The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-06-12
SALOON SUBSTITUTES.


Substitutes for Saloons" our curiosity
| was aroused. When we read what the
reporters took down at the meeting we
were edited in measure and a good
deal amused.
II appears that the Union for Practi-
cal Progress had set one of its various
sections to work on the problem
of substitutes for saloons, and this
section duly reported to the
meeting recommending System of
coffee houses" which were "to be con-
Quoted on strictly business principles"
AS bearing upon the subject, the sec
ton recommended the enforcement of
the liquor laws, heavier penalties than
now provided for violation, endorsed the
Kelley cure, and urged that
total prohibition is the only
ultimate remedy and requested all
law-abiding citizens to unite to this
end-meanwhile, as temporary allevia-
tion Of the evil, the System of coffee
houses" should be set in operation. The
report of the section offered so many
suggestions in connection with the sub
stitution plan that the meeting was
quite unprepared to tackle it, and it was
| ordered printed for further reference.
Then the meeting grappled manfully
with the substitute idea-the System
of coffee houses" And this item of the
report alone evidently offered trouble
enough without venturing on to con-
sideration OF the associated features.
Just what a System of coffee houses"
should be like. and just what the coffee
house itself should be like proved a
most intricate subject for dis
cussion. One speaker favored "coffee
houses that should be attractive
and we'll conducted" with "read-
ing matter and games and a smok-
ing room." He thought the city ought
to support the coffee houses. They
would not cost more than Sl50,000
year, and "if they succeed in substituting
for the saloons, only half as many po-
licemen will be needed" And as our
police force now costs 100000
year, one half reduction, valued
at $500 year, would evidently
just balance the cost of the mu-
nicipal coffee houses so that every
thing would ultimately be lovely and
the goose would hang high.
Rev. FLOYD w. ToMKIYs, Jr., whom
the Union for~4ractical Progress slyly
inveigled into the Office of president
of the society, favored the coffee houses
idea as substitute, but did not think
the city ought to support them.
In England they support themselves,
and pay good interest on the invest
ment. How far they are substitute
for the saloon in England or how far
they have succeeded in killing off
saloons over there, we fail TO gather
from the report of Mr.. ToMKINs' re-
marks. We are under the impression
that saloons are about as thick
in English cities as in Providence
and we are also of the opinion
that some of them could give pointers to
KINs wanted billiards and other games in
the coffee houses, and incidentally urged
the Union to seek to enforce the liquor
laws, improve the laws and encourage
the Kelley cure.
AMAsA NJ. EATON, Esq, was present
and he had his say. We guess Mr..
EATON pretty nearly broke up the meet
ing. Mr.. EATON is a good deal of a
Philistine. He is an image breaker, an
iconoclast of the first magnitude. lie
doesn't believe in agreeing with his fell
low men, just to keep things pleasant,
not at all. His idea of coffee house
that should be substitute for
the saloon was to make it a
sort of saloon and have
it sell wine-wine, from espe cially
labeled Union for Practical Progress
bottles, mayhap, but wine, real wine,
for all that. Mr. EATON believes in
moderate drinking and he could conceive
of no substitute for n saloon, that should
fill the bill i'll the present condition of
thirsty human kind, except another
saloon. Rev. DIR. BLAUsTEIN held much
the same view, except that he
thought the substitute coffee
house ought to be beer coffee house
instead of the wine coffee house proposed
by Mr.. EATON.
Mr.. FRANCIS GALLAGHER struck diff
ferent gait from all the rest-of course.
Mr., GALLAGHER thought that if the
hours of labor were shortened there
need be no substitute for
the saloon, for it is long hours
and hard work that drive mon to
drink The discussion was discontinued
at the near approach of bed time by
the proposal to have a committee look
further into the whole matter.
We must thus wait the action of this