Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-03-31
than the country has ever SEEN"
A DAINTY

tAau lne country mas ever seen.
A Reply.
In reply: If the saloon is made
respectable 1t will have more power
In attracting the young men aud start
Ing them on the road to destruction.
We cannot move the old topers but
we should save the young men, The
saloon has never been law abiding.
1t has always produced lawlessness
and crime and probably always will so
long as it is tolerated.
An Explanation.
! No law entirely prevents crime. In
spite Of laws to the contrary we have
murder, stealing, arson and other
crimes. Laws that are enforced les
sen crime and prohibitory laws are a5
rule better enforced than licensed
laws. Letters were then read, written
recently by the mayors Of the follow
ing prohibition cities: Portland, Me,
ktchita, Kas.; Topeka, Kas.; Brock
ton Mass, and Cambridge, Mass.
These letters as well as re-
ports from the citizers Of Kan
sas showed law enforcement, less
crime, more business, fewer empty
houses, increased population, increas-
ed bank deposits. very much less pow
erty. the gradual elimination of tho
slums, large increase in the at.
tendance of the public schools, no
permanent increase in taxes. often a
present reduction and a sure reduc-
ton in process of time, general pros
perity SO great and marked that very
few would think of returning to the
! former plan Of license.
"The farmer does not have less
! ~ ri .Cf h
market for grain and for all of his
produce Then the money now pass
ing over the counter of the saloons
| is poured into the legitimate avenues
of trade $50
The large number of men set free
by the abolition Of the saloon easily
find employment in other lines of
work. Turn the vast sums of money
now spent for liquor into other chan.
nels and the prosperity of the nation
will be increased; business will be so
stimulated that the demand for labor
will exceed the supply. The money
now wasted for liquor would make
growing demand for nearly twenty
per cent more manufactured goods
than are now sold. Liquor is no labor
ers' friend but laborers' greatest foe"
Rev. j. e. Cummings.
j. E. Cummings OF the West End
| Presbyterian church used the following
| topic for an adddess given yesterday
He said in part:
Psalms, 1913. He stitch in the
| lurking places Of the villages; in the
secret places doth he murder the in
nocent: His eyes are privily against
the helpless
1.-The Psalm from which this text is
taken is called the saloonkeepers
Psalm 1t describes not only the sa-
loonkeeper. but the keepers Of the
gambling den and Of the brothel-the
cred by Ottumwa's disorderly house
ordinance.
There ought to be no need of dis
cussing the evils that arise from
I these three sources in our open town.
where we have by our votesfi or our
| silence, given crime free rein. Last
year. by 500 majority, our voters said
! for the sake of the revenue and pos
| sible business gain, we will throw our
city open and let crime run rampant,
as it unquestionably has. Our mayor
defending himself by saying that his
large majority means that the men Of
! Ottumwa are willing to sell their sons
and daughters for the revenue from
| the diSorderly houses.
1t is no Worse.
1T is of no avail to say. Tt is no
worse than under other administers
TONS When the Americans came In
possession Of Havana they found it a
city where every year yellow fever
wrought havoc. They were not con-
tent to say it is no worse than it was
before but they cleaned up the city
and banishel the fever, counting not
the dollars needed for the work. So If
Ottumwa has been city full of dens
Of crime-of roads to hell there ought
| to be enough manhood in Ottumwa to
clean it up.
Considered from the economic
view point, shall we weigh dollars
against souls? s
"But since the argument is made,
let us meet it.
I'm Ottumwa taxes for 1907, the
open year. are greater than for 1906 a
less open year. For proof, examine
your tax receipts
"Times are hard. The liquor traffic
is the greatest foe to labor and also
in times of prosperity. 1t destroys
mans productive powers and des-
troys the demand for articles that re-
quire labor.
Boots and shoes give labor 2Sh per
cent, equal to IA days work; clothing
27R per cent, equal to 1871 days work
furniture. 261s ner cent, equal to 1917
and equally as large proportions or
| many other articles. Let the laborine
man spend his money for such things
as these and he will receive from 6 tC
8 times as many days work for his
money as When he spends his money
for liquor. The liquor business gets
the largest rake-off from labor of any
manufactured article Why, then, any
clear-headed working man should
champion the liquor traffic as the
friend Of labor is difficult to see.
Need a Clean Ttown.
I'VE need a clean city a city where
our girls shall be safe from the
clutches of the brothel For brothels
can only be maintained by the giving
Of our daughters
"A city where it shall be safe for GU,
women to go on our streets and not
be in danger of their lives as some
have given their lives as victims Of
those attracted to our CITY in it's car.
NAL of crime.
"A city where the hard earned
wages of our young men and Of some
older ones. shall not be stolen il
gambling denS.
"a city where our young men shall
not be made victims body, mind ant
soul Of the drink demon