Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-11-26
WHAT ARE LAWS FOR,
Subject of a Sermon Preached
BY Rev. D. L. McNary
Yesterday.
CONDITIONS IN ROCK ISLAND.
What Regulations Are Ignored
and on Whom Response
biIity Rests.

Rev. d. l.. McNary. pastor of the
United Presbyterian church, took for
his subject at the morning service
yesterday, What Are Our Laws For,
Anyway" His text was the Sth, 9th
and 10th verses of the first chapter of
Paul's first letter to Timothy, But
we know that the law is good if man
use it lawfully" etc.
In the text, the preacher said,
namely, the restraint of evil
doors, and not the persecution of good
men. But the moral phases of the
Mosaic law apply to all. Thus, the
laws under which we live are calcu-
lated to make well-doing easy and the
path of iniquity a hard one. This
being true" said the speaker, ''let
us consider present conditions here in
our city.
The condition of our saloons has
grown to be such as to demand the
Immediate attention of every citizen
who is possessed of reasonable sense
of decency and self-respect. 1 do not
refer to conditions affecting the sale
far worse. l have it from the testi-
mony of man who frankly acknowl-
edges that he takes glass of beer
occasionally, and from other sources
that can scarcely be disputed, that
there are few saloons in the upper
part of this city which do not harbor
form of vice far worse than the evils
resulting from the sale of spirits. 1t
is from these things that our young
men and young women need protec
ton. The drinking of the first glass
of beer is not always the beginning of
the downfall of young person, but
the first fall from honor leaves effects
which no space of time will eradicate.
Moral Obligations of No Force.
1T is for the class of persons who
conduct these brothels that laws are
made. Moral obligations have no
force with them. They have not the
welfare of mankind at heart, and the
only appeal to which they are amena-
bic is that of force.
Public sentiment in this city APP
pears to favor the existence of the
saloon. The law recognizes it and
contains certain provisions for its
regulation. The law says saloons
shall not be open Sunday; that liquor
shall not be sold to minors or intoxi-
Gated men, and that they shall not be
freouented by women. But not one
of these provisions is enforced in this
city. The fault lies with the mayor
and city marshal.
Il am not a temperance fanatic. l
am not even sufficiently erratic on this
head to suit some of my people. L
realize that the saloon cannot be abol-
ished till public sentiment favors it.
But the real sentiment of the people
does not favor bawdy houses, and a
careful study of conditions here has
convinced me that the city is in cry
ing need of the proper enforcement of
existing laws. OF course there are
laws which the officials are justified in
failing to enforce, and the perfect en-
forcement of any law is an impossi-
bility. But while our officers are so
diligent about arresting everyone who
happens to be driving about with two
wagons hitched tandem it seems to
me they are straining at a gnat and
swallowing a camel.
Officials Plead Ignorance.
eff you will ask the executive Off
GERS of the city about the conditions
to which 1 have referred, very likely
they will say that they know nothing
about them, and it may be true. But
like the man who, to defend him self,
produced witnesses who did not see
him do it, their testimony will not go
far as against one who knows that
these things are in existence.
l wish to make no reelection upon
the personal character of our city
officials. Without doubt they are
honorable men. But | believe they
have failed to properly care for the
trust resting with them l am not q