The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1900-03-23
CHAPTER ".

CHAPTER w.
Pursuing the plan he had originally
mapped out when he came to Milton,
he spent much of his time in the after
moons studying the social and civic life
of the town. AS the first Sunday of
the next month drew near, when he
was to speak again on the attitude of
Christ to some aspect of modern socie-
ty. he determined to select the saloon
as one Of the prominent features of
modern I'"e that would naturally be
noticed by Christ and doubtless be de-
nounced by him as great evil.
In his study of the saloon question he
did a thing which he had never done
before, and then only after very much
deliberation and prayer. He went into
the saloons themselves on different oc
casions. He had never done such n
thing before. He wanted to know from
actual knowledge what sort of places
the saloons were. What he saw after
dozen visits to as many different
Indignation that burned already hot in
him. The sight of the vast army of
men turning into beasts in these dens
created in him a loathing and a hatred
of the whole iniquitous institution that
language failed to express. He Won
dered with unspeakable astonishment
in his soul that civilized community
in the nineteenth century would toler
ate for one moment the public sale of
II ii 60, =
society itself, to countless crimes
against the law of the land and of God.
His indignant astonishment deepened
yet more, if that were possible, when
he found that the license of $500 a
year for each saloon was used by the
town to support the public school sys-
TEN. That to Philips mind, was an
awful sarcasm on Christian civiliza-
ton. 1t seemed to him like selling a
man poison according to law and then
taking the money from the sale to help
the widow to purchase mourning. 1t
was full as CHASTITY as that would be.
He went to see some of the other
ministers, hoping to unite them in a
combined attack on the saloon power.
1t seemed to him that if the church as
whole entered the crusade against
the saloon it could be driven out even
from Milton, where it had been so long
established. To his surprise, he found
the other churches unwilling to unite
in public battle against whisky men.
Several of the ministers openly de-
Tended license as the only practicable
method of dealing with the saloon. All
of them confessed it was evil, and only
evil but under the circumstances
thought it would do little good to agi-
tate the subject. Philip came away
from several interviews with the min
listers sad and sick at heart.
He approached several of the promi-
nent men in the town, hoping to enlist
some of them in the fight against the
rum power. Here he met with an I'M
expected opposition, coming in a form
he had not anticipated. One prominent
citizen said:
"Mr. Strong, you will ruin your
chances here if you attack the saloons
in this savage manner, and I'll tell you
why: The whisky men hold a tremen-
dous influence in Milton in the matter
of political power. The city election
comes off the middle of next month
The men up for office are dependent
for election on the votes of the saloon
men and their following. You will cut
your head off sure if you come out
against them in public. Why, there's
Mr.. - and so on Che named half a
dozen mem in your church who are VI
for office in the coming election. They
can't be elected without the votes OF
| the rummies, and they know it. Bet
ter steer clear of it, Mr.. Strong. The
saloon has been a regular thing in Mil
| ton for over so years. 1t is as much q
part of the town as the churches OF
schools, and 1 tell you it is a power!"
"Whatv cried Philip, in unbounde6
] astOnishment, "do you tell me, you, 6
| leading citizen of this town of $4,000
| infinite souls, that the saloon power
| has it's grip to this extent on the civic
and social life of the place, and yol
are willing to sit down and let thi:
| devil of crime and ruin throttle yol
| and not raise Il finger to eXpel tht
monster? Is it possible? 1t is not il
| Christian America that such a state o.
affairs in our political life should b'
| endured"
Nevertheless" replied the business
man, ''these are the facts. And yOl
will simply dash your own life ou
against a wall of solid rock if you TT.
to fight this evil. You have my warn
| ing"
MAY / not also have your help?'
cried Philip, hungry of soul for com
panionship in the struggle which h
| saw was coming.
at would ruin my business to com
out against the saloon," replied TIL
man frankly.
''And what is that?" cried Philip ear
nestly. ''It has already ruined ia
more that ought to be dear to you
Man, man, what are money and busi
ness compared with your own fesl
and blood? Do you know where you
own son was two nights ago? In on
of the vilest of the vile holes in thi
city, which you, father, license to al
other man to destroy the life of you
own child! L saw him there myself
and my heart ached for him and you
1t is the necessary truth. VIII you no
s,.s,, -, tl,s.,