The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1889-02-15

Three-fourths of the crime and
pauperism in the state of Pennsylvania
is the direct result of the liquor
traffic, and according to the official re-
ports made to the Legislature, tax
payers suffer net loss, over and above
all the money received from licenses,
more than million dollars each year.
Shall this waste of money continuea
Or will tax payers and business men,
on whose shoulders comes this heavy
load, arise in their strength and throw
off this financial burden.
A hundred thousand tramps, loafers
and saloon loungers are living in idle
ness, rags and poverty-sleeping in
barns and station houses or dragging
out miserable existance in wretched
homes, who, but for the drink, would
go to work and provide the comforts
of life for themselves and families, and
thus add to the wealth and prosperity
of the State instead of being burden.
Will not generous men reach out
strong hands to them and break the
CALLING chains that make them the
| bound slaves of the saloon?
Thousands of homes are beng br ok
en- up or made wretched every year.
tens of thousands of children are being
abused and robbed of everything
and are crying tor bread, or begging
from door to door, because of the liquor
traffic. Remember the words of the
Master: ''Whoso shall offend one of
these little ones, which believe in me it
were better that a milestone were
hanged about his neck and that he
wers drowned in the depths of the sea-
Will not then many men arise in the
strength Of a grand American man
hood and hurl this oppressor of the
children from power? The cry of
murder! and The despairing mad wal
of the suicide is heard all over the
State. The murderer on the gallows
says: at acds rum that didthe bloody
deed. I acos too drunk TO k,soso ,ohat
I scas doing,' and the majority of
those who destroy themselves leave the
same testimony. 1t is a well establish
ed fact that three-fourths of the mur-
ders, suicides and accidental killings
may be traced to the use of strong
drink. Look at this long, black list
listen to the tramp, tramp, tramp of
the feet of men who are staggering on
the streets and highways of Pennsyl-
vania to drunkards grave or a
drunkard's doom More than one goes
down to death, on an average, for
every day in the year. Shall this blast
ing of human hopes-this flow of tears
and blood, go on through the coming
yearsf
OH men of thOught-men of God
men who love humanity and love your
country, rise up in your might and stop
this whole iniquitous business. You
have now chance that may not come
again. An amendment to the .State
Constitution, prohibiting the msnufact-
ure and sale of in oxicating drinks as a
beverage is now pending in this State.
Before the year 1889 closes you will be
called upon to decide this question at
the polls; not IS Republican ,r Demo
crat, or at the command of any party,
but simply on the merits of the ques-
tion of Prohibition in the Constitution,
where it will stand by the will of the
majority of the people without regard
/, to party.
Arise then, oh ye men of Pennsylva.
, MIA, and use your mighty power in the
, interests of economy and sobriety and
! for the protection of human life. Let
every mau no matter to what party he
belongs, on this one thing unite anC
help pat dorm the liquor traffic.
ANNIE wITTENhYER,
l Sapt. of Legislative Work g. T. A. A,
aud w, &, Il. II,