The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-05-21
WyCK0FF ON THE W0RKlNG(NEN.
Pripcetop Professor Thinks Well of His Asso-
eiates While He Wore 0yeralIs.

er member or that each ether member I,
Just his equal. He knows this 10 not %;
hus as a social unit he IL A. much as any
ether unit IN the aggregation
Barroons Create, Not AlIay. Thisses
IN the cities there Is a different ltfe
from tina, which one finds IN the country,
and the social life IL often harmful rather
than helpful. Rarrooms as they exist to-
day have a great deal 10 do with this In
chicago the barroom has developed won.
derfuily. In a measure II occupies the
place In the life OF the workinsmen that
the club occupies In the life Of the man
OF large means. Men like to drink to-
ge,her for the sociability Of II. Drinking
promotes sociability. The workinkmAn
likes 10 81, over mug Of beer In sa-
loon with friend. As he hasn't club
he goes 10 the barroom. and 10 the most
attractive barrcom naturally. ConseQuenA
iy there is a great competition among bar
room keepers who wish 10 get the work.
ingmen's custom They throw In frce
lunch. the use Of reading room. Of stas
.onery and table TO write nj. and even %
baths and gyinnasiums The money 70
pay for all these attractions must come
from somewhere. 1t comes from the peer.
The margin between the cost and the selte
ing price Of the beer pays for everything.
When one sees the huge capacity OF Chi.
cago schooner one suspects the financaaI
strain on the beer may also be strain
on It's quality. At all events. whether It
Is or not, harrooms in Chicago and in 9th.
er cities are run on q wrong system. DIR.
Ra.nsford Is right. They should b In
the hands Of the best element OF tho conn
munity rather than In the hands or tho
worst. They are too attractive now. A14
the stun they dispense IL not at the oeoe
quality. The present system stimulates
the worst side Of drinking places: II en-
hances the danger to society that 10 likely
to be connected with the barrooms. In
the hands Of private individuals who ara
in keen competition with one another one
Of the chief functions OF the barroom bus
mess il to entice persons to drink The
bar creates thirst instead of satisfying II.
Such a function II unnatural. Tue more
thirst the liouor dealer can create the bet
ter his chances to SELL So he goes IT Il
to make folk thirsty. He becomes an en-
tieer. tempter. and tho more successful
he IL at II the more quickly no will b
rich Meanwhile. the victim, the working.
man. pays for II all. and derives no hsne-
1T from II. He spends his money and has
nothing TO show for II but headache and
remorse or often enough worse trouble
all the kinds OF trouble there are.
This is the natural result OF competi.
ton. Barrooms should ba out OF competi.
ton. 1t IL useless to try to iegislAte them
out Of existence. The experiences in lowe
demonstrated that Iowa was n prohiht-
ton state when went through II, and tt
was the only state In which ! saw much
drunkenness. l know Of q university
town where the faculty sncceoied N hav.
ing a prohibition law paused. Then. Ia
stead Of there being several semi-rcput-
able places where student could 90 10
II he wished to get drink, there was An
improvised barroon In half the rooms In
the college dormitoriee, and drug1kenness
increased. The faculty lost faith in tho
effectiveness o. prohbb.tion after that, and
now things ara - they were But II bar
rooms cannot be legislated on, Of exist
ence. they can bc managed 10 that they
will not be- competing as thirst producers.
They can be made TO serve their own nor
NAL functions. They would be N inosfen.
sve az possible II they were In the hands
OF an honest city government. The city
should derive money enough from them
to pay all the running expenses. Tho man
behind the bar and the man engaged Ia
the actual work Of serving customers and
taking care Of the barrooms would be In
city employ. Their positions and salaries
would not depend upon the number OF
drinks they sold. They would not be keen
10 induce men TO buy drinks. They would
be serving the public. not demoraiistng
IL. There would be fewer harrooms, less
harmful beverages and no alluremenaA A.
DIR. Rainsford has pointed out more than
once, scheme something like this has
succeeded admirably I'm Norway and 0wa.
den. as the criminal reports show annual.
~. The barrocm should b. out Of politics.
Then there will be- cleaner politics and
an honorable vocation therein for many
young men who now keep cat Of politics
because they say there n no hope Of sue.
cess unless one il dishonest Meat men
will drink. Let II be Possible for them
10 drink in the least harmful way