The Arizona sentinel., 1895-12-21
Sleepers in Saloons and Others,

VI AhOSO O1 Ou1 OOWIl6
 day and night. A few nights since 1
 came into Yuma, the clock Tn the
 steeple had long since struck threw
 and the herald of morning had not
 sounded the advent of day. Too
 late or too early to go to bed, re
 paired to the only open resort of | the town, a saloon, and now let me
 say, if saloons must be kept let them
 be conducted as this one, if you
 take a mans money for rum and he
 spends his last farthing then he
 has 8 fire and shelter at least for the night. 1 sat me down and fell
 to musing and asking myself ques-
 tions I could not answer. Around
 the stove and on the floor, I found
 youth and age in close proximity,
 The years between being many, but
 ohl how closely they are allied in
 other respects, both perhaps hun
 gry, neither warmly clad, Not a
 dime between them and no pros poets for the morrow. What a
 lesson can be learned.
 There sits man who has seen
 the sun, thrice twenty times return.
 His hair is whitened as if by the
 snows of many winters. His
 cheeks are furrowed; his form bent
 and even his tone of voice seems to
 sound more cheerily at the thought
 of better times, like the awakened
 chords of sleeping harp. Weary pilgrim, where are you going, from whence come you. Your youth, manhood, money, friends, home and all gone or abandoned, and you with intelligence stamped upon your brow sleep and hungry inthat chair. There can be no effect with out cause. Just beyond is 8 l mere youth perhaps, 20 years of age. He has grown tired of stroll ling around and trying to look brave and manly, by aid of a l and swagger. His last cent is gone and no boxcar handy. He comes to this friendly shelter and goes to sleep on chair or the floor. He has started early on that road that leads up on the hill or to hell or perhaps both. Sleeping like swine and in their persons de- grading the name of hog. There must be some cause for this. What Is it? Does capital refuse employ ment to worthy and competent labor. Are there no more lands to settle, cultivate and make homes on? Are there no more mines to develop or find? Is this a land where man cannot earn at least his bread, and a place of shelter? have been out of employment; have gone hungry; yet it was my own fault ard 1 venture the asser- tion, that if as much energy was in seeking employment as is exerted in rustling for whisky ard a soft place on the brakebeam, nine out of every 10 men would at least have food and shelter Noll We must have big wages. The socialists tell us, and If we cannot get that we will loaf, beg, aye and even steal. 1 know it is hard to work for only your board, bed and clothes. No one gets more. Yet until remedy can be found is it not better than going hungry, and sleeping on the floor of saloon. and awake and perhaps give a cheer for Dels or some other man who is 8 greater nuisance than saloons. .
 From the dawn to the close of life there is not step taken, an act performed or a thought entertained where results are not to retard or advance man on his journey through life. Alike the sun we we must always move. No stop until death there is no stand still in life, tonight you are better or worse than when you came from your couch in the morning and is 1t not a matter of wonder and that men endowed with ordinary common sense, can con- sent to spend their time in this way, and in these places, there is 8 radical wrong somewhere. We'll they are happy around the stove for awhile and may be dreaming of home. Would it not be we'll if we could dream until we came to a halter honoe7