The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1902-02-06
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF lNTEMPERkNCE.

Some Pleas For the Saloon - The Claim
That 1t il the Poor Mans Club is a
Dangerous Lie-Too Much Frequented
by the Young.
The following is from an article entitled
"The Saloons of Pittsburg," contributed
to the Brotherhood Star by the Rev. DR..
Fisher:
"The saloon is menace to good gov
eminent, and the avowed and open en-
envy of the church and the home. 1t has
Justly brought down upon its own head
the opprobrium of all good citizens, a1d
yet there are some who look upon 1t as a
necessary evil and lamely attempt its de-
Tense on grounds of so-called expediency.
That the saloon furnishes a CHEEKY and
bright retreat from the cares of the day,
and stands in strong contrast to the dlngy
Office, or the dirty and hot mill or factory,
and is to the young man place of socla-
bility and entertainment is conceded by
many of it's enemies, and by some writers
it has been called THE Poor Mans Club:
This claim contains only part of the truth
and is therefore a dangerous lie.
"The brilliantly lighted room, the daz-
cling mirrors and bar fixtures which are
usually present in saloons claiming any
degree of responsibility are always men
toned, but the bare floors covered with
filthy sawdust, the vile pictures which
hang upon the walls and the foul air laden
with obscenity and profanity are usually
omitted in singing the praises of the sa-
loon. Nor is the gambling annex, which
so often forms an important part of the
saloon, generally advertised. The Poor
Mans Club sophistry does not prove that
the rich mans club is any less menace to
the young men of Pittsburg than is the
regular saloon.
THE plea OF necessity for the accommo-
dation of the public which is heard annu-
ally in the license court, and is recognized
by the Legislature in making laws provld-
ing for the licensing of this evil, ostensl-
bly, to restrict it, but really giving it an air
of respectability, and the claim that it is
a convenient source of revenue to the
State and county are both very transpar-
ent and will not go down with the stu
dent of political economy.
"All that the saloon does for the pub
lie, that the temperance house cannot do,
is bad and only bad, and the expense en-
tailed upon the honest taxpayer as the re-
suit of the saloon is far in excess Of the
revenue received.
"The suggestion that the saloon is a
substitute for the speak-easy, the opium
den or the brothel is usually the last ditch
in which the interested defender of the sa-
loon takes a stand.
"a visit to the saloons of Pittsburg dur
ing the evening hours especially will reveal
the IdcL tHdI IdI 100 large d POlIlOI Vi IHC
young men of this city go there for amuse-
ment, This we claim is not entirely due
to lack of better places. We have not
heard of the leading rooms, parlors OF
gymnasiums of the Y. NJ. c. A, and sim
liar places of resort being overcrowded;
nor do we believe it fair to charge it to
the natural depravity of young men who
find it easy to stray from the path of pur:
ity and temperance. Let US rather ask if
the real cause OF danger does not lie in
the cloak of respectability assumed by
reason of its legal status and partnership
with the State, and also too often on &C,
count of the patronage by good people OF
the restaurant with a saloon annex.
''The writer believes that all the much
talked-of substitute for the saloon will not
meet the issue successfully so long as the
saloon exists as a strong competitor Tear
off the mask and let this agency Of Satan
fall, as fall it surely will by its own weight
of corruption.
"Let the State wash its hands of the
whole business and no so-called 'sumptu-
ary' laws will be necessary.
''When the saloon is outlawed it can be
treated as a nuisance and soon abolished"