The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-11-06
DIR. SMYTH'S OPEN LETTER
Addressed TO THE NEW HAVEN Y.
P.S. O. E. SOCIETIES.

The societies' New Move In the Line of
Temperance Work-Dr. Sinyth's sugges-
tive words-A More Practical Field in
Local Politics With Immediate Results
Attainable--shouid Attend the Party
Cauouses in Force.
An Open Letter to the Committee on
Good Citizenship of the Young Peo-
pies Societies of Christian Endeavor:
Gentlemenc learn through the morn
ing papers that you have under consid-
GRAFTON in behalf of the Young Peoples
Societies of Christian Endeavor plans
for temperance campaign in the ap-
preaching elections in New Haven.
While you have your plans under con-
sideration, and before you have taken
final counsel, allow me to press upon
your attention the practical issues and
the only practical questions, as re-
gard them, of this falls municipal cam
paign in this city.
My appreciation of the immense force
in behalf of good morals and good citi-
zenship which may be brought to bear
through your societies is my only ex-
cuse for writing this urgent letter.
think that we shall all agree that
in citizenship, as in practical mechanics,
the one thing to be aimed at is to bring
available forces to bear at the points
where results may be accomplished; it
would be thousand pities to see the
fresh forces of your societies diverted to
channels where no wheels could possibly
be turned, and thus caused to run to
waste, tumbling over themselves and
achieving nothing but foam. Allow me
therefore to urge upon you the import
ance of concentrating upon practical
points all possible forces of good citizen
ship during the coming municipal cam
paign. What then are the real issues
now?"
l. The question of license or no IL
cense, however Important elsewhere, or
abstractly considered, is not this fall q
real and practical issue in New Haven.
2. Any effort to raise it just now into
practical issue may defeat the adj
''Ah~S to"NANS 6oOo SoNSl wa
should be made at once, and which
If all reasonable men work together,
may possibly be gained.
I'm support of these judgments would
urge first that there Is little, If any
chance Of securing a no-license vote
this year in this town; and, secondly,
that even if by a magnificent rally Of
all the temperance forces such vote
could be polled, nevertheless the prac-
teal result, under existing conditions,
and until these conditions are changed,
| would be gain for the worst and most
devastating rum-seliing. No license in
many towns, / have not the slightest
| doubt, is definite gain and a victory
of the spirit over the beast; but in New
| Haven, in my Judgment, it would prove
victory of the spirit for a moment at
| the polls, and an advantage to the beast
| all the rest of the year. For In this
| town there are two causes, constantly
operative, which would render this I'M
fortunate result inevftable-the mass
of the people would not sustain the i'm
partial enforcement of the vote. and
even though a majority should support
1t, our police department, with its pres
ent political organization in its upper
works (where single will and one clear
eyed intelligence ought to reside). and
| furthermore with the very limited equip
ment of police men and money for field
work, would prove utterly inadequate
| to cope with the immense additional
work which "a no license vote would i'm
pose upon 1t. 1t is as much ais the SUI
perintendent and captains of police can
now do, with the limitations, political
and otherwise, by which their efforts are
| hampered, to secure a partial enforce
| rnent of the Sunday closing law; and
| indeed / know from personal knowledge
that a portion of the liquor interest it,
self would prefer to have secured to
their places of business the same immu-
nifty from Sunday competition and priv
ilege of Sunday rest which is employed
by all other business. My point then is,
that If with the sentiment of the COM
| munity generally in its favor, and por-
ton Of the liquor trade at least not OBJ
posed to It. the police have to strain
their available resources, and our police
men have to resist no little temptation
of all the political devils, in order to
| secure partial enforcement of the sun
| day liquor law, under existing circum-
stances, and without much previous pre-
paratory and reformatory work, vote
| this fall at the polls for no license would
mean practically throughout the year
| free rum-and the poorest kind of rum
| too. Though you could import host of
angels to stuff the ballot boxes with
votes for no license, you would hardly
| thereby decrease by solitary pint the
amount Of liquors drank in this town,
unless you could keep said angels on po-
| lice duty on every block, with force
of supernumeraries also to watch the
| devious steps through alleys and back
| doors of many men who have become
accustomed to their beer. I do not say
that the time may never come when
New Haven may not be ready to make
practical trial of no licence; but I assert
! that certainly this fall is not that time
| Of moral preparedness for the expert
ment. I respect the position of tenn
| perance men who vote in a minority for
no license as a protest against the sa-
| loon, and for the sake of prophetic cit
| izenship. But my urgent point is that
| just now at least all the working forces
of good citizenship ought to be directed
to practical politics; and that, If so d.
| rected and combined some substantial
gains both for temperance and the other