The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1906-05-25
Report Of Union Temperance Service
Held in the NJ. f. Church Sunday
Evening May 13.


Last Sunday night the NJ. E. church
was crowded by those interested in the
Gospel Temperance service arranged
for by the Welsh w. G. Y. U.
After spirited song service, led by
the large Methodist choir, the prayer
and scripture reading, Rev. Houck,
Rev. Welch, and Elder Lively spoke,
the last two very briefly.
Elder Lively gave definite examples
of the effect of stimulents and showed
that the back door products of the
gilded saloon were identical with those
of the dive. Rev. Welch strongly
emphasized the responsibility OF Welsh
citizens for the existance of saloon
in Welsh, and urged that it be abol-
iShed.
Mr.. Houck In introducing his sub.
ject, spoke of the sorrow, misery, pOy-
erty, loss of life caused by war, fam
inc, volcano and earthquake, and that
horrible as all these things were, they
had power ionly to kill the body and
leave the soul unframed, while misery
and suffering untold, and death eter-
nal followed in the train of the mon
ster evil, the liQuOr traffic.
He said: -"There is no question Of
greater import before the minds Of
the American people today than the
question of the Open Saloon. 1t is a
question dear to the heart of every
true American citizen. Slavery was
an infant beside it. The time is not
far distant when the whole country
will be aroused and divided upon this
question as upon slavery. Meantime
the tramp of heavy feet is heard along
the bloody street. 100000 men pas
sing into drunkards graves every
year. The saloon depends for its sue
cess upon the maintenance of this
army. 1t cant live without it, it new
er did and never will. 1t is getting its
recruits in our boys and young men.
What is this army fighting for? TO
satisfy the cravings of depraved APP
petite-filling 100000 homes with sor-
row and shame, breaking hearts, ruin
ing homes, wrecking character, filling
iails and almshouses, destroying soul
and body in hell"
Mr.. Houck then took up the Ques.
ton of High License" which he hand
led without gloves, and with clean
and fOrceful argument, drove con-
victiOn straight home to hitherto
doubtful minds.
He Said;-High license is saloon
measure, compromise, a scheme OF
the devil, a flag of truce, sent out by
the saloon. There is no flag of truce
between these two armies-GOd aud
truth and SObriety on the one side and
the open enemy to God and al! things
good on the other side And either
King Alcohol must be defeated or the
church of Christ and civilization must
90 down.
The advocates of high license claim
-fst, 1t reduces the number of saloons
The reduction of the number of saloons
by any law which gives full recog-
milton to those which are left to sup
ply the demand for drink, is no bene,
lit but an injury to the temperance
cause. The greatest harm of the Sa-
loon is in making drunkar DIS. And
this it does by Offering attractions to
the young ana inexperienced. The
danger of the saloon is not in the
number butin the attractiyeneSs. The
saloon claim is that high license
brushes out the low dives and alley
doggeries. This claim the facts do
not sustain. Chicago has high license
and no city is so overrun with low
dives running wide open day and
night, menace to the city. You say
it makes it more respectable. 1t may
make it more Outwardly attractive but
that is an injury to the temperance
cause. No license fee, high or low
can make saloon respectable.
Claim is absurd. The saloon is of
the devil, had its origin in hell and
sends its victims there. The saloon is
a cowardly murderer. Its business is
to kill, and to kill in the way most
profitable to the man who runs it. 1t
is no respector of persons. 1t claims
men from all the walks of life. And
tumbles them all into the same hor-
rible pit. The third claim is that
high license is q Se1f enforcinu naa