The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1901-12-26
MODERN ATTACK ON SALOON.
Break Its Hold Upon the Commune
tiles Where 1t Ii Entrenched.

on the camp of an enemy, one must
know exactly the number and character
of the Notifications, the source of
supply, and the secret of its strength.
In our efforts to diminish the evils aris-
ing from intemperance, and to dislodge
the saloon as it exists in our American
cities, it is necessary to know precise
ly how it has obtained and continues
to hold the patronage of so large a
number of the population.
In 1895, an investigation in the city
of Boston estimated that about $685.
900 people daily visited the saloons in
that city, or approximately so per cent.
of the entire population. A still more
recent inquiry in Chicago fixed the daily
patronage in the saloons of that city
at something over 100000, or over so
per cent. of the population. The ques-
ton to be carefully considered is:
Why does one out of every two persons
in these cities visit the saloon?
Close investigation has revealed that
the saloon has entrenched itself firmly
in the total of the life of the COM
munity, and ministers to many desires
besides the thirst for drink. The
american saloon to-day is not only q
Sinking-place. 1t is social rendez-
vous, the center for gossip and fellow
ship for many of its patrons. 1t fila
the place of the club of the rich man.
1t is political headquarters, as many
saloons openly advertise by their
names. 1t is the only restaurant which
thousands of workingmen ever fire.
quent-and by its free meals offers ire
sistible attractions for many who 9TH
erwise would not enter. 1t is an amuse-
ment center and offers the baseball
scores, the pugilistic news and vaude-
vile entertainment, all free of charge
1t is labor bureau, a post office, some
times even a lodging house and always
convenient place to spend half hour
and to meet ones friends.
The literature descriptive of this
aspect of the liquor questionis compar-
atively recent. Readers may recall an
article in a late number of The Out
look, on "Why Workingmen Drink"
This vivid narrative clearly sets forth
the firm hold of the saloon on working
people. Prof. Wykoffs ''The Workers"
and the last volume of the Committee
of Fifty on Substitutes for the Sa-
looms" are other contributions in
which this aspect of the saloon is set
forth. The conclusion to which these
Investigations all point is that the
saloon can never be dislodged until
other methods are devised for supply
ing the varied opportunities of the sa-
loon. Places of popular amusement,
reading-rooms, cheap lunch rooms,
model lodging houses, clubs and gym
nasiums-all these need to be provided,
free of cost or at normal rates, for the
working people, without the drink. BY
this means the great hold which the
saloon now has on the affections and
loyalty of the people will be weakened,
and the saloon itself can either be ban
ished entirely or its capacity for harm
greatly diminished.
In this work of providing social at
fractions for the people as rivals to the
saloon, the Woman's Christian Tenn
perance Union can be of the greatest
assistance. Reading-rooms can be
opened along our streets; fve-cent
lunch rooms can be operated in the Vi
entity of factories, club rooms can be
offered to labor unions at very low
rates, gymnasiums for young men can
be opened at small cost, and will never
fail to be filled. In these and kindred
ways an attack will be made on the sa-
loon at a most vulnerable point. In
closing this article, reference will be
made to the experience of union in
Denver, which succeeded by this
means in closing two saloons, which
were having a most harmful influence.
huence.
Some six or seven years ago the
street railway company built large
barn in the Fifteenth ward. AS there
were usually large number of the
employees of the company in and bout
the barn, the liquor men lost no time
in locating two saloons and a pool.
room, just across the street. The in
evitable results followed, and com
plants were common regarding the
lawlessness of the neighborhood. In
1896 the Woman's Christian Temper
ance union applied to the superintend-
ent of the railway company for a room
in the car-barn, in which to establish
a reading-room; this the superintend-
ent gladly furnished them free of
charge. At the present time (three
years later) one of the saloons has gone
out of business, and the other has
scarcely half the patronage that it
snce had. The majority of the railway
employees spend the most of their
spare time in the reading-room; while
the gang" that once terrorized the
neighborhood has melted away.
This is only one illustration of what
may be done by this method. viii not
many more unions join in this modern
attack upon the Acknowledgements
Calkins, in Union Signal.