Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-09-30


/ streets and alleys, where such might be
! expected, but on the principal streets
I of the city from the Union depot to the
| square. Crowds of men and boys and
women running in and ont OF back and
side doors with pals of beer, fights and
! rows going on, SO that respectable women
! avoid Main street from Ninth street to
! the depot. The Mission Sunday school
| on Fourteenth street have seen crowds of
men all the afternoon going in and out
of the saloon across the street from the
Bethel, as an example of law breaking
and the power of drink. One saloon
man sent word he wished more schools
would open as it helped TO draw q crowd
and his receipts had gone I'D TO $500 a
day, and thus is law in our city made
null and void through the fear of man.
No wonder that Fort Worth is at last
awake to protect her children au1 citi-
Zen5. Look az the appearance of Hell's
Half Acre. Ii is a menace TO the city,
and abroad it is thought that the rowdy
western element of Fort Worth is go
great that respectable society can not
handle it, and people do not care 10 risk
families with such state of affairs, and
yet the Acre still stands to-day notwith-
standing these facts. Over 10, 900 clti-
Zens lately, through votes of the
churches, and over 1900 business men,
including every firm on Main and Hous-
ton streets with few exceptions, signed
the petition to the council to move these
places of of public streets, and license
no variety theRters at ali. Is that d voice
of the people or not? Business men said
that men who owed them bills and drank
all day on Sunday and visited .grovels,
did not pay their bills, and their
families were often kept from actually
starving by the merchants. They all
wanted change, and thus give these
weak poor fellows chance TO get home,
and not be overcome By open saloons on
Sunday, and all their wages wiggled
from them for drink bills, and by gaming
tables. Starving widows prayers AMI
crying children should be needed in this
day and generation at least. Nearly
every late murder has been the result of
a Sunday drunk. The awful work of
lewd women among the street children
has been commented on. seven-year-
old girl drunk str~yed lately into the
Bethel. Also another thlrteen-year-ol
girl met her ruin ut one of these places
lately, so the Bethel noticed. BOYS and
men in theSe dens gather to witness
orgies of half-naked women, and little
do people know what goes on in these
places OF licensed woe. Shall people say
or do nothing with these places; and
again, shall law be violated by open bars
on Sunday? Saloon men point TO Kansas
as being injured by temperance. Yet it
is so much so hurt that Kansas people
will not repeal the law. Iowa to-day
can boast of great prosperity aud grand
results. But the saloon men fail to state
that Kansas for three years has had a
com plete crop failure. They never men,
ton this fact, but lay it 10 temperance.
What folly! Who are the great thinkers
of the earth, statesmen, scientific men,
inventors, scholars, great merchants?
Are they drinking, lewd men? What |
heads to-day govern the earth--they |
are the great minds. who obey law and |
who drink deep of clear water and of |
sunshine, and who follow the laws of |
God-and uphold the laws of man. Who |
are the upbuilders and men of Fort |
Worth to-day? The drunkards? In |
God . name, no! never! Who are then |
retarding the growth of Fort Worth by |
allowing an evil name abroad? Who |
keep up the brothels, dives, gambling |
dens. jails, hospitals and a-ylums? Who |
takes the wages that should 90 for |
children's shoes and food; who sends !
weak and staggering wrecks of men and |
women 10 bring woe at home; and MUIR
der and lust abroad, TO end sorrowfulIy |
on the soaffold and in Jail? They it is
who tarrv long at the wine, and look on
mixed drinks. Is this not true? Look
and seeI Look and see! all about you.
What does Fort Worth need to do to
prosp r? 1t needs schools, churches,
rfO
buildings. banks, merchants and COM
merce, TO employ people. Not dives to
and take the wages, that the
family is starving for, and let go unpaid
the bills so long past due. When did se-
loon men build orphans homes,
or schools. sustain gospel meet
ngs to help the weak, or bring in fac
tories, or upbuild banks? No, they
cluster as a sore around all this, TO tester
as plant, and mildew, and blast wo-
won hood and manhood, and rob families
from q moral plane, of just wages, that
20 for drink. No wonder the saloons
say to the city fathers IN
heavens name attend to the sanitary
avs, sidewalks and all else, but let US
ilone,' to defy law and corrupt morals
IN Sunday, or else you will ruin the city.
Oh, God! what satire on common
tense, not to mention morals.
If people want to know the difference
between law abiding people and places in
Fort Worth, let them visit Hell's Half
Acre, where saloons and Sunday law
breaking fhrives over all laws, and then
Tisit any other part OF the city and COM
lare results. One is insane to discuss the
question at all. No, people who have it
n hand with the Bethel will stand on
he side of business, prosperity and
morals, on God IS side, until every law
s made effective on the statute books.
UNION BETHEL MISSION.
crDD CGuru,rU nrr