The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-10-16

to make gambling an exceedingly difficult
ana precarious operation; ii does lie In the
fiagrant gambling the gambling that is
prazen-faced and inSolent and arrogant, that
defles the law. and that does its business
deflantly in public view. Gambling, per-
maps, cannot be entirely driven out, but II
can be In a large measure extirpated; and,
mus do ife Ssa naH s 5SorR in such seeret
way and under such hazardous conditions
that our young men will dread TO run the
fisk And let me say to the civic authori-
ties that there is no reason why gambling
as a public institution should exist. There
is certainly no political reason why it
should exist for the people have shown in
wholesome administration; they have shown
the Democratic party that il is an expen-
against the right, and with the lawless as
against the law-abiding. Nearly seventeen
thousand people in this city have lifted up
their voice in rebuke of a party that had
otherwise done much for the well being OF
our city, and it has also spoken to the Re-
publican party with emphasis that liz wants
an administrator rigid, upright and scru-
pulous TO the last degree. And there is
no political reason for gambling pub
lis institution, neither is there any reason
IN the nature of things. 1t is not neces-
sary evil L am speaking now of gambling
as passion; / am speaking of the GAM
bling that defies the law, that snaps it's
fingers in the face of the community and
says: What will you do about it? / am
here. / am here with my equipment: am
here with my roulette, and faro, and dice;
stop me IL you can" Now, | maintain that
this public and open gambling be
stepped / do not maintain that the gam
bier can be made good CT transformed in
q moment into an angel of light; but | do
say that he can be stopped, and that it is
the duty Of the Board of Public Safety OF
this city to drive all such men out of pub
lie business; and not only IS it the duty
but it has the power to crush out abso-
luteiy this public, fragrant transgression Of
the law. And herein it may be benefac-
tor and lift up yet higher the moral stand
ards over our noble and beautiful town.
UPON INTEMPERANCE.
The second great curse upon our city, and
all cities. is intemperance in drink. You
know that drink is the most fatal foe Of
men; you know that drink is running hun
dreds and thousands of men, young and
old, every year within the boundaries of
our city. You know that it shadows the
joy OF many, many homes; you know, too.
that it is the great purveyor to all forms
OF cflmInal1ty, vice and lust You know
too, that it brushes multitude of hearts
under an awful weight of grief and shame
NOW, 1ntemperance as passion, as dis
ease, can be dealt With only III a slow and
gradual way. The most rampant optimiSt
cannot hope to make a race that in large
areas or IL is given over to inehriety, sober
and temperate, and self-poised and manly
IN a month, or year. or an age. Intern
perance is deep and radical disease; it is
tissues of the human appetites, and there
fore its eradication is a long, long process
But whilst intemperance, as habit, cam
net be cured except after long and in
cessant ministratons, yet is there power
IN our city government TO wonderfully
minimize drunkenness by minimizing the
baneful and destructive work of the sa-
loon. The laws against selling liquor to
minors and habitual drunkards, and the
laws touching the closing of the saloons at
IL O'Clock at night and upon the Sabbath
day should be strenuously enforced. And
there IS no reason why we should stop in
our efforts to curtail the drink evil with
the present laws. 1t should be the duty
or our city TO improve these laws along
several lines. First, the number of saloons
should be limited. There should be fewer
saloonS-hoW many there are to-day L 10
not know, but one-quarter of the present
number, yea, one-tenth, would be more
than enough-and the saloons that are Ii
places.
They should not be allowed to locate
near public schools. or churches. pri-
have said before, within a given area
within the business limits, If you wish
OF our city; as far as possible from our
horleS. as far as possible from the public
schools. as far as possible from young
Children, that they may do the least
possible amount of harm Greater respect,
too, should be paid to the character of
the men who run the saloons. There is no
reason why the saloon might not be OPP
Grated upon relatively respectable basis
1t may not be possible to exalt the saloon
in public favor; it may not be possible to
make it an institution of light and leading
But there is no intrinsic reason why drink
should be fatal to man, nor is it inevitable
that any man should drink himself into a
state of beastly intoXication, for, though
he be himself disposed 10 drunkenness, it
rests in the power of the man who sells
to him to say mo-" and to exercise\ for
him a proxy judgment and restraint. And.
therefore, 1t is that no small part of the
solution of this liquor question lies in linn
iting the license to sell liquor to men of
at least relative respectability and de-
cency. Let us keep the saloon out of the
hands of the thug, out of the hands of the
vicious, out Of the hands of the criminal
out of the hands of the blackboard, the
eX-cOnvict and the human brute and we
shall have taken a large step toward min
imizing the consequences of this awful
ulative of this evil is to close the saloon
at an earlier hour than we close it now
The saloon is supposed to be closed at
but there should be a law passed requir-
ing IL to close at half past or g. for it is
in the later hours of the night that the
close at this earlier hour that an immense
sum. of vice would be stopped and that an
tercepted. 1t is the late drinking that
breeds mischief. 1t is the late drinking
that fosters iniquity, 1t is the late drink
ing that matches crime, it is the late drink
ing that infiames the spirit of the race
with lust, it is the late drinking that fills
our hospitals, our aSylumS and our gaOlS
Here again, then, first in applying the
laws that already exist, and second in
initiating further and better legislation
touching this matter of intemperance and
the saloon, the civic authorities can do an
immense work towards limiting evil and
identifying our civic life.
This, too, is the command of the people
to the new political regime. The people
have said to you, with a strong and dis
tinctive emphasis, that they want sobri-
ETY., and decency, and order to prevail
They have said that they are tired and
weary, and heartsick of the rule of rum
They have said that the saloon must be
oDedient and submissive to the laws And
oh, / warn you to pay heed to the public
conscience here. If you would maintain po-
litical power pay heed unto the public con-
science here. III you would stand high in
the public good will pay heed to the pub
lie conscience here. Stand by the mothers
and the boys; stand by the unfortunate
and the weak; stand by the family and
the home, as against the lawbreaker, as
pulous, as against the parasite, and the
people will be with you: but forget your
word and, at once, just as sure as Gods
sun shall rise tomorrow, you shall lose
that inestimable Jewel in the eyes of every
politician and of every party-the public
good will.
CONSTRUCTIVE MORAL WORK
But now let me speak to you along more
positive lines. These methods OF which we
have been speaking are Neutrality-suspicious.
of making Indianapolis morally magnif-
cent and noble, but these methods be-
cause OF their negativeness, are limited
and partial. We want more positive and
constructive methods, more positive and
constructive efforts along the line of the
right and good. You can't make a city