The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1905-03-29
THE GREAT DESTROYER
SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT
THE VICE OF INTEMPERANcE.

uct of the GinmiiI as an Exhibit.
a Presbyterian minister of New
York State in an address to his con-
sregatlon urging that something should
De done to break up the saloons called
hem our saloons" writes George r.
Scott, in the New York Witness. The
.wo words quoted are full of mean
ing. for the saloons of every town or
village in this State are "our saloons" 4"
made so by the act of the majority of
he voters
In the village in which | reside the
saloons do not exist on account of my
vote, but in opposition to It; therefore
they are not "our saloons" as far as /
am concerned.
But the word our takes in every
voter who said by his ballot that he
wanted them. If voter did not know
what he was voting for he was not fiji
to vote. But the truth Is that those
who voted against no license knew
what they were doing. Three men
who voted for license have since come
to me to do my best to save their boys
from drunkenness. but it is a difficult
thing to do to get u boy out of the
clutches OF his fathers vote as far as
the drink question is concerned.
Can respectable man feel proud Of
our saloon" in a village, even If he
did help to plant it there?
As 1t has been decided by the Su.
preme Court that saloon has no in-
herent right to exist, 1t is left to the
people to choose whether they want
them or not. If l wanted saloons In
my village | would vote for them; as
| do not. / vote-when the opportunity
ofers-against them. That relieves
me from all responsibility in the mat
ter. When man is reelng home drunk
to his family in my village no pangs
Of conscience smite me. but thankful
ness to God takes possession of my
heart that the poor drunkard cannot
say, Mr.. Scott, you had a part In maxi
ing me the bad young man am.
Yet the first voter the drunken man
meets who voted for the license Is
guilty of being one of those who took
part in establishing n hellhole In which
to ruin him. The explanation some
times made that those who get drunk
will get drunk anyhow is a lame ex-
cuse. 1t is for the protection of your
weak brother that your ballot should
be cast.
l do object to men asking me to save
their boys from the curse they voted
upon them, especially when they are
ready to do the same thing again when
they have the opportunity. For the
sake of the boys | will always do what
can to help them out of the mire, but
while so doing my respect for such
fathers is not increased.
| can understand how n very bad
father can vote to permit "our saloons
TO exist by the score, but cannot even
think why any good father wants to
be partner in such an arrangement.
Every good father should first pull
his vote out of saloon before he asks
nus son to stop drinking at its bar. The
supposition Is that what Is good enough
Tor father to vote for is good enough
for his son to drink. If it is not the
rather should cast a different kind of
vote.
Our saloons" are altogether too nu-
merous for the public good. The old
fashioned permits to run saloon had
printed on them, For the public good
(name OF the saloonkeeper) Is hereby
permitted to SELL" etc. But there Is
now too much sense to permit lawmak-
ers to put such language on a license
permit. There would be more pro-
priety in having printed on license
certificate the words, for the purpose
of inJuring the public John Smith is
hereby permitted to sell at his bar
spirituous and malt liquors as beYer-
age.
our saloons are mean places.
They We're not Instituted to do the peo-
pie good, but for the avowed purpose
of making money no matter what the
result may be.
Did you ever take look at the pro-
duets of Il saloon or saloons? | have.