The San Francisco call., 1897-02-22
DR.. Coyle Reviews the Action
of the Council in Forcible
Language.
Declares Their Cause Was Betrayed
by Two Members Who
Broke Promises,
OAKLAND OFFICE SAN Francisco CALL,
4. L,

!
mated from e ballot to be used next
month the pastors and Christian Endeav-
| orers have decided to secure as large g
vote as possible on the matter OF absolute
prohibition that will be voted upon.
To-day Rev. Robert Whitaker of the
! Twenty-third avenue Baptist Church
Rev. DR.. Hummer of the First Methodist
| Rev. Mr.. Sutherland of the Tenth-avenue
Baptist-alI referred to the matter and
urged an active cam paign against the sa-
! looms, so that vote would show the
| Council just how the public feeling
| stands.
Rev. DR.. Coyle of the First Presby terian
| Church had announced that he would
| handle the matter at length and his
church was crowded this morning. He
said:
If my lips could utter all that is IN my soul
this morning, you would not lack for elo-
quence. My heart hurts. II throbs In wild
rebellion, and no words can express Its burn
ing indignation. A similar fire / am sure
flames in many OF your breasts. l saw flashes
OF 1t the other night In this room when N es-
seuger brought US the news from the City
! Hall. We had planned for the Sunday closing
OF the saloons, prayed for it, spoken for it,
hoped for II, petitioned for 1t, and were as
sured that the matter would be at least sub
mitted to the people When, therefore, after
all the promises that had been made and all
the assurances that had been given, word was
brought to us that our petition was denied
and that we were not to have even the small
privilege OF voting upon it, is IL any wonder
that we were hot with ind gnation?
Two years ago when the fight was on-this
same fight for the Sunday closing-we were
told by the members of the Council that it was
question of too much importance TO be de-
ciaed by them; that they could not take the
responsibility of passing such measure, but
if the people wanted it, as good and loyal SER
wants it would give Them pleasure to carry
enough TO believe them. We had petition
circulated and very largely signed asking the
Council TO submit the matter and thus obtain
| the populer verdict. With what result you
know Then another petition was circulate
| asking that the saloons be closed seven days
i out OF the week. 1t was net largely signed.
Many good people who hate the saloon and
| would like to see il annihilated, felt that th e
second pc tition called for something too radi-
/ CAL too far in advance OF public sentiment 10
accomplish anything, and SO withheld their
But these Councilmen-the same two that
| disappointed and deceived US befoTe-voted
| the other night 10 omit the Sunday closing
! question from the ticket and submit the ques-
/ ZION OF clos ing the saloons altogether. Thus
| they played right into the hands of the liquor
dea4ers. Thy knew very well that Sunday
/ closing was the thing the people were demand
Ing but in the face ofit all they voted 10 submit
the minority petition, TO the great delight oi
! every saloon-keeper aud liquor dealer in town.
| | have no doubt there was jubilee among the
mem bers of the California Protective Associa-
! tion and the friends Of the liquor traffic when
/ they heard the news. Olce more the church
people and the Endeavorers and Temperance
1 advocates were checkmated, their plans de.
| feHted, their hopes betfied, their schemes
turned u pside down, and the saloon on top.
But while am disappoint ted and indignant
/ am not by any means cast down. 1t may be
! that this latest outrage Will so arouse the d e.
! cent people OF this city as to crystalline al
temperance sentiment INTO solid and uneom,
promising opposition TO the open saloon.
hope so, and ii my words can do anything tC
! bring about such result they will be gladly
spoken. 1t is related OF Napoleon that when
| in the idst of his wonderful Italian cam
! paign an officer rode up 10 him with the an
nouncement that the battle was lost. Every
WELL" said Napoleon, "there is yet time before
| the sun goes down Tor another tight" Before
| nightfall the great Corsican left the field
! victor. So i'll this warfare against the saloon
there is yet time for another battle, and who
| VIII be so fai t-hearted as TO say that we can
| not win ? At any rate We propose in Gods
name TO try, and we shall do it in the con.
sciousness that no faithful effort for the right
though IL be apparently futile, can ever be in
! vain.
Here in Oakland we have 200 saloons and
| the police report shows that in list of sixty
| nine different offenses there were 1916 conVic
| tions for drunkenness alone during 1896. A
large number OF these were women. Thus the
figures show that about half of all the convic
| tiors during the year came from the too free
! use OF sIrong drink.
And this is the power-the plotting, pillag
| ing, plundering power-that triumphs and
! faunts defiance III The face OF the church and
OF decency and holds politicians and people II
| captivity. am not putting it extraYagantly
1t has thrown down the gauntlet and forced
the issue and said to us: Sunday closing il
knocked out. Now see what you can dc
toward closing the saloons altogether. This is
your chance, defy you"
How that chall enge will be met 1 do no
know and dare not predict. l only know
that the dictatorship OF the saloon in mu
nicipal and State affairs is very real anC
shameful thing. Newspapers are afraid of 1t
~ a fflafn fro n Do frcf q
or it. Business is afraid of it. Read the plat
forms of the politicians and the declaration
of aspirants for office. Not word, not hin
about the liquor traffic. l understand verl
well that in some rare instances il is the par
of wisdom 10 say nothing, and nothing is sale
because speech would only do harm; but in the
great majority of cases silence is only anOthe
way of spelling saloon. In the great ma jorit!
of cases political papers and Platform ma ker
and office-seekers are silent because they art
in bondage to this accursed liquor power.
We want the advantages and attractions o
this city to be made known. For this purpos,
we are sending facts and figures out over th
country. Next July tens of thousands of En-
deavorers will be here from every section o
the continent, and if they could carry bacl
the news to the East that Oakland had 81
much regard for decency ana good order, 81
mueh regard for its homes and Young people
that it had closed its saloons altogether, i
would do more to advertise this city and fiji
up its streets with de sirable people than a ny
thing else. tell you 1t is open saloons anC
desecrated Sabbaths and low moral sentimen
that are keeping home-seekers away from Cali
fornia.
But, you say, Oakland gets revenue O
! $75, 900 a year from its 200 saloons. Clos
them up altogether and this VIII be cut off ant
hence taxes will have to be increased to rails
money enough to run the city. Well, that i
practical, and let US think of it little.
leading mem Der of the Council told me during
the past week that it is safe to say that eacl
saloon takes in over its bar an average o
SIS day. That makes over 81 900 600 yea
diverted from channels OF productive industr
and legitimate business-over $1,000,000
year paid into the saloons of oakland
Now do you not see that if the saloons wer
closed very large proportion of that mon c.
would be spent for groceries and dry good
and clothing and things that would enhanc
the business welfare of the City. Some of
of course would still be spent for drink, 70
men who want liquor very badly are bound t
have it. But l contend that the closing of tn
sa oons altogether would leave far NOR
money to the City than is now derived from
license
Another thing which want you to be clea
about This is not prohibition. 1t has moth
ing whatever to 90 with the family use o
wines and liquors. What you may choose t
do under your own roof and when you 81
down at your own table is not the presen
question. No one proposes TO interfere wit
you there. The fight is against the open ss
loon. We have suffered its insolence ana die
tation long enough, and now, in Gods name
let us close up in solid line, all OF us who hav
too much seli-respect, too much manhood I
be cowed and defied and triied with by thi
power, and Tree ourselves from its domination