The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-01-14
MORAL RESULTS OF
CLOSING SALOONS

CLOSING SALOONS
Conclusion of speech by C. w. Trick
EFT, who closed the joints of Kan
sas City, Kanl
1t should not be overlooked that
there has followed in the wake OF
law enforcement a great benefit to
our city that cannot be measured in
dollars and cents.
Our sanitarium had many cases of
delirium tremens every week wnen
joints were in operation, lbut DR.. S.
S. Glasscock, the head physician, tells
me there have been but two cases in
| the past six months.
The judge of the juvenile court re-
Gently told me that when the joints
were in operation many children had
to be assisted every month, but that
| with the closing of the joints this had
/ totally disappeared, and that during
/ the past six months there were but
i two applications, and these were the
| children of the mistress of a disorder
| Iy house VINO abandoned them when
| she followed the saloons out of the
| city.
| Our public schools reported an abb
| normal demand for admission to the
public schools last fall. While former
| ~ eight new teachers were sufficient
l edcH year lOT Un0 IHcTedSe III dtleuu-
ance, last fall eighteen new teachers
had to be employed. Inquiry reveals
the fact that since the saloons were
closed, fathers are providing for their
families and the boys are trying to
get an education who formerly had
to work to support their mothers and
drunken fathers. Dollars and cents
cannot measure this, but in the future
life of our city it will weigh heavily
in the balance for good government.
The manager of the children's home
says there has been a large decrease
in the number of dependent poor
and cases Of destitution.
The county poor commissioner says
that not so many poor persons are
being sent to the county farm and
that hundreds of cases of destftution
due to the husbands spending their
money and time in the joints have
almost entirely disappeared.
Teachers in the public schools re-
port that children are now we'll cloth
ed who formerly were in rags because
their parents spent their earnings in
the joints.
Festus Foster, secretary of the AS
sociated Charities, in a published in
terview on January 23d, said:
although the population of our ci-
of cases of destitution is decreasing
materially We trace this directly to
the fact that the joints have been
closed and that a better condition pre-
walls on all hands. A person who has
not been actively connected with
charity work cannot appreciate the
wonderful change that has taken place
since the saloons were closed"
More than score of cases nave
come under my personal observation
where individual drunkards have be-
come sober and industrious citizens
since the closing of the joints.
Periodically for some three or four
years a lady, poorly dressed, called
upon us to file a divorce suit for her
because her husband spent all his
earnings for drink. Upon each occas-
ion it was the same story. Her nus
band earned Sc a day, and yet mis-
wife had to earn the living for the
family. Dislikilg to file divorce suits,
we kept putting off the evil day Dur
ing the past six months | had not
heard from her. On Christmas day
while sitting at my desk her husband
called, and said that his wife wanted
to see me. Supposing it was the same
old story l pleaded business, but he
refused to take no for an answer and
said his wife must see me. I stepped
into the buggy waiting at the door.
and we were soon at a neat cottage.
When the door opened | beheld room
neatly carpeted. with new furniture,
and there stood the wife neatly dress
ed. The children were clothed like the
children of well-to-do citizens. In the
center of the room stood a Christmas
tree, still glitteri1g with decorations.
Noticing that I was puzzled the
wife remarked, Il just wanted you TO
see, Mr.. Trickett, what the closing of
the joints has done for our home"
And then the husband explained by
saying: yes, this is what closing the
saloons has done for us. At first /
was bitter because / was deprived of
the right to go in, purchase. and drink
what | pleased, and for awhile / went
across the state line: but l did have
American manhood and pride left,
that when I could not walk in at the
front door, l would not sneak into
back alleys, or in dark area ways, or
into room with boked doors and
drawn curtains where each one looked
like thief watching and expecting
officers.
We have purchased this little
home on payments, have furnished
it, and are happy and content
These are matters that il my judg-
ment weigh heavily In the scale and
yet cannot ibe measured in dollars and
cents.
1t is needless to comment upon
such matters.