The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-10-25
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANcE.

The Saloon Eobber-No Amount OF Rev.
onue Can Make Business Lawful
When 1t Ru1nD Men-A Serious Hind
rance in Temperance Work.
One Monday morning had occasion
to visit bank, writes the Rev y. w.
Scott. The receiving teller was doing
business with a well groomed gentle
man at the window. AS I waited my
turn I saw this man pass In a large
pile of silver dollars, besides big roll
of bank bills recognized the man as
a LIQUOR dealer in our city. The record
was entered and the man retired.
A little conversation with the teller,
who abhorred the saloon, also, revealed
the fact that this keeper Of local sa-
loon had just deposited 5000. And"
said the teller, "he probably took all
this in on Saturday and Sunday"
This. despite the fact that our "strin-
gent license law" provided and en-
joined that no liquors should be sold
on the Lords day! =.
The saloon is a robber! The transac-
ton which I witnessed in that bank is
only one of thousands of similar in
/ stances occurring all over this land.
This tendency to spend their weeks
nav at the saloon on their way home
has led many corporations to change
the workmen's pay day from Saturday
to Monday I have known some wives
of drinking men to go to the counting
rooms, and the moment their husbands
were paid off secure as large portion
as possible of the weeks income before
the saloon robbers could lay hands on
it. One visit to saloon often uses up
"a whole weeks pay. g..
A few days since I wa visiting
friend in Boston. A drunken man,
whom my friend knew, passed us. The
man was a wreck, and was probably
less than forty years old.
NV friend said: "There goes a man
who inherited a fine business on one
of the principal streets OF this city,
but in Just few years LIE ran that
business through and now works FOR
.S5 q week. After paying his weekly
lodging bill he lives on the rest, living
Oft the counters Of the saloons" Ihe
liquor dealer had got all his property,
and was drawing heavily on his small
weekly earnings. Yes, the saloon IS
robber.
While q pastor in Pennsylvania it
was carefully estimated by 4 reliable
student of social science that the min
eral income of that State at that time
was S76,0OO,O00, while the liquor bill
the same year reached tn, grand total
of S7S,OOOOOO. This, the readers will
not fail to note is, 100000 more than
the valuation of the entire mineral in
come local, iron, etc. for that same
year.
The presiding Judge of Dauphine
County Tin which the Stare capltai,
Harrisburg, is situated) has stated that
the county would be better to pension
eyery licensed liquor dealer in the
county with $1,000 a year, and have
them retire from business, than to ac-
cept their license fees and take the
responsibility of paying the bills ac-
cruing (police, JAIL court, reiler, ETC.,
etc., from the annual license fees
paid by said dealers:
One of the serious 'hindrances IN
temperance work is the constituencies
act of respectable (D men who rent
their property for saloon purposes.
General John A. Dix held prop: y in
q certain city, and was informed by
his agent that he found it very diff
cult, to rent the property for ordinary
business purposes, but could readily
rent it for a dram shop. Instant reply
came from the General. 1t read: Il
would rather my property should stand
idle and empty for all time than that
it should be rented for such purpose" "
Noble words, and yet every moral and
religious man, every man wishing the
welfare of his community ought to be
endowed with the same sentiments.
Were this so the work of redeemins
this land from the drink curse would
be greatly simplifed.-Ram's Horn. >.