Arizona republican., 1907-10-17
THE CAUSE OF TEMPERANCE.

THE CAUSE OF TEMPERANCE. To the Editor of The Republican, Sir:
 have been very much surprised lately by your stand on the subject of prohibition.
 Your remarks show you to be either badly biased or else extremely ignorant of the subject. You speak of flair play" to the saloon keepers in your issue of yesterday: Are you sure that you would also like to see fair play shown the other side BY the saloon element.
 An editor who will take a bribe from the liquor dealers Gas you have done in the shape of advertisements) can hardly be depended upon to write editorials in an impartial frame of mind. I quite agree with you on one point. that is; that. prohibition is worthless unless it is upheld by public opinion and is enthusiastically support ed by majority of the citizens. BUT Mir. Editor ARE YOU DOING YOUR share to help mold public opinion in the RIGHT way? I think not.
 After all how much of these edi- torials are your own PRIVATE opinion
 
 the National Liquor Dealers Associa- tion? Your Army Canteen editorial in a recent issue (except for the change of names) is nearly word for word the same article that the association has been circulating for several years.
 Hoping to see you ''clean house SOON"
 Yours sincerely.
 L. E. BALDWIN.
 There can be no doubt of the earn estness of the writer of the foregoing. but he has given way to errors of fact and conclusions, as We shall make plain. Preliminary to what We may have to say, We may admit that the liquor business is wholly bad, without it has been recognized by the city gov ernment by the sign of license which the saloon keepers have contracted to pay, in consideration of which, the city has contracted to extend to them the privileges and protection bestowed upon al business men who pay li- censes. If We were to turn aside to discuss the morals of th.s arrangement We would be led beyond the question which Mir. Baldwin chiefly raises.
 He has not read The Republican to which he alludes, a plea for fair play. The Republican has stood for Sunday closing as it stands for the cause of temperance generally, for va rious reasons. It urged no postpone ment of action by the council with re- spect to Sunday closing but advised that the subject be left to the voters that it might be determined whether a majority of them favored Sunday closing at this time and this paper suggested that those who favored Sun day closing in principle might desire to pass upon the questions of fair play and revenue. We had little doubt that Sunday closing would carry but unless the voters should favor it, it would hardly be worth while to enforce it. The subject has been disposed of in another and equally satisfactory way. The council on its side extending until January 31 the time of closing, the to accept the ordinance at that time. The council in entering into this ar rangement recognized the existence of such a thing as flair play in dealing xr-f- not think that Mir. Baldwin will lay claim to greater zeal in the cause of prohibition than Mayor Coggins and Mir. Marshall. We mention the names of those two gentlemen because of their activity for years in the temper ance field. We will pass to another matter, the ! i'll considered accusation, that this pa per has accepted "A bribe from the ! liquor dealers in the shape of adver- | tisements." The Republican has never, 1 at least under the present management, | of several years. solicited the the ad- | vertisement of a saloon. It has ac- | cepted such as have been offered as it l has accepted the advertisemnt of any legitimate. There are at present only i two such advertisement running in The Republican occupying the places l they have held for wears. They are entirely neglible factors in the pros perity of this paper Now as to the "canteen'' editorials l to which MT. Baldwin raises objection | and which he believes to have been re- | the National Liquor Dealers Associa- | tion. If that association has ever is- sued any argument in favor of the | canteen We have never heard of it. If 1 Mr IoII Ixr-;,, .- .., fa, (. l,.l