The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-04-28

Vlctlm. ana IL Will cnanR0 your opinion OF
the 'hOnest. truthful, virtuous. peace
loving. law abiding saloonkeepers." No.
my dear sir. you could not have weighed
those words: In the first place, he is not
honest, for he gives no return for the
money he takes. He is thief as we'll as
murderer! That is an ''intemperate Speech"
l admit-ten shades worse than the minis
ter's, but tits the truth. nevertheless. If a
man should enter my home to night and
carry away one of my little girls, he would
be just as much a thief. as would be the
"depraved villain" you refer to, even tho
he be truthful and peace loving" And
their priceless treasures? But no matter!
1t is only boy! And he don't count.
Were it sheep or horse, the case would
be worth looking into. But two million
boys can be stolen and their good names
polluted beyond recognition. every decade,
and the world passively winks at this legal
lied theving and numbering, as long as tits
some neighbours boy who is the prey of this
''honest" vulture. One boy from every
fifth family must be sacrificed to keep this
mill running; for the saloon can no more
run without boys than mill without logs.
But as long as the law throws around this
''honest'' thief and his traffic an air of re-
spectablity, why should he be classed with
the highway robber who only takes the
gold, leaving still, character, good name,
hope and happiness? The gold goes, and
with it all that is good and true. No. he is
not honest, or he would not take others
money when he knows he is giving worse
than no return. AS for his being truth
full" he may not speak the lie, but he acts
it continually, for in no business in the
world is there more trickery and dishonesty,
their connections being ''doctored" with
the vileSt pOisOns. A salOOnkeeper Ia re-
spectacle One) who afterwards went out of
the business gave me quite an idea of the
''tricks of the trade" But man who will
steal and kill. would not stand on truthful
ness if it were for his interest to do other
wise. You call him ''virtuous." Your
definition of that term and mine may
hardly agree, but 1 am sure you can
appreciate virtue wherever it is found. But
be honest, and tell nae. would you call that
life manly, virtuous one. that selfishly
destroys a being for this world and the one
to come. simply to enrich himself? Murder
is murder, whether tits by wishes or by one
blow. What is worse. this is cold blooded
murder. all carefully planned for, and not
one of the kind committed in the heat of
passion and for which the person is hardly
responsible. NO, his goodness and his ex
ample is not such that you would be willing
any friend should follow. Have you really
considered what peace loving" means?
What is there in this world that creates so
much discord and takes all the peace out of
life as this? They may be out of sound of
the quarreling, the brawls and the awful
unhappiness their traffic produces-fOr that
man goes to the flock up" who creates any
disturbance in his presence: but ask the un.
happy wives and the abused children. how
much peace whisky ever brought to their
homes. Just one word mOre-''law abid-
ing''-yes. that is true, to certain extent,
1 confess with deepest shame for our cOun-
try. For it says-.You pay me so much
money, and I'll give you the right to MUIR
der and destroy the best in our land, and
will protect you in it," But ask your
cOmmOnsense. does that make it right, or
that man less monster, who tramples
human beings and human hearts under his
feet in his greed for gold? what is NOR
ally wrong can never be politically right"
You would call that legislature insane that
would say to some respectable. ''honest,
truthful. virtuous'' man, IF you pay us
$500 a year, we will give you liberty to
burn every home within your reach" And
yet thousands of homes are totally lost
worse than burned every year-to the
shame. the disgrace of our nation. 20.
liberty. what crimes are committed in thy
name!"
So these 200. 900 Government Schools of
Vice." the saloons. are protected by law,
and they are crowded with graduates who
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