The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1890-02-14

BY showing how, in tho city o. Chicago alone,
Sne grahc could control on 9 low estimate,
5000 votes. This vote - purchased by mon
orolilsts, and the labordng mRn's attempts to
secure proper legislation IRE defeated. Close
the saloon, and this purchasable vote will be
largely reduced, the avenue through which It
- purchased destroyed, and the greater part of
this vote will naturally be cast for the candi-
dates that will seek to secure the laborer his
rights. The saloon defeats the nottingham at
every turn. 1t is his worst enemy, and SO long
as II remains, his condition cannot be bettercd,
and can scarcely fail to grow worse. II for no
other reason, the saloon should be abolished in
the interest of the laDoring people,
TIL prohibition OF the liquor trnfic is OBJ
jected to by some, on the supposition that 1t
would throw out OF employment the men en-
gagged In the traffic, destroy the market for the
farmers grain, and deprive cities and towns of
q source of revenue. A moments consideration
will show that there is no weight to these OBJ
%jections.
,. Those engaged in the traffic are now sup
ported at the expense OF productive industry,
ior which they make no returns. They could
much more easily be supported, even in COM
pete ldleness, II necessary, than when engaged
IN their present destructive occupation. If
thro wn out Of employment for a time, the in
e cSn ssn e experienced during a readiustmea at
dredtl part OF the suffering caused in q
single year by drunkenncss, and the in
creased call for the necessaries and COM
forts OF life would easily demand for their
production many more men than are engaged
IN the traffic. Moreover, the money invested in
JIG lfhInc, accOrd1n9 10 the tenth census, would
employ four times the number Of men that it
now employs were it invested in useful occupa-
tions.
2. The liquor traffic is an injury rather than a
benefit to the farmers market. Producing
nothing of value, it has nothing Of value to give
in return for the grain destroyed. Tits as com
plete o loss as though burned, and the laws of
trade SO regulate affairs that such destruction
is largely If not altogether at the expense OF
the original producer. The grain DESTROYED in
.the trai1ic is an expense to the farmers of any
saloons only source of income is from drunk
enness aud the drinking habits of the people.
ana il the saloon ia an advantage it is because
drunkenness and the drinking habit nre an nj
vantage. In such a case. the more drinking and
the more drunkenness the greater the advantage
and the better the markets.
,. The same answer is given to the plea TINT
the saloon is needed MS a source Of revenue.
The best that can be said OF the saloon on this
score is that it assists in collecting tax or reye-
nue.; but it is a very expensive collector. Take
as an illustration the city of Racine, as cited
above: the income to the city treasury was 3d.
No, but to collect that amount it cost the city,
as we nave seen, S475,OOO, to say nothing OF the
Inconvenience OF drunkenness or of the pauper
and criminal expenses. This large amount
comes chiefly from those who can least afford
it. Through the saloon the poor man who
drinks IS made to help pay the rich mans
tax. High license is no remedy; it will not di-
minish the sale and tends to increase the tax.
However viewed, the traffic is a worthless
nuisance. 1t is a parasite, q bloodsuckcr, living
on the earnings of the wage-worker. The
Worhinshlan only nope OF u brighter future
is in the entire prohibition of the manufacture
and sale OF saloon liquors, aud 10 secure this
ne should give his earnest endeavors. With his
AID national prohibition can be secured nnd en-
forced, and the evils of the liquor traffic abol-
1shed as they have been in the greater part of
Iowa and Kansas. In those States many fanli-
hes OF working people who often, before prohi-
D1tion, suffered for the necessaries OF life, now
live i'll coy homes of their own and have ell the
nocessaries OF life, and, indeed, some of the
luxmfies," as expressed by IL prominent official
OF topeka, KANSAS Prohibition sEOuil la tina
watchword of the workingmen OF America. 1t
should be on every badge, every banrer, and
every ballot. until the saloon is no more and
the laboler has his Just dues,-T. ". North, in
Northeastern Null.