Cañon City record., 1907-04-04

The campaign of the Reform party
for the control of the city government
for the next two years closed Monday
night with much enthusiasm and the
utmost confidence in the success of
its ticket at the polls today. There
was a splendid turnout of the anti
license forces for the parade and the
gathering at the skating rink was one
of the most remarkable demonstra-
tons of the kind ever seen in Canon
City.
Main street was thronged with peo-
pie from the Strsthmore hotel to
Eighth street, and the line of march
was illuminated by red fire, rockets
and Roman candles, greatly to the joy
of the small boy and TO the satisfac-
ton of the pembers of the parading
column. Although the rink is the
largest auditorium in the city, holding.
perhaps, $500 people when fully seat
ed, it was incapable with the benches
and chslrs at the command of its man.
agemeat, to accommodate the great
crows which sought admission to the
building.
G F. Pressey, chairman of the Re-
form committee, presided at the meet
tlg and introduced the speakers. Aft
,er the audience had become settled,
a large part of which stood up
throughout the proceedings, vocal
quartet, consisting of C. w. Van Pat
II M
and R. C. Mcmillan, sang several cam
paign songs. They made a great hit
by their singing and were repeatedly
encored by the audience.
Rev. A. F. Chaffee. pastor of the
First Methodist church, was the first
speaker Rev. Chaffee is an uncoul-
promising enemy of the saloon and
denounced in unsparing terms the
liquor traffic and all connected with it
The only way to have good town,
morally, socially, religiously and COM
mercially, according to Rev. Chaffee's
philosophy, is to vote the saloons out
and keep them out In his deductions
he received the concurrence and ap-
plause of the audience.
The principal speaker of the even
ing was DR.. John s. Rutledge of
Cleveland, Ohio, who has been en-
gagged in temperance work here for
several days under the auspices of the
Anti-Saloon League DR.. Rutledge is
one of the most eloquent advocates of
prohibition in the country and his
visit here during the municipal cam
paign was regarded as almost certain
to turn the election in favor of the
temperance people.
For an hour and a half DR.. Rutledge
pointed in vivid pictures the evils OF
the liquor traffic, which ne described
as the most debasing in which men
could engage. He gave many exam
pies of the blight and death which fol-
lows in Its train; of strong men going
down to a drunkard's grave as a result
OF the licensed saloon. "A business
that will debauch and wreck human
lives 10 not a business that you want
in Canon City," said DIR. Rutledge.
The speaker did not abuse the rum
Seller. nor HIS NlCuIHS, tHey are "
him objects of pity and commissera-
ton rather than of abuse. He said
that the saloon was a menace to civili-
zation and as such should be put out
OF business. 1t has no place under
the American flag by right OF virtue.
1t is opposed to every interest and
every institution that has for its pur-
pose the moral and intellectual i'm
provement of mankind
The saloon is not a help to legiti-
mate business of any kind. according
to DR.. Rutledge. Its sole object is to
debauch and degrade, and until 1t is
driven from our land We must neces-
sarily support jails, almshouses, and
peuitentiaries. The saloon is the
crossroads OF crime. and from 1t the
great majority of criminals come. DR..
Rutledge expressed the opinion that
the peopel of Canon City would be un-
true to themselves II they did not, by
their ballots. say that there was no
room here for the rum traffic, the
enemy of the church. the school, and
of society.