The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-23
YESTERDAYS PULPIT UTTER
ANCES WE'RE LARGELY DE-
VOTED TO THE SALOON.
EVILS OF THE LIQUOR TRADE
CONSIDERED IN A MAJORITY OF
THE PULPITS OF ST.
PAUL,
ITS FANGs REEK WITH VENOM.
Saloon ROundIy Denounced Yester-
day by Rev. j. f. Stout. at the
First Nj. Z. Church.

Under the agreement by which the
fourth Sunday in November is made a.
special Temperance Sunday, nearly all
the evangelical churches locally yester-
day devoted the day to the liquor traf-
f1c. The w. C. T. U. was honored with
an important place in the programmes
OF many of the churches, and some in
teresting and eloquent addresses were
delivered. At the First M. E. church,
Rev. J. F. Stout spoke from the text.
Woe unto him that giveth his neigh
Dor drink, that addest thy venom
thereto and makest him drunken also."
-HabalHkuk H., Is. In part he said:
The text is a voice from the past af-
firming the same essential truths with
reference to the evils of strong drink
that are in all quarters recognized to-
day. The crime Of intemperance itself
is presupposed, and in addition to this,
the greater wrong of temptation to the
use of intoxicating drinks is denounced
in unmeaSured terms. Since the con-
gregatiOn before me will thoroughly
agree with me in a settled conviction
that habits of intemperance are full of
evil, it seems best to turn our thought
to the venom which is added by the
saloon, that we may come to realize
the enOrnity Of that side Of this great
problem Of intemperance which is be-
fore US for solution. Than the saloon
our country knows no greater evil. We
can all agree to a few propositions
First, anything which lowers or witt
ates the powers of our complex human
ity. and interferes with its highest hap
piness and usefulness, is evil, and only
evil. Second, the use of intoxicating
liquors does both; third, any method
of promoting a system of organized de-
yKhi
women are robbed of the things that
make life worth living, is a crime
against self, and home, and nation,
and God; fourth, the saloon is such a
system of debauchery.
Up to this last proposition I have no
doubt my congregation has followed
me with full agreement, and, fearing
lest there be one who may disagree
with me on the Last, I desire to look at
the facts that compel me to make the
statement.
Against the saloon I hope to support
the following charges. First, the
saloon is promoter of Incorporate
habits, an institution which f1ourishes
on the price Of debauchery which
leaves the debauched in direst need,
and the saloon prosperous through its
i'll gotten gains. It's purpose is allure
ment, and il thriVes through its meth
DDS of enticement. 1t uses costly
furnishings, music free lunches, false
comradeship, a compromising method
of treating. and every other possible
means, to induce the customers to take
more and more of the goods. Of course,
this is to be expected OF any one who
will go into the business, but 1T is
nevertheless a crying evil.
The. saloon is a political hereSy. The
very foundation on which the republic
rests is the character of the individual
voter; destroy that and your structure
falls to the ground. That which has
made this nation the most successful
of all democracies has been the eX-
allied character of it's citizens; if now
you allow a vast system of political
corruption, which, for gain, poiSons
the very fountains of political life, or
to keep to the first figure, destroys the
moral basis in the Individual, which
has made him a safe stay to the state,
you are guilty of a crime against the
state. The saloon does thus destroy
the moral basis in its VOtaries. It has
developed and is still turning out a
constituencies, venal fabby and cor
rupt school of citizens from among
those who have come completely under
its control, and also an organized
group Of the interested made up Of
diStillers, brewers, wholesale and re-
tail dealers, and their employees, which
group is a perpetual menace to the
government, since the individuals who
tect and promote the saloon interest
The saloon in politics is the greatest
menace to the state concerning which
we have any knowledge.
The saloon is a social heresy. This
is time of social reform, when the
people are interested, not in giving
aims to the pauperized, but in seeing
that the individual has his rights. We
say much Of monopoiies and rightly,
too, but the most merciless poverty
breeding, Misunderstanding monopoly
OF them all is the saloon power. The
loss through the characterization Of sill
yer is only $33. 100000 a year in round
numbers. The gross annual profit of
trusts and nonopclies is only $749, 600 :
COO, but the annual drink bill Of the ma
tion is 81 .239 900, 900. Add to this the cost
Of the pauperism, crime and the like
which are the outgrowth of the traffic,
and you must include $7S2, OO0, 900 more.
Behind this annual drink bill is the.
liquor oligarchy, which is absorbing
more OF the wealth Of the people than
any other combination Of evil infiuH
enceg. ~a'2
Edward Everett Hale. OF Boston. has