The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-07-18
Entered at Richmond, Ind, Postoffice
AS Second Glass Mail Matter.
THE ANTI-sALooN MOVEMENT.

The Anti-Saloon movement seems
to be gaining strength throughout the
United States. Those localities in
which it is showing surprising
strength are where, for years, the sa-
looms have been running wide open,
with no respect for the law. In Lou
isville, Kentucky, for example, the sa-
loon and brewery interests have con-
trolled the city government for years,
and as a-result, Louisville has gained
the reputation of being one of the
most wide open and lawless cities in
the country. At the last election a
fusion ticket was put into the field to
down the rule of the liquor ring. The
methods the liquor interests used to
defeat the fusion ticket will go down
in history as one of the most bare
faced assaults upon the privilege of a
free ballot on record. Fusion voters
were deliberately beaten away from
the polls by policemen, while the liq-
uor interests secured the votes of
thousands of repeaters and won the
election Their victory was short
lived, however, as the fusionists car
ried the fight into the courts, and as
result the saloon-elected officials of
Louisville were removed and decent,
law abiding and law-enforcing men
were appointed in their places. The
new regime has reformed the police
force, tanned the saloons and driven
out of the city all gamblers and |
thieves.
That is one way in which the anti
saloon movement has brought about
reform In Linton, Indiana, reform
was brought about in another and
rather unique way last week. The
temperance people have lately been
very active. Last week they success
fully opposed the granting of license
to a Linton saloon keeper. The sa-
loon keepers, showing more than or
binary intelligence. then effected an
organization among themselves for the |
purpose of seeing that all obeyed the
law. They have pledged themselves
to obey the law with regard to closing
on Sundays and holidays, and during
the prohibited hours. Each man
pledged himself to forfeit s25 for fail
ure to keep the agreement, and all vol
unteered to assist in the prosecution /
of any law breaker. Furthermore, a /
saloon keepers committee has offered
a reward of $25 for any information
leading to the conviction of any saloon
keeper selling on Sunday.
These Linton saloon keepers will
not lose anything by their rather rad
zeal agreement. On the contrary, II
they live up to their agreement and |
help the maintenance of the law, they
will effectively stop great deal of
dissatisfaction on the part of law
abiding citizens. They may incur
the petulant wrath of a few habitual
drunkards, but they can well afford
to do so. The majority of saloons
customers are temperate people who
know how to drink in moderation, and
It is from this class that saloon de-
rives its profit The habitual drunk
ard is not a source of revenue to
any saloon. He is generally shift
less wreck who eventually depends
on getting his drinks by sponging on
the generosity of friends who know
how to drink moderately. Many
times the habitual drunkard brings
his saloon into disrepute by making
disturbance and being arrested Con-
sidering these things it is very plain
that the saloonist would really be the
gamer If he would absolutely refuse
to sell fntoxicants to habitual drunk
ards. The action of the Linton sa-
loonists in agreeing to aid the obeying
OF the law is worthy of emulation by
the saloonists of every other city in
the state. There is no sentiment in
such a move. 1t is simply a hard
headed business move, showing a lit
tie more than ordinary business in
telligence.