and when they do, we can have
state of things assured, which does not now
exist. All laws, to be operative need the sup
port of a general public sentiment, and when
| they are in advance of the preponderant feeling
| aud moral sense of the community, they be-
| forcement there should be wide spread inter-
| est, for that strengthens the executive, and
makes feasible, what might not otherwise be
possible.
THE FACTS
| which justify determined effort, with view
to abate evils which cannot safely be longer
tolerated, are patent to every careful observer,
| or to any sincere inquirer as to the moral con.
| dition of the city. We have at this moment
about 300 licensed saloons lthe number is just
| now smaller than it was.) The proprietors of
| each OF these were recommended by the ma
jority of committee of the council, together
| with the chief of the police, as fit persons to
open and keep saloons. Each of them paid a
license fee Of 500, and engaged to observe
the laws of the city referring to the conduct
of their business. These ordinances require
| the closing of every saloon from II O'Clock
| Saturday night to o'clock Monday morning,
| when all selling therein shall cease; further
| more these forbid selling of liquor to minors
or to habitual drunkards, and to these excel
| lent and every way necessary ordinances, are
pains and penalties annexed. II is however a
| matter of common nororiety that the great
proportion of these saloons violate constant
| ly these laws. Their doors like "the happy
gates of gospel grace, stand open night and
| day."
And men and youth can be seen, on any
Sabbath, passing in and out as on other days,
| and for the self same purpose. They replen-
| ish their stock on Sunday mornings, when
openly the heavy ladened and noisy beer
| wagons go through the city's streets, deliver
| ing fresh supplies and taking away empty
cally cease on the Sabbath, and no effort by
people or police is made to bring these
violators Of city ordinances to account. It
seems to be taken for granted that this bust
| ness shall be unmolested, and that the laws
| forbidding it on Sundaysshall be unexecuied.
Few of our thoughtful citizens, of any pollt-
ical party or nationality, could be found who
wOulu say these munlclpai ordinances are not
| wise and needed, or that the people would not
be better off if they were enforced. Hardly
any one would justify the selling of liquor to
minors or those habitually Incorporate Yet
saloons are increasing in number with the
city's growth. We have more now, relative
| to our population, than Minneapolis, and our
| youth are becoming regular patrons OF these
places where liquor is sold, and in the face of
| most merciful and publicly important law,
they have no difficulty on Sundays and other
days in obtaining what they call for.
EXCEPTIONAL INSTANCES.
allow there are some saloon-keepers who
do observe the Sunday law, and refuse to sell
to minors, and while they number but few,
they are enough to show that all in the bust.
ness could take the same stand, if considerate
enough and mindful of their own pledges and
of the ordinances, they else knowingly violate
If those in this business complain of being
interfered with by temperance reformers, and
the liberty they claim to carry on this traffic
abridged by state legislation, they have only
to thank themselves for giving occasion to
both. It'll their violation of city laws which
leads the state to interfere, and put
them and their business under sterner
prohibitory provisions; or, as in Kansas and
Maine, deprive them of any legal status and
unrOot their traffic entirely IF as husineas