Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-12-27

sAer, What L. the source OF these
taxes and these lieen ses@" The an"
swer Is found In tao words. The
People" The statement that the
schools are supported BY the saloons
~ u false one The people do H. The
amount received from licenses is only
Ia small part Of the amsaants extracted
fgom the pockets Of citizens by
these parasites. and Is handed hack TO
The county In order Z keep the cftt"
xras in n good hnnsor. and 10 make
Vnem think that n 10 an income. when
th" fac, is they are simply receiving
bach their Own less the sums tAat 20
10 swell the wealth Of the traffic. Sow.
tn sum up the condition OF the above
county. the inhabitants have allowed
sht. saloons aud gamblers to take from
them the amount of the d ~enses. which
is si4.35S, IN say nothing ~ the profits.
by the side of which. nc doubt. these
figures would LOOK exceedingly smai'
Resides. the people have had 20 pay
the costs Of the courts and their a..
tendant expenses. which is si9.i37. a
grand total Of t3s.0s7, OF this amount
the licenses went TO the support Of
the public schools. but Nha: All the
people receive for the .emalnlns sls.-
=jf. plus the profits thu wcnt into
the pockets OF the salonI Keepers and
gamblers? Certainly. no one can be-
found who ran say thar II was ex-
pended in the interests OF snod citizen
ship.
When the I4ittlcfieid an:igamhllng
bill was before congress last year, a
general cry went up. not only from the
sporting fraternity Of the territory.
but from many misguided persons who
were thinking If their children only.
that such a law would close the
schools. The teachers Of the territory.
the Ones most directly affected 81
10 their everlasting credit. raised not
a singl" opposing voice, so far AS WI
know. to Its passage, In fact. they
were anxious for It's success. and, we
tFANN I AI'" Tt&&AA wv N' uAF
thing In their power TO secure It's
passage. This Is not q matter Of mere
sentiment. but n matter OF protection
and self preservation. There Is not q
single element In gambling and It's
associated evils that makes for good
citizenship. The cities ~ the middle
west are awakening 10 the facr that
the licensing Of gambling Is a disgrace
as well as a menace 10 the territory.
and are suppressfng It. or f0bidding II
altogether. Congress stands ready
to legislate against Il. and II the edu-
cational forces of the territory take
the proper steps. We believe that the
passage OF an anti gambling bill will
he secured, ASK. and thou shalt re-
ceivc."
Spasmodic reforms are generally In
effective. and We can scarcely hope
for a complete reformation in a day.
hut the signs point strongly toward
better things. Men are supporting In
dividuals and principles rather than
parties. Intemperanc". though still a
giant octupus of evil, is having its
t~entacles Topped off one by one. Con
gress provides that all the schools In
the territories teach the evil effects of
alcohol. All the religious den0mina-
tons, the Temperance societies, as we'll
as the schools, devote themselves es-
pecially to the preservation OF the indi-
vidual. The trade unions once held
their meetings in drinking places. but
now they realize the evil effects that
alcoholics have over their members.
and drinking is discouraged. The ap-
~plication of electricity, the manipula-
ton of intricate machinery. and the
management of numerous economic
forces requiring steady hands and
clear brains cannot profitably be Ell
trusted to Incorporate workmen. tn"
great railroad companies demand that
their employees be abstinent, and the
%freuuenting of places where alcoholics
are sold is sufficient cause for dis
missal. Throughout the length and
breadth of our land comes the demand
for sober men, and Drunkenness is NO
longer tolerated. a decidedly long step
toward good citizenship.
Another obstacle to good citizenship
is the use OF tobacco by the boys of
our country. In New Mexico this evil
is especially wide spread. There are
many localities where II Is practiced
to such an extent that there are very
few boys ten years old and over who
are not addicted to the cigarette habit.
The mental and moral effects on the
boys so addicted are SO well marked
as to be plainly discernible. The school
work of such Is far below the normal.
and undoubtedly has much to DO with
the antaonistic attitude that so many
boys exhibit towards the scholar
attitude to be expected as a natural re-
suit of a stupefied brain and a dwarf
ed moral character. This seems to be
another case wehre society is not
doing its duty to the territory. The
laws of the tewitory provide that
cigarettes shall not be sold to boys of
this age, but that these laws are In
offactiya L. evident IN all Here again