The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1884-04-04

THE .FOUNTAIN-HEAD OF EVIL.
Recent exposures of municipal abuses
have emphasized the degradation and
corruption for which the government
of this city has long been notorious.
Our citizens smile grimly over cartoons
in the comic papers representing our To-
cal rulers as gang of ruffianly rum
sellers, low browed, heavy-iawed, igno-
rant, greedy, shameless in rapacity. The
influence of the saloon in politics is s.
theme so familiar as to be trite. Against
that influence efforts are being eontin-
ually made to array the intelligence,
public spirit and conscience of the COM
munity. Temperance societies struggle
courageously with the gigantic evil of
drunkenness. Preachers 'denounce and
protest against it. But it shakes off all
the elements ranged against it, and con-
tinues to poison, debauch. brutalize all
who come in contact with it. The
truth is that the Nation has not yet
taken this tremendous evil with sufli-
cient seriousness. The early advocates
of Temperance were looked upon as
bigots and fanatics. Now the cause has
become respectable, but still popular
apathy prevails. Reformers, both po-
litical and social, begin as rule with
the secondary, instead of the primary
causes of corruption. To remove the
abuses which choke healthy progress in
all our large cities, it is necessary to do
more than change parties or modify
governmental methods or shift respon-
sibilities. Municipal corruption, crime,
poverty, ignorance, immortality, all
flourish rankly because the people toll
crate Rum. At the bottom of nine
tenths of all the evils from which mod
ern society suffers, this cause is to be
found.
1t is not confined to the lowest
classes. 1t weakens the purpose of
educated men. 1t palses the energies
of benevolent men. 1t breeds allies for
the powers of evil in almost unsus-
pected quarters. 1t generates q spirit
of indifference which is as effective
against reform as active friendship for
intemperance, The i'll effects of drink
are known to all; noted by scarcely
any. The daily journal presents its
perennial records of political abuses, of
the franchise marketed, of venal igno-
rance swapping enlightened patriotism,
of plundered treasures and systematic
official chicanery and theft, of private
defalcation and bankruptcy, ofmurders
and assaults, Of divorce and desertion,
of profigacy, restitution, suffering and
shame in myriad forms, and behind
each and all these calamities and evil
deeds may be seen intemperance as the
prime cause. 1t is everywhere. 1t
makes and mars in every relation of life.
1t pursues thousands from the cradle to
the grave. 1t reinforces every malign
influence and agency. 1t battles all eff
forts at better things. Yet the public
do not regard it as an enemy to be
fought with uncompromising and per-
sistent hostility; they even sometimes
seem to think that it is better to let it
alone altogether
But there must be much deeper and
more general realization of the neces-
sity for radical reform in this matter.
The popular conscience must be stirred
and reused through the popular intelli-
gence. 1t is but few days since a
body of rum-sellers in this State
solemnly and officially declared: "That
as citizens and Taxpayers we have in
common with our fellow citizens the
advancement of the interests of the
whole people," These same men
further declared their business ''to be
legitimate and worthy of protection and
support" These expressions show to
what extent of audacity, federation and
Indifference naturally lead. The pub
lie are required to support the men
who are engaged in the most evil and
corrupting and degrading occupation
the world has ever suffered from, and
it is impudently announced that the
advancement Of the interests of the
whole people, is sought by these ven-
doris of poison and manufacturers of
crime and ruin.
The National conscience, the COM
munity conscience, must, indeed, need
rousing, when such hardy iEsolence and
brutal defiance of decent public opinion
passes almost unnoticed. Some influ-
ence stronger and more rapid in its OPP
GRAFTON than the slow process of evolu-
ton is required to set in motion effect
i've reform sentiment The curse of
modern civilization may else become It's
destroyer before remedy is applied.
Let it be remembered that there can be
no true freedom with venal and de-
graded franchise; that the best devised
governmental Institutions are useless
when political corruption excludes from
their control the fttest members of the
community; that it is futile to alternate
churches with saloons, leaving the weak
est elements of society at the mercy Of
the most powerful temptations. 7.
Tribune. --