The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-02
SERVICE IN MANY PULPITS.
Rev. r. V. Hunter DenOunces the Sa-
lOOn-Keepers' Defiance of the Laws,
An Entertaining Discourse by DR.. Alabaster
on China and the Chinese Service
for Deaf Mutes
THE sALooN-KEEpERs, LAwLEssNEss.
Rev. r. v. Hunter Denounces the Liquor
Dealers-A Plan for Remedying Evils.

Rev. r. v. Hunter Denounces the Liquor
DeaIers-A Plan for Remedying Evils.
Rev. r. v. Hunter, pastor of the Seventh
Presbyterian Church. preached last night on
the "Lawlessness of the Saloon keepers" DR..
Hunter said:
The statement of my subject presumes that
saloon men. a class. are not the best of
citizens This proposition is capable of being
proven. A few men engaged in this business
give evidence of a conscience not altogether
extinct sometimes, and show considerable re-
spect for law. For such men / have as much
charity as the conditions will allow But.
fear, they are a very small minority. / met
whisky man, few weeks ago. who ought to be
in better business. He is. too nice man for his
company But such men are exceptions. AS a
class, saloon men are not those men
who exert a wholesome influence as law
abiding citizens No man who has been
close observer of the men engaged in the rum
traffic needs an accumulation of evidence on that
point to night Not only do these men ignore
many of our existing laws whenever and wher.
ever they touch their business, but they use
every means foul and fair, to repeal all such
laws. We are witnesses to that state of affairs
at present A law in perfect harmony with
other laws of our State, and a law which is the
legitimate outgrowth of our American institu-
TONS is the target of this class of men, just
now. in the Commonwealth of Indiana.
The question that arises III the mind of every
true American and every good citizeni is: How
does it come that this class of men can defy law
as no other class can dol' There is no ques
ton but that they do, as | hope to make
plain. Are they privileged classf 1t So by
what right And why is it that they cry ''tyr
amy persecution" and talk glibly of personal
liberty" whenever law is proposed to control
their businesss Laws are enforced controlling
other lines of business. There is a law against
cruelty to animals in many States. Why
not have a law in this State which will limit the
cruelty of these men to men, women and chill
drenl We have laws requiring the cleaning of
Streets alleys ETC., on account of the public
health. 1t seems to me some judicious legislat-
ing on the whisky question might prove beneficial
to the public health. We have laws by which
appropriations are made for certain purposes
Possibly law in favor of high license would
create revenue which might be appropriated to
the widows and orphans which the saloon men
have made We have laws requiring men of
means to pay taxes for educational purposes
Why not have law by which some of the
money flowing into these saloon tills might be
made to flow back to the families whence it
came. for educational purposes? We have laws
protecting home laws prosecuting crime, why
may not this special business come under
law as well2 "On what meat has this our
Caesar fed that he hath grown SO greatr They
answer US, "To legisate concerning our bust
ness abridges a citizens personal liberties"
They different from other people Their lib
critics are more sacred than ours! Should min
lister of the gospel soemniZe a marriage before
licensure he would break the law and pay the
penalty And it's all right; nobody objects to
that, especially the saloon men. The preachers
have no stool-pigeon to introduce bill into the
Legislature to repeal that law. Possibly their
liberties are not so valuable az this other class
of men.
But let us consider this liberty" of which
they have SO much to say. What is this liberty
Under the plea of personal liberty" they claim
the right to sell strong drink to all who want 1T,
whenever and wherever they can. We are
everywhere surrounded by law-cvil physical,
social, moral-yet the individual must have
some sort of freedom before he can be held re-
sponsible for his action Freedom under law,
then, is the only freedom possible to an in
telligent creature. Liberty is freedom applied to
self Freedom means that the individual is
governed by certain laws-by motive and end
yet he is free to choose. Liberty (personal) is
the application of these principles to self. Lib
erty has been defined to be the natural right
which man has to himself. He thus has the
right to use his powers to prosecute the end for
which they were given. MAN naturally desires
liberty seeks for it, risks everything to secure
it. is Conscious Of his right to it." But there
must of necessity be limitations to this right.
1t must not degenerate into RIGHTEOUSNESS or
lawlessness. The man who uses his powers in
violation of the moral, civil or social law has
forfeited his right to liberty. If he works to the
injury of others, he has forfeited every right to
his so called liberty. We acknowledge our right
to deprive the insane, captives OF war and Grim
| inals of their liberty. Should claim the lib
watch, he would deprive me of that liberty
about as soon as he could procure an officer
presume. No man has liberty to interfere with
| the comfort and peace of the law abiding. If a
| man is debauching society, bringing poverty
upon homes, disqualifying men for usefulness,
| heaping up misery upon misery, breaking down
our institutions, purchased by lives of toll and
| hardship on the part of our forefathers, l claim
he is interfering with the comfort of good citl-
! zens and innocent people. He is doing society
an injury, and has therefore forfeited his So
| called personal liberty. / claim to be able to
show that the saloon keeper is guilty of all these
| charges Have liberty to blow out my neigh
boris bralnsl What is the difference be-
result to the majority of men who
| frequent these saloons as now kept?
/ One is slow fire and the other is quick. The
liquor traffic, as it has been carried ON in this
! city for some time past interferes with the
| peace and comfort of many citizens-works mis-
| chief in scores of homes. 1t ought not to object
to the exercise of this personal liberty under
/ law Society requires men in other lines OF bust
ness to exercise .her liberties under certain re-
| strietions. So much for personal liberty.
Keeping the above principle in mind. have a
| curiosity to glace over the Constitution of the
| United States and find the following pream-
! able:
We the people of the United States in order to
form a perfect union, establish justice, insure
domestic tranquility provide for the defense
promote the general welfare and the blessings
OF liberty TO ourselves ana pOStef1Iy. 90 OrGaln
and establish this Constitution for the United States
| of North America.
For the above purposes these States were or
| ganized. 1t is fair to presume that it was the
! purpose of these men that the citizens of the
United States should seek to do the same.
! Does the business of the saloon keeper ENSURE
domestic tranquinityp In response to this, OBJ
serve the cause for the majority of our divorce
proceedings
Does this traffic insyye the BLESSINGS of lib
| erty to ourselves and to our posterity?r Go ask
! the diseased offspring of drunkards
! Does this business promote the general wei
fare of the majority of the people who come
under its influence, as it has been conducted in
this city, Go ask the half-starved, whose nat
ural protector has spent all his earnings in one
| of these dens.
| NV friends behind the bar certainly