The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1891-12-24

CItAzonS uOoS InlS saloon. vote consist?
1t is plain that it. is larger than tho
number Of, persons engaged, both d.
rectly and indirectly, in the sale Of
liquor. The voting strength of these,
In any specified locality. is but frac-
tional per cent. Of the total number of
voters. In an entire state, these men
are not numerous enough to affect the
result in any case, if voting by them.
selves, without aid from others.
From whom does this aid come, then,
which gives to the saloon vote its nu-
merical strength? Who compose the
sometimes numerous class of citizens
who show their sympathy with the
liquor traffic by giving it their support
at the polls? This is question which
has not had the attention given that it
deserves at the hands of temperance
men. If at the polls the line were
drawn with only those who are en-
gagged in the traffic on the one hand,
and all other citizens on the other, it
is plain that rum would meet with q
a crushing defeat every time.
Probably the thought of those whose
attention is drawn to this point for the
first time is that the allies of the sa-
loon are composed of the low and vi
cious class of men who are hangers-on
around the lower sort of gin mills and
beer saloons. But their numbers are
not sufficient, even when combined
with the votes named above. to give
the voting strength that the saloon dis.
plays far too often, when it is menaced
by legislation.
The real strength of the saloon, not
only at the polls but in the community,
is in more or less numerous class OF
people who belong to the category OF
respectable citizens" They do not
want the saloons abolished, nor inter
fered with in any way. They are the
backbone OF the saloon vote, and they
are large factor in public opinion
hostile to the execution of all regula-
tive or restrictive measures, such as
Sunday closing laws, or other statutes
of that nature.
1t is obvious that saloon cannot
long exist unless it has patronage. As
soon as it ceases to be profitable, it is
closed. To be profitable, it must have
enough customers to make it so. They
must be men who have money. which
they are willing to spend over the bar.
1t is these respectable drinkers who
keep up the saloons; it is they who
give the saloon their moral support; it
is they who are largely responsible for
the evasion or open defiance of re.
strictive or prohibitory laws; and it is
they who must be largely brought over
to the support of temperance legisla-
ton in any community before it will
or can be made thoroughly effective
for the purpose it was designed I, ef-
feet
There is no use of prohibitory legis.
lation so long as this element is at all
numerous in a community. With its
tacit encouragement, the law will be
detied or evaded. according to the
strength of this element of opposition.
The work which must be the initial
effort of friends of prohibition must be
an educational one, with this very class
for its objective point. We know this
is difficult, slow and unpleasant 1t is
so much easier for your professional
agitator to stand in a pulpit or on a
platform before an audience which
sympathizes with him, and abuse vo-
tiers because they do not abjure their
political affiliations and join the polit.
ical prohibitionists. 1t is sweet to re.
ceive the incense of applause from
those who think in the same way; it is
so much easier and pleasanter than to
go to man and. in Christian spirit,
cndeavor to lead him to see the error
OF his ways. But this work. even if
unpleasant, is the first in line if VIC
are to be successful in the effort to
pulverize the rum power.-Toledo
Blade