The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-23

course was listened to with marked at
tention. she said among other things:
",rhe Lord said unto Cain, Where is
Abel, thy brotIe,? and he replied, Il
know not. Am my brothers. Keeper
1.-The Lord then said, what hast thou
done? The voice of thy brother crieth to
me from the ground.
"This old question is being asked OF us
all at the present time, and we are an
swering in the same way as did Cain.
Am l my brothers. keeperT
"The imm oderate in dulgence in strong
drink is everywhere admitted to be an
evil and it has been described and de.
nounced as the foundation and source OF
great miseries
"In 1894 there were 5000 wife murders,
and rum was the cause of them. There
were too many assaults of other kinds,
street brawls and murders. The cost to
the State from the evils of the traffc In
keeping up police force and In trying
criminals Is simply enormous, and IL the
saloon was abolished the people could
save this money so expended.
"Some say the license fees bring In a
revenue to pay for these things but
wonder il any one believes 1t. There
was great cry raised when repeal OF
amendment wss urged, that taxes were
raised by prohibition and many citizens
voted for repeal on this account. But was
been increasing ever since. At the poll
ing place on Orms street ] said to man,
you won't vote for repealY But he said
yes my taxes will be increased II / do
not.
"Both his sons are now great drinkers.
/ think you will say with me, / don't
want TO pay taxes in that way. / think
that man whose sons are victims to drink
may now think his taxes have not been
reduced.
'The expense is not nearly all counted,
when only the self-evident ones are reck-
oned. This traffic costs thousands Of dol
lars annually in this State in ways not
apparent TO the casual observer. The bar
rooms are supported out of the earnings
of citizens many of whom obtain only a
bare sutficiency for family needs. When
the money sed in legitimate trade the
sale of necessaries would be greatly In
creased and the merchant could give bet
ter bargains than he does now.
ain still another way does the saloon
affect business for the seloonkeeper being
ADLER TO pay higher rent than anybody
else takes the best stores and fixes the
rents FOR the down town district. The
merchant has to charge higher prices for
his goods. At the same time saloon in
other sections of the city where the
poorer classes live, the saloons being dis
orderly, reduce the value OF property and
lessen the rents.
Work is the great need OF the hour, and
that question will have to be met. The
abolition Of the liquor traffic will not
complete the solution, but a great help,
for it will stimulate industry. The sober
workingman would better solve the
problems of the hour, for a drinking man
is never safe person to entrust with any
thing.
1t Is many who would be thrown out OF
employment by the stoppsge OF liquor
traffic, but ii is also true that 1t takes q
smaller number to produce liquor than 1t
would to meet demands OF sober, indus
tricus consumers of the products Of labor
II the money used for liquor were used
Tor other purposes.
The production and consumption of
Intoxicating liquors is an injury to the
people industrially and commercially as
we'll as intellectually, morally and spirit
uslly. there is not one good thing about
it. The people have responsibility in
This matter which must be met. Each
one is his brothers. keeper in one sense
of the word.
'We have no right to put temptation
in the way OF others or to consent to its
b eing put there.
"This question affects us all. 1t is said
IL you ley liquor alone it will let you
alone. Net SO, for there are many cases
where innocent persons are affected by II.
ent but we can obtain some restrictions
of the sale of intoicants. Is it worth
while TO work for these halfway meas
ures? This movement is not temporary
one for we mean to keen 1t up till public
sentiment in revolutionized
''Ihen must come an organized effort
to secure endorsements OF the laws we have
and iaay obtain. DIR. Bowen said to US
when ne came to Providence that the only
reason vice seemed more powerful than
virtue was because the former was organ
lied and The letter was not. One organ
ization can do what segregated individ-
uals cannot accomplish. see what Roose-
welt is accomplishing I'm New York be.
cause OF an orgnaizeu movement and pub
lie sentiment back OF him.
"Let Us organize strong movement in
Rhode Island end perhaps some Roosevelt
can be found here to carry out the prin-
ciples of such movement. Without this
force OF public opinion back Of him he
could not succeed. So let us work for
this reform until at last the accursed
traffic shall de driven from both State and
nation.n
The petitions embodying the ideas Of
the Union were then signed by nearly
everyone in attendance at the meeting,
OF the petition to circulate among their
friends for signatures.
Rev. MIR. Mason before dismissing the
meeting urged his hearers to work for
no-lcense and said that while some said
that there would be kitchen bar-rooms IL
the no-license measure passed that license
did not prevent the kitchen bar-rooms
from existing, for within 200 yards OF the
church there were IL of them,