Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-12-20
PETER ON SALOONS.
The Man Who Stepped Into Ingalls,
Shoes Is Opposed to Them.
HOW THEY INJURE THE FARMERS.
Tools Of the Political Bosses to Prevent
heeded Legislation.
THEY BLOCK TIE ROAD 70 RELIEF

The one man in Congress about whom the
public is most curious is Senator W. A.
PETER, of Kansas. He is interesting both
because of his previous mediocrity and be-
cause he succeeds Mr.. Ingalls,, one Of
the brightest men who ever graced the
United States Senate. The following e-ti-
Gle from the pen of Senator PETER, which
he wrote especially tor the national organ
of the Prohibition party, will give an idea
of his literary style and the quality Of his
thought:
s.In their relations to the community, some
kinds of business present but one aspect,
while others present two or more. For ex-
ample, ordinary merchandising is never the
subject of comment in q neighborhood, be-
cause dealing in groceries, clothing or hard
ware is one of the necessities of modern civ
ilization and is in no sense hurtful But q
slaughter house or a soap factory, while
they are needful agencies, in honorable
lines of work, if MOI properly hedged about
by protecting barriers, become offensive to
the people, injurious to health, and may be
abated as nuisances.
'Then, there are other kinds Of business
which present three different and distinct
phases to society-pecuniary, offensive, in
furious To this class the business of
dram selling belongs In one of its phases
the community sees money; in another,
moral stencil; in the third, dangerous in
fuence, constantly radiating with fatal
effect.
Farmers' Relations to Dramshops.
'sThe farmers relation to the dramshop, is,
In general way, the same as that of all
other classes of citizens But in q special
sense it is altogether different There was
a time, and that, too, within the memory Of
many of us, when liquors were sold at the
crossroads grocery store, and at the taverns
which were scattered along the principal
thoroughfares at distance of few miles
apart. Liquor was kept in farmers cellars,
and it was drunk in the harvest field. But
the crossroads store is gone, whiskey has
been banished from the farm, and genera
tion of non-drinking people have come in
the rural districts. This new generation
has no use for the dramshop.
"Since our great war the country has de-
veloped in wonderful degree. Our pro-
gress has been marvellous In the use of
resources and in the production of wealth,
nOtn1nS ike II ever OcuTTeU III uuIn8n MS.
tory. But under the operation of our laws
and customs. smart men are amassing great
fortunes, combinations of brains and money
are fast drawing to themselves the wealth
which the toilers are producing, and farm
ers find that in the race for riches they are
steadily falling behind.
Legislation for Moncyed Glasses.
"While the average rate Of yearly wealth
increase for all the industries, during the
last ten years, was about 4 per cent in the
aggregate, farming has not exceeded one
half that much, and farmers have no
trouble in tracing the causes for this unjust
discrimination against them to legislation
enacted in the interest of the money
classes.
Legislation comes from influences