The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-03
SALOONS IN INDIANAPOLIS.
Rev. Frank o.. Billiards. Sermon N
Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Rev. Frank O.. Billiards. Sermon at
Memorial Presbyterian Church.
Rey. Frank @. Ballard, pastor of the Me-
mortal Presbyterian Church, last night dis
| cussed 1.-The Saloons of Indianapolis" Some
of his remarks were rather sensational, al
though he talked calmly and without pas
sion. He regards the saloon as about the
worst institution Christianity and the
churches has to deal with, and yet proposes
to go about it's suppression in q systematic,
businesslike manner. DR.. Ballard is thor
oughly in sympathy with the movement re-
Gently started to restrict the saloons from
the residence district north of Tenth (old
First street, and urged upon his congrega-
ton the necessity of interesting themselves
in the undertaking.
DIR. Ballard began his discourse by refer
ring to the statement recently made by
Edward Eggleston, the noted Hoosier au-
thor, who was in Indianapolis after years
of absence. DR.. Eggleston said that he re.
membered in the early days the city was
famous for its pumps, and had q public
drinking place on nearly every corner. Now
the pumps are gone, said the preacher, but
in their place are other drinking places
the saloons-of which the city has 453. He
said that the saloon business is that of de-
stroying men and is leagued with blood and
murder. He characterized the saloon as
being the mother Of the aImshouse, the
asylum for lunatics and IDIOTS, the Jail and
the prison. The drink evil, he said, was
the root of nearly all crime and sin and
misery. No city would be proud to be called
q city of saloons. Take the churches out
of n city and the value of real estate and
all property declines. With the saloons re-
moved the city becomes more desirable and
property more valuable. The saloon, he
said, is an institution that has no defender
| except in the person of the mercenary man
who counts money as his God.
1T is about the only thing that exists
without palliation, excuse or a defender
said he. OF course, the church is against
it." He referred to the fact that Christians
are content to allow the root OF evil to exist
while they fight against its effects indy.
He spoke of the evils inflicted by the drink
traffic. 1t infiicts injuries on manhood, be-
ginning with the body. The whole institu-
ton, he said, was for the tearing down of
the physical and intellectual man. While
the state, the law. education and church
strive for the building up of manhood, the
! saloon strives to tear it down.. Aside from
the moral wrong of the drink habit, it was
responsible for great financial injury. Rail-
road officials assert that Az per cent. of the
railroad accidents are due TO strong drink.
With words of strong denunciation he re-
ferred to the claim recently made when the
suburbs were annexed that the revenues
of the city would be increased $1,000 a year
by the addition of fifty saloons. He spoke
of the fact that nearly a billion dollars
a year is diverted from legitimate trade
channels to fall into the greedy out
stretched hands of this traffic.
To back the assertion that the saloon is
adverse to good government he read ex-
tracts from a recent issue of the official or
gan of the Liquor League. the Standard.
in which the claim was made that in the
last eight years the saloons had controlled
the political rings of the State and that
beer won and beer won every time lie
held 1t to be the duty of Christians to at
tend the primaries, even if they were held
in saloons, and do something toward con-
trolling the management of the city and
State.
In answering the question. What can be
done about it," he said that much could
be done, not by the Individual. not by Ne
mortal Church. but by the. united effort OF
! the entire community. The saloon element
counts on division FOR its strength and asks
! TO be let alone. Again he read from the