Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-10-04
The Saloon VS. The Farmer.
BY Henry B. Kepley.


| tablished fact. The evil flowing from the
saloon reaches all classes, but in this ar
! ticle it is intended to portray some of its
evil effects upon the farmer and his fam
| lily, and how it's opposite, prohibition,
| would benefit him and them
In no respect is the saloon of any use or
benefit to the farmer, but on the con-
trary, 1t is in all respects a detriment to
MIN. The claim sometimes made that the
money received for saloon license inures
10 the benefit of the farmer by lessenng
his taxes, is a delusion. The saloon, even
with ITS HcenSe-money-br instead of
iessening the farmers taxes, increases
them. Besides, saloon license money is
blood money knowingly received at the
cost of ruined lives, broken hearts,
wrecked fortunes, blighted hopes; and
whoever consents to receive it as a means
OF lessening his or her taxes, or with the
hope of other benefit, accepts it as a bride
from the saloon demon. and will not, can
not, while God reignS. be profited thereby.
Even If the saloon license money, in any
case, is 4 benefit as source of public
revenue, which is not admitted, but on
the contrary for many good and we'll
founded reasons is denied, yet, no part of
such benefit can inure to the farmer-the
| countryman-or his family. The saloons
are almost exclusively in the cities and
villages, and the license money in nearly
| all cases, goes wholly to the city or viii
| lage in which the saloon is located and
| not into the county or state treasury, and
| consequently, in no way lessons the taxes
| of the farmer residing outside of the city
! or village, nor in any way whatever ben
| efits him.
| 1t is an established fact that much the
| greater part of the taxes paid by the far
| mer is caused by the saloon, and the
drink habit fostered therein and thereby
Without doubt, more than three-tourthS
of the crime and pauperism results from
the saloon and it's debasing influences
consequently. the expense of maintaining
tiaries and the like, is greatly increased
by the saloon. Without the saloon and
the vice and crime thereby induced, the
number, capacity and expense of such
| institutions could be greatly reduced and
the farmers taxes correspOndingly les
sened. While the saloon does the farmer
much harm and adds greatly to his bur-
dens. 1t does not can not. do him any
good Not one farmer in all this land, il
is safe to say, in the least degree owes
his success to the saloon or it's Influences
while on the other hand the ruin, iinan-
cially. physically, mentally, morally of
| multiplied thousands of farmers, is just
ly and Enthusiastically attributable to the
saloon, it's temptations and blighting in
fluences. The saloon, with all its debas-
ing allurementS, stands in the pathway of
the farmer, stands between him and his
family; between him and his home; be-
| tween him and the church; between him
and God, and leads him, yea, drags him
down to ruin.
In autumn, the farmer and his wife con-
Stitute themselves Il committee of ways
and means to consider what can be re-
allied from the proceeds of the farm.
After that has been determined. they con-
fer together as a committee on appropri-
alton and formulate an appropriation
bill, containing only items necessary to
be provided for by the family. yet, COW
ering every dollar which can be provided
by the family ways and means committee.
But soon after this the tax collector
comes. In the list of taxes demanded
there is the item of poor tax for the
support of saoon-made paupers; also
items covering the expense of combining in
Jails and penitentiarieS the criminal pro-
ducts of the saloons. In fact, the saloon
has caused the amount of taxes demand
ed to be four times greater than it would
have been had there been no saloon. This
increase of the amount demanded for
taxes forces revision of the family APP
preparation bill, and the elimina ton
therefrom of items indispensably requi-
site to the comfort of the farmer and his
family. To that extent and in that way
the saloon deprives the farmer and his
family of the necessaries of life. This is
but one of the many ways in which the
saloon injuriously affects the farmer
even when he is total abstainer.
But in almost innumerable instances
the farmer is net a total abstainer. but
yields to temptation and squanders in the
saloon the money set apart by the family
ways and means committee to provide for
the family necessities, resulting in desti-
tuition and suffering in his home. Not in
frequently The farmer, in the saloon
swallows the hog he brought to town to
sell for money with which to buy shoes
for his children, consequently, the chill
dren must go barefooted when winter
comes.
The remedy for the evils resulting from
the saloons is prohibition; to provide by
law that the saloon shall not be permit
ted to exist, but that it shall be banished
from every city and village from the
whole land Every farmer owes it to him
self, to his family. to God, to aid in the
suppression of the saloon by law, to act
lively support prohibition.
Effingham, Ill.