The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-24
rr11 VA MARCH ~ 1901

Ing lot 5nrd within ton feet OF a rcsl-
fdence, where drinking people nro In
vited to assemble and do assemble to
drnit Intoxicating liquors. with nll tho
Incidents usually attendant. Upon such
n place, Is all Illegal unreasonable and
,unjustinable uso Of property to tho IN
Jury Of another, and which the law do
,,onlinntes rs nulsancc"F Should a
saloon bo planted In some places In the
west end OF Richmond, there would be a
storm OF Indignation a saloon in the
country damages tho vnluo OF every
farm hear by. rendering It difficult for
the farmer to control his labor, subject
Ing his property$to dcprcdatons OF lonf-
ers and drunken men,, destroying the
privacy of his family life, compelling
him to stnys at home to protect his prop
crty and family, and so l1indoring him III
the FREQ uso Of his time. And. more.
over, It nfrects injuriously evory other
business In tho community. The town
council of Blackstone ut ono time put
d prohibitory license of 500 OF, merry
.go-rounds to protect the merchants Of
tho place Tho negroes would make a
frolic Of It every evening, and waste Ill
of their wages iilstoad Of paying their
bills 1t does not need any argument
with wcll-informcd mon to prove thnt tho
saloon affects injuriously5 every other busi-
ness in tho community, md that every
dollar spent there Is drawn out Of the
legitimate and helpful branches Of
trade and Industry Every other busl:-
ness Is better when there Is no saloon
m INCREASES TAXES.
Carroll y. Wright. our foremost and
most reliable stntistician, says that for
every dollnr paid into the civil treasury
by the saloon. twenty dollars arc paid
out to mot the results OF the saloon, III
pauperlsm, insanity and crime. Mr.
Gladstone who wns the grentest chan
cellor Of tho cxchequer England has
ever had. declared: THE liquor traffic
is fraught with moro evil to the State
than war, pcstilence and famine conf
bined." Our own Supreme Court, the
highest judicial authority In the world,
has spoken positively moro thnn once.
In 1887 tho court said: 'iFor we cannot
shut out OF view tho fact, within the
knowledge Of all, that tho public health,
the public morals, and the public safety
may be endangered by tho general usc
Of Intoxicating drinks; nor the fact, cs-
,tnbllshed by statistics, that the disorder,
pauperism and crime prevalent in the
country are in largo measure directly
trnccable to this evil."
In 1900 the court said: "By the gem
cral concurrence Of opinion of every
civilized and Christian community, there
are few sources of crime and misery
to society equal to the dram shop where
Intoxicating liquors In small quantities,
to be drunk at the time, are sold indls-
crminately to all parties applying. The
statistics Of every State show q greater
amount of crime and misery attribute
bic to tho use Of ardent spirits obtained
at these retail liquor saloons than to any
other source" 3s,
Special statistics to prove this point
might DO ndduced but 1t will hardly be
declared by any one. without giving
proof, that tho Supreme Court spoke
without knowledge when it referred to
the statistics on this point The saloon
increass the taxes BY filling the pauper.
houses, insane asylu1ns, jnils and poni-
tentiaries, by increasing court expenses
and by changing tho man who should
help to pay taxes into a pauper, a luna
tic or criminal. The taxes nre not paid
s,by the patrons of the saloons. Tho
bulk Of them arc paid by the sober, nom
drinking people. Especially Is this true
Of the country districts. "a
"A THREAT TO PERSONAL SAFETY.
But these are not the only reasons for
the uprising of the citizens against the
saloon. They are sufficient to explain it.
but there Is another fact to be added,
which the Supreme Court rightly says is
within the Knowledge Of all, that "the
public safety is endangered by the general
use of Intoxicating drinks" and disorder,
violence, rape. and murder are more
largely attributable to the use Of ardent
spirits obtained at these retail liquor sa-
looms than to any other source. ~ The
newspapers are filled with accounts of
crimes wrought by mon under the influ-
ence Of liquor. They happen so often that
1t Is not necessary to otto special cases.
Tho Chicago Tribune, which makes a
special report of such things, says that
it had "reports Of at least sixty murders
growing out Of tho celebration of Christ
mas It Is likely that as many more were
committed In places remote from the rail-
road. Most of these ARRAYS are the direct
outcome of drinking, and nearly all Of
them are reported from small places. :"
This gives an estimate of one hundred
and twenty murders from drinking during
Christmas alone, and the SUPREME
COURT LOCATES THO EVIL IN
THE RETAIL SALOON" Now this
thing does not affect the oon-keep-
ers ana the drnm-drinkers alone. This
in tho community. have been driving
quietly along country road, and I,have
had three or four men, crazy with drink,
pour out OF saloon and fire off their
pistols, and send their bullets whistllng
around me. I have had n negro to come
around my homo, with Just enough liquor
to mako him fool. with a pistol and
razor In his pocket, causing me to waste
my. tlmo anu to endanger my life and
limb. Why should I have my personal
security endangered in this way? What
good will 1t do my family md my friends
that there Is law against drunkenness
and that man can BIO arrested II he
gets drunk? do not want him to get
drunk and compel me to run the risk Of
his heng arrested before no mains or
kills me, or before he Injuries my wife
or my children. And this feeling is In the
breasts Of thousands of Virginia men and
women They see no reason why their
lives should DO endangered; they SEQ no
reason why their wives and daughters
should fear to drive or walk on tho quiet
| country road lest some creature who has
been changed into reckless brute by
LIQUOR, should soize and ravlsh them. 1t is
| too late to arrest thcm after their assaults
| and murders have been committed. II
is puerile to say that there is a law