The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1886-02-06
Blood Traffic.

ever seen. This country spends
almost twice MS much for intoxi-
eating liquors every year rs for
bread. According To the latest
statistics, our country paid last
year for liquor, S900,000,O00; for
bread, S505,000,000; for meat,
1903, 100000; for public education,
500, 100000; for the preaching Of
the gospel Sl2,000,000; for Chris
tian missions, S5,600,000.
The saloon is the great crime
producer of our land. The statis-
ties of oV different states prisons,
and these statistics are 'almost
identical with those of European
countries, show that 30 per cent
of all criminals are in the habit of
drinking; 40 per cent are confirm
ell drunitards; 30 per cent regular
moderate drinkers, and 20 per
cent occasional drinkers.
The saloon business il II direct
traffic in blood. At a temperance
meeting in another state, the audi
enee began to look startled, when
the pastor said, You wonder why
that bell is tolling. Statistics
show that intemperanco causes
the death Of 100000 every year in
our land, or one person every six
minutes. | have ordered the sex
ton to toll the bell every SIX min
utes to mark the passage of Il
drunkards soul to the bar of God.
All along the pages Of history, the
shocks of great calamities have
startled the world Is it the en-
quilting of a Pompeii, or Lisbon?
Is it n Chicago fire, a yellow-fever
or cholera plague, an earthquake
in Spain or Java? The sympa-
thies of a world are awakened, and
all that money can do, is done to
alleviate suffering. But here is
the dead-march of Il frightful
plague; here is Il calamity that is
unutterable; here is loss that is
| iweparable. One hundred thous-
and a year going out into the
blackness of eternal night, for "no
drunkard shall enter the kingdom
/ of heaven
The nation sanctions this traffic
by making it source of revenue.
In the territories are 7,442 licensed
| liquor dealers and manufactures.
In Washington City, there are L.
O4O saloons. Our Congress, that
pure body that represents the ma
ton, grants them license, and in
smes them protection. In aspaco
of less than three hundred acres
around the National Capitol, are
PIG licensed drinking places, The
State, by licensing the traffic, binds
our courts to recognize every Ii
censed rum-hole to be as legiti-
mate Il business rs that of our gro
GERS and dry goods merchants.
A person who reads the average
newspaper would suppose that ey-
cry effort to prohibit the mon
strous traffic is a a failure. Men
under the influence of the liquor
power, bAwl themselves horse
about the failure Of prohibition in
Kansas and other states, and be-
cause in Il few places the law will
not enforce itself, and in some city
centres, it is not enforced, they
talk about Gree whiskey' in pro-
hibition States. We will rather
take the testimony of honest I'M
prejudiced men. Hon. Neal Dow
says that all over Maine the law is
enforced so that "the rural dis
tricts, and most Of the towns are
free from the traffic, whilo in the
cities it is under the ban The
temptation is at least put out of
the way Of the boys when most of
u State is entirely free from the
curse, and old soaks have 10 go for
their liquor to some dirty cellar,
or drink from a bottle hshed from
under the manure pile in II city
stable! Two friends of the writer
had heard va much about the fail
ure to prohibit in Kansas, that
they determined on making n tour
of the State, TO test the matter
They put forth every effort to get
IL I'LL. fill