Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1899-03-09
The Saloon Not a Necessity.

To the Editor-Sir: The saloon is not
necessity, There Is no need OF man that
the saloon fills. This very agitation is evi.
dence that the peoples conscience is being
pricked because of the public liberation Of
an awful evil that is daily perpetrating the
most horrible curse upon humanity, and
specially upon the workingman, ard still
more, cruelty treating the innocent wife
and children.
Necessity? Why? Because there is
money in the business money for those
who fatten upon the lifeblood supped from
the vitals of the toilers OF our land, and
this selash interest simply purchases the
privilege for the saloon to exist for the
further gain of its promoters. The curse,
the blighting, devastating curse OF the sa-
loon cannot be hidden by the assertion that
the saloon is the workingman's club. II 1t
is his club, it is used only by him to brain
his wife and beat all the Joy, hope and
honor from the hearts and lives OF his Off
spring, who have q right by the sacredness
OF birth to the sheltering care and protec-
ton OF father in the full control OF his
senses, and Of the home fellowship OF faith
full parents. The saloon robs them OF this
enjoyment.
The saloon is not philanthropic 1t does
not exist for the sake OF providing social
relaxation for the weary. Anyassoclatlon
1t affords only serves it's deadly purpose
the more. The wife and children need not
only social relaxation, but relaxation from
disgrace and dishonor, abuse and pinched
poverty, and from the more trying neces-
sty OF wearing poor II not ragged clothes.
and from the narrowing necessity of eating
hardened crusts while the saloon keepers
wife and children revel in their purple and
fine linen and fare sumptuou ousiy every day.
A necessity? An institution necessity
that robs the nation of over billion year,
sends 100 000 drunkardS to their graves,
makes so, 900 orphans, 90, ,000 widows, causes
1000 suicides, loss to the nation OF $l0,-
900 900 through fire and violence, and
causes parents under its deadly, Supplying
Influences to overlay $500 little innocent
children every time we count ity-two
Saturday nights in the United States and IL
the cause OF ninety-Seven per cent. OF all
crimesl
necessity? Never! Revolution moves
slowly. but just us suro as the sun shines,
just 50 surely Is public opinion closing in
On the saloon. You may not see 1t and
may not, but what sometimes will not hap
pen in 100 years happens in a day, and some
day, and that day is not SO far distant
either, the tide of sentiment will be
aroused against the saloon and distillery,
because of their constant menace to So
ctety, and this fearful institution will be
lifted from our body polite and droppe1to
the nethermost he'll.
Until then, welcome, thrice welcome, to
any agency tnat mas Ior ltS purpose tue
iessening Of intemperance, whether it be-
through the coffee wagon, the mercy seat
or the ballot box. But hail to the glad day
when 1t shall be no more!
l desire to have it clearly underst ood that
the foregoing is not in any way intended as
a criticism to the remarks of Bishop Potter.
| regard his remarks as intended to be re-
buke to the professed friends of humanity
and the morals of the people whose duty it
Is to restrict the saloon and to provide
places of respectable resort for the laboring
man. WILLIAM BREWER.
Editor-in- Chief OF Salvation Army Publica-
tions in the United States.