The Coconino weekly sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1896, 1896-02-13

Visiting members invited to attend.
G.. n. BArY, Chief Templar.
THE editor Of The SUN is not responsible
for for anything that may appear in this
coumn.l
AS the local political kettle will soon
begin to simmer it might be well for
temperance advocates in this commu.
nifty to examine their forces with
view TO taking political action in regard
to regulating or suppressing the liquor
traffic.
If public sentiment cannot be
aroused to the extent of closing the
saloons altogether, they certainly can
be closed on the Sabbath, day. Gamb-
ling and music can be prohibited. If
these restrictions were placed on the
saloons i5 would be a decisive step in
the right direction. The temperance
reform movement has made wonderful
strides in the ten or twelve years last
past. Every State in the Union has
made some progress toward prohibiting
the sale of liquor. Seven or eight
States have absolutely refused to longer
tolerate the liquor traffic, and nearly
all have the local option law in force
in one or more communities There is
no State in which some restriction has
not been placed on the saloon. Even
the Southern States, which have gener-
ally been supposed to be favorable to
the liquor traffic. are we'll up toward
the front in temperance reform.
If the sale of liquor is not wrong,
why is it so generally restricted If it
is wrong, why is this Territory so far
behind the times in this movement
Elsewhere the supporters of the traffic
have been met on every field Of debate
and driven from it. But the people Of
this Territory, and particularly this
part Of it, who are in sympathy with
the temperance cause seem to he slum.
bering.
If they would arouse from this
lethargy and go out on the high ways
and byways and make the dark recesses
ring with the expression of temperance
truth there would be a wave of local
option sentiment sweep over this
county that would be irresistible.
1t is fact that most OF the solid,
substantial, awabiding people of the
various religious creeds and every po-
litical faith are in favor of abolishing
the saloon and gambling business of
this town. If these forces were united
there could be no doubt as to the result.
1t is well known that there are quite a
number of men in this community who
have political aspirations, and 1T would
be pretty safe wager that they would
follow Garfield's advice and not pitch
their tents in the graveyard Of dead
issues.
They and their friends are sure to
cater to public sentiment, and when it
can be shown that. public sentiment is
in favor of local option the battle will
be practically won.
In most States prohibition has made
its progress and won most of its VIC
tories through local option, and it is
generally conceded by well-informed
men that the local option plan is the
best yet proposed for throttling the
saloons. For one reason, if for no
other, it does throttle them.
I am well aware that people cannot
he legislated into a state of purity.
hat depends upon their home and
religious state Of training. No law,
human or divine, can prevent abso-
lutely any thing man is forbidden to do.
But 1t is well known that in the prohi-
bition States and local option commu,
mites there is less drinking and less of
all the evils that follow drinking than
ever before. 1t is said of New York
that crimes committed on Sunday have
fallen off more than fifty per cent since
the Sunday closing law went into effect.
The saloon is antagonistic to every
thing that is good, and under no cir.
cumstances or conditions can it have
any influence other than baneful in a
community. For that reason think
it is the duty Of all Christian people
who desire to exercise appreclable
moral force to take an advanced posi-
ton on the subject Of temperance.
We are told that prohibition will
come in Gods own time, and itappears
that most of the good people Of this
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