Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1888-04-04
CORRESP0ND ENCE.
TO FARMER

prohibition question 10 OF more inter-
est to farmers than Is suggested by
the meagre notice given that subject
In the Alliance resolutions published
last week.
1t is important not only from
financial stand point as is the trans |
portation question, but also from the
higher grounds of morality. |
If the direct yearly cost Of the liquor
traffic to the people of Minnesota
could be saved, it would pay all the
interest on the farm mortgages and
leave good round sum to apply on
the principal.
Crime, pauperism, and insanity are
an immense cost to this state; they
add heavily to the tax upon every
farm; and for this added tax the sa-
looms are largely responsible, for they
are the great prolific source of thel three
evils named.
According to our present laws the
farmer must help to pay for the APP
criminals, and for the maintenance of
the criminals paupers and the!insane,
that are made by the liquor traffic,
but he cannot vote either for or
against that traffic. The burden it
puts upon him he must continue to
bear until it is voluntarily removed
by the town and city voters, who are
so favored by our laws that only they
can decide for both town and country
whether the saloons shall stay or go.
The city is admitted to be much
worse morally than the country. Is
the law just which gives to the former
the exclusive right to decide moral
question for the whole community?
Is it right that traffic which is a
plighting curse upon the whole
country should be allowed to exist
entirely at the option of the town
and city? Is it right that question
upon which all are interested should
be settled only by favored few? Ii
not, let farmers discuss the temper
ance question in every meeting of the
Alliance, in every party caucus and
convention until law is passed al
lowing that issue to be decided by
either the state, or the counties, in
stead of by the present undemocratic
method. And, furthermore, we want
| a 1ox,, kt,ok xp;ll ~ obo tho oono;ol f0v
or license fee now collected from sa-
loon keepers payable directly to the
state, instead of as at present to the
towns and cities. AS 1t is now, one
effect of the rum traffic 10 to increase
the tax upon every acre OF farm
property and decrease the tax upon
every town and city lot. A tax i'm
posed by a state law should be paid
to the state. The saloon keepers
money should 60 where it will help
to pay the cost caused by the crime,
pauperism, and insanity which his
business creates.
The demon of iutemperanc does its
fiendish work like the slow but dead
ly cancer. fit would only group to-
gether its victims and strike them
down at one blow as does the
dread tornado; If we could bat see as
clearly the untold suffering caused by
rum as we can the destruction to life
and homes in cyolone-ruined city,
we could then wildly realize the aw-
full havoc caused by the liquor traffic :
saloon keepers would view their
business with horror and give it up
in disgust; and farmers would not ap.
prove of Alliance resolutions which
speak ofProhibition only to pass 1t by
as subject of minor importance,
neither would they indorse the recent
cheeky performance ola few would be
dictators who seek to foist upon the
Republican party and the farmers OF
this state free whiskey candidate
for governor.
REPUBLICAN,.