The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-09-06
Speaks from Experience.
the Editor of The journal,

: I am pleased to note by recent editor
ials that our city press continues to ex-
h1b1t evidence Of sanity in regard to the
Sunday closing of saloons by private initi-
ative. 1t is gratifying that the storm
center has shifted from the mayors
office, however much the fact may di-
rectly imply that he is not doing his duty,
which very few experienced and prac-
tical people believe. ~
Would that conditions were favorable
to close all the saloons all the time. That
has been my" desire these thirty years
unrealized In Auburn, N. Y, I helped
try it just as the present leagues are do
ing, with Indifferent and temporary re-
suits and no permanent success. We an
tagonized the saloon people and many
others who go there. We learned at last
that we were beginning at the wrong end
of the chain, that the saloons are not a
| cause but an effect; that they are here
because of a widespread demand and in
obedience to. the universal law that where
| there is demand there will surely fol-
| low a supply, even as with the horrible
social evil. We must shut off the drink
! ers before we can close the saloons. The
| saloon is run for money and when that
fails, it will close Of its own accord. The
saloon people claim that they are paying
| nearly half a million dollars annually in
license fees to help run the CITY, The
truth is they are only a clearing house
that takes quite a million from the people
| Of Minneapolis annually and returns the
| license money as a tribute. It may not
be generally known that most of the
saloons here are really run by the brew
cries and wholesale liquor houses. Prob
ably three-fourths of the saloon keepers
themselves are bankrupt and could not
| begin to stand for the thousand dollar
license money. When we strike at the
saloon keeper as pictured by some of
our city clergy, he's only a bogie-a mere
employee of the liquor trust, suspect
Now were it possible to close all the
saloons on Sunday, the saloon people have
enough horse sense to realize that the
! hotel bars and all the swell clubs of the
city are running wide open and getting
that's rank injustice, and along the low
level of their so-called business, is there
| not some force in it? 80
But as Sunday closing IS obligatory by
statute IS there any alternative? Well,
William H. Seward by his doctrine of the
higher law settled the question that a
fool law need not be enforced. If it is
impractical, violates common sense, which
is common reason, that is the ultimate
tribunal, and is acted on right along and
in every community. If our friends who
are taking upon themselves a great deal
4 of effort and trouble to do this Sunday
closing, will but consider for q moment
/ that to have the saloons wide open al
the week with the drinkers the same
how can they expect to close the saloons
on Sunday with the drinkers wide open;
You must close both or not at all.
If Sunday closing is being made merely
a fetch on account of the day simply
it will scarcely commend itself to oul
people. We can remember how long a
l time 1t took to get the public libraries
museums and places Of amusement open
. and also the Sunday newspaper started ir
/ the face of the same sort of opposition
But few years ago in Toronto, the
''unco guid'' folk succeeded in closing the
trolley lines on Sunday, but it did moi
work, and since then they have remained
in operation and all ride. Enforced good.
ness is the poorest kind and not reliable
I used to hate the saloon keeper and the
u saloon. don't any more,> but am no
its patrons. I would like to commend to oul
clergy the practice of Rev. Mr.. Hubbard
of the First Presbyterian church Of Au
burn, the church standing under the yer.
drippings of the Auburn Theological
seminary. He may be seen going in ant
out of the saloons there any day, not t,
, drink, but to labor with them and thei
families, for they have wives and chill
dren, and he says they need help and sym
/ pathy more than any other people. H
has not antagonized them by any explo
sive utterances from his pulpit.
had heart-to- heart talk with a sa
loon keeper, an alderman. in st. Paul
3 recently. He asked me to drink, which
politely declined, when he replied g
!. don't drink, either Continuing, he said
j This is mean business. am kept her,
until 2 o'clock In the morning, and thei
go home to see my wife and little one.
while they are asleep. don't get up til
] noon, and then am back again to Thu