The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-30
YES OR NO, wHICH3
Rev. E. G. Wesley's Views Of the Liquor
Traffic.

At the Park Street Church last evening
Rev. 4. u. Wesley preached upon the
temperance issue in the present campaign.
A summary Of his sermon is as follows:
know of scarcely any question OF mod
ern times In which manhood, whether
Christian or otherwise, Is SO apt to seek q
ing as in the question this evening claim.
ing our attention to the licnesing of the
liquor traffic; a system which, In its out
workings, has ever proved, even under
the best possible conditions, the most
prolific source Of drunkenness, lawless-
ness, suffering. shame, immortality, IN
decency, poverty, degradation and crime
this world has ever known. 1t Is folly to
talk of controlling" this accursed busi-
ness by means of any legal restrictions,
there is but one remedy; its destruction.
What is license in its real essence and
nature?
From the general standpoint exactly
what Jehosaphat's alliance was with
Ahab the alliance of right with wrong,
OF wrong purity with impurity, OF light
with darkness, of truth with error, OF
righteousness with unrig hteousness for
the supposed purpose Of helping the
good, of hindering the evil In all its re
suits 1t Is disastrous to the desired pros
perity OF the nation, the State, the city,
the individual.
What is the license system? 1t is the
offspring Of principle, false, disgusting,
evil, inexcusable and wholly In defen-
sible whether from legal, financial, moral
or religious grounds-no less so from the
standpoint of reason and sound political
economy-"Evi which cannot be easily
prevented may be allowed to exist ur de :
certain legal restrictions and supposed
safeguards, provided such evils are taxed
in order to help pay the damage these evils
cause"
such principle is standing outrage
on religion, morality, common sense,
decency and humanity. being as abomi-
standpoint OF the'sot and sensualist.
1t must, IL consistent, go still further
and advocate the licensing OF every other
crime against morals and religion. II
licensing the liquor traffic and the social
evil Is the very best remedy modern civil
ization can discover, then indeed has
modern civilization Investigated in vain.
II ii il right Tor law to sanction, pro-
tect and sustain the liquor traffic, pro-
vided this crime against everything pure
and holy pays certain sum into the
public treasury, why should 1t not be
advantageous to license theft, poisoning,
brutality, indecency and all manner OF
crimes against God and manY
Can any amount OF "license tax" bal
ance, with God, the awful deficiency in
the moral and religious account In the
cash account as well, which is found on
the side OF every license system or atone
for the shame of those through whose
cowardice, apathy, neglect and aid such
an evil Is forced upon our decent citizen
ship?
When we begin to consider the hun
dreds of characters shipwrecked in Rhode
Island through drink, the. thousands ship
wreck ed annually in our nation, the $25, :
COO. 900 received from liquor: licenses OF
ell kinds Is a mere bagatelle in compart-
son with the incessaut flood OF physical,
moral and spiritual loss which pours into
the depthl ocean of perdition year af-
ter year.
From a national STANDPOINT II Is esti-
mated that at least s95, 900, 900 goes out
from the state treasures to pay the
damages caused by the liuuor business.
From State standpoint IL is estimated
that Rhode Island pays out about 5000, 600,
and receives about 100000
From a city standpoint alone we find
the police OF Providence cost little over
s3Ol. 600; out OF $500 arrests $500 were for
drunkenness and crimes the result OF
drink, costing over ,200,O COO, which Is,
/ think, more than the city receives for
license.
1850 and 1891, the average number OF ar
rests for drunkenness were ia; during
no-Iicense years 1859 and 1890, the mum
Ter was 300.
In Worcester, Mass, during the license
years 1887 aud 1891 the arrests were 3277;
during the no-license years 1856 and 1890,
the arrests were 110S.
years 1891 and 1898. the arrests were 1884;
during the no-license years 1890 and 1892
the arrests mum bered 6d. In Salem,
Mass, during the six months Msy to
October, 1894, under nc-lieense, the arr
rests were 2i3; the same period under
license I'm 1896 gave Isi.
In Lynn. Mass, during the peried. May