Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-11-12
Wants Open Saloons.

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quished But first the Prohi folks
must not think that all who voteC
against them yesterday are in favor
of the salooon. One of the theological
cannOns turned loose at the Methods
barbecue last Sunday night said tina
the result would be celebrated eithe
by the church and the prayer meeting
or the saloon and the brothel Their,
is some objection to this also, since
out of the 500 majority there certainly
must be several hundred who belong tC
some of our churches. And we would
be slow to accuse them of joining in
with the saloon and dive elements and
helping celebrate, under most occas
ionp. A number of church members
were very conspicuous last night with
their tin horn and rooster in their hat.
The statement that we are against the
church because we voted against pro-
hibition as presented to the voters yes
] Iterday, is a serious mistake. To di-
vide the ground between prayer meet
ingS and brothels does not do many Of
our citizens justice. To fire the Re-
publicans out of an office they have
barely got into, for the results of four
years Citizens administration, is hard.
ly fair either, although this was threat
ened, too.
Now that the issue has been met,
let us open up another. Let the min
isters and church members (not through
Captain Mahoney this time) get to.
gether and frame city ordinance, the
purport and intent of which is this:
Recognize the majority in favor of the
saloon, the licensing of the same, and
the selling of liquors, we demand as
reasonable restriction upon the traffic
that all saloons be compelled by city
ordinance to take down and remove
all blinds, painted windows, screens,
and doors for the purpose of screening
trade, and that the business shall be
conducted like any other store, with
open fronts, so that any one passing
the saloon can look in and see who is
in there, and what they are doing.
Have all boxes removed.
In Ashland, where the Drew cam.
paign force got much of it's material
for its lost cause, this law was made,
but the saloonkeepers went into the
grocery business and placed a parti'
tion across the middle of the room,
and had canned oysters in the front
and a bar behind the partition, and out
of sight of passersby. We must nip
this scheme to dodge the law by de-
claring that this shall not be done.
The moment you take down those
screens, nine-tenths of the deviltry at
tributed to the saloons will be stopped.
The blind gives fools the opportunity
to be themselves, and the sane and
moderate putronOs are branded because
caught in the company. Nobody is
going into a place whore he is easily
seen by people on the sidewalk through
big windows and act like a sulpherized
idiot, waiting for someone to touch the
match. Many of the so-called cases
of drunkenness are either sham or
cases where the imbiber has so little
brain that it only takes a "smell" to
make him drunk. 1t is common knowl-
edge, with practical folks, that many
fellows represent themselves to be
drunk for various reasons. A good swift
land on their solar plexis or a big boot
which will tie their backbone into
double knot between their shoulders,
will, in many eases, produce a very So
her man. 1t is the protecting shade
which suggests 10 the weak-minded the
opportunity of being foolish, without
being seen.
If you allow the grocery to sell
whisky in the back room, this law en-
forcing the removal of screens will be
useless, but if you will compel obedi.
ence to this law it will do more for
our young dear, innocent boys who are
on the road TO helhtydam, than vie
tory for the Prohis yesterday. Bust
ness will drop of with the saloons the
minute they have to keep an open
house. Since the good people in Sa-
lem can't have prohibition straight,
why not get together and put into ef-
feet AN ordinance which will sweep
away everything but the license With
out the business the license must stop
Here is a remedy. Let us see now how