The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1891-03-05
v. c. T. U. DEPARTMENT
THE SALOONS MISSION.

$50 ~
The editor was in town last week
where there was one saloon. After his
lecture he was walking to his hotel,
and counted thirteen teams hitched in
front of this saloon. 1t was after ten
o'clock at night. It was easily seen
that these teams belonged to farmers
They had brought in their wood wheat
and hay, and we're spending the mon
ey in debauching themselves, instead
Of spending it for the comforts of life
for their families and themselves. The
money they spend for intoxicants
ought to have gone for dry goods,
groceries, hardware or furniture, yet
t.. ose who are in these lines of bust
ness will vote 20 have the saloon Ii
censod to make business for the
town." What mistake this all is! If
the one billion five hundred million
dollars spent in liquor were spent for
the comforts of life, labor, to produce
these comforts, would be required, and
business men would have the profits
in handling the goods, the drinkers
would be sober men with longer
lease upon life, and women and child
rem, now pitiably wretched in body
and mind, would be made happy. This
is not all. Careful authorities estimate
that the indirect loss, which places the
total loss to the people of the United
States at three thousand million dol
lars more than our national debt at
the close of the war. It took five years
to make the war debt. 1t takes but one
year to make the liquor debt that out
ranks that Of the war by two hundred
millions. Can any one exaggerate the
awful consequences of this business,
more depicting than any other monop-
oily, more devastating than alto health,
virtue and happiness7 Yet we are
called impracticable because we de-
mand that men of this country rise up
in their might and crush out this de-
spoiler of the land we love. Let us
come together on this one great issue.
Never mind, Americans, the cranks
and the bigots. They are everywhere.
Di7eased these poor fellows are--ef
fected with sorosis of the brain. Never
mind them Think of the devastation
wrought by this colossus of sensuality,
and the high, heavenly call upon you
to save men and women from it's in
discriminate ravages. Up and at the
monster. It matters not where you
stand politically. Let us hear your
voice as that of fellow patriot, de-
termined that this expensive, body-de
filing, soul degrading, dehumanizing,
God-mocking traffic shall go out for
ever.-Progressive Age.
Yesterday witnessed a strange sort
of banquet in the city-a CHASTITY jollif
cation over the completion of the new
county Jail. The county officials
seemed to glory in the fact that the
jail was the largest and most expensive
one in the United States, although
there are many counties in the country
having from twice to ten times the
population of this one. One enthusi-
astic banquetter expressed the hope
that 1.-The building would be found too
small in short time" tit will accom-
modate 400 prisoners), and another
said, Taxpayers can see that what is
in this building is we'll spent" lit cost
S3OO,OO0). Why not as we'll boast of
having the strongest and most con-
stantl y-used gallows in the country
Is that 100000 we'll spent7 Were it
not for the liquor traffic and it's hun
dreds of criminal factories in the city,
that immense building would never be
half full, and the silly wish of one of
the banqueters that "the jail might
have plenty of customers" would go
untitled. Here is an example of glorv-
ing in our shame. Christian Standard.