Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-04-14

lie was we'll lllSu
yesterday afternoon when Madi-
son Warder addressed the men of
the Y. M. c. A., on the subject,
The Cost of Social Dishonor."
The following is the address
complete:
The association voted it's thanks
to Mr.. Warder for the splendid
paper delivered.
First, desire to correct the impress
sion current in some quarters that this
movement is a fight against the forces
of law and order 1 have assumed from
the beginning of this discussion that
your city officials have been doing
their duty. The fact that a majority
of your voters have expressed their
| desire for wide open town is suffi-
Gent warrant for your municipal
authorities to give the saloons and
other institutions of public debauchery
the widest limit the law allows. But
that fact is no reason for saying that
agitation for a reversal of such munic-
ipal policy is an attack upon the city
government, or an aspersion upon the
character of the city officials. We are
| not attacking the saloons on the
ground Of violation of state law. for
the statutes Of Iowa give you
PERMISSION TO nave them IL
you so desire; but because
their existence is violation of
both common and divine law, and be-
cause the public welfare demands their
abolition. If there are other cities in
| the state which have voted the sa-
looms out, why cannot Ottumwa do the
same? If other states have voted the
saloons out of their territory, why can
not the sovereign state of Iowa do the
On me 40 MI oif a.
! ton is not campaign against indivi-
t''"'s 'r"t -t""Rs1e for the eradica-
! ton of an evil that is tearing down the
| Ny .u,.iuation OF human life.
| The liquor habit is no longer con-
! sidered as a mere appetite. 1t is no
| longer considered as affecting only
Ethose who indulge in it. 1t is coming
| to be recognized as a disease Of the
human race, not only loathsome, but
| terrible in the enervating influence 1t
exerts upon the health and intelligence
| of mankind. It's effect in lowering the
worlds standard of morality, and in
reducing the worlds standard Of econ
omic efficiency is becoming so mark
| ed that plain common sense demands
it's eradication.
1t is worse than folly for society to
continue to burden. itself with an in
stitution that has absolutely no value
and is of acknowledged detriment.
It is the duty Of the State to provide
for the welfare of its citizens. and tt
preserve them from harm, whether
from without, therefore, when ths
state. in plain neglect Of duty, permits
the existence of parasitical growth
of undoubted malignancy upon the
body polite. for the consideration of {
little revenue, social dishonor is the
mildest term that can be applied. L
society derived any real good from
thus stultifying itself, there nigh
possibly be extenuating circumstances
but the consequences are all evil.
This policy Of selling to the devil thu
privilege Of working his own swee
will upon humanity dates back to the
time Of the civil war, when the gov.
eminent. hard pressed for money tt
meet its obligations, hit upon the plal
of taxing the manufacture and sale o
intoxicants in the United States
A partnership in crime was thus form
ed between state and saloon which
has lasted to this day, and has ex
tended to nearly every seat of govern
mental authority in the land. TIL
business of creating pauperism, crime
and degradation, of running MANHOOD
and debauching womanhood. Of dwarf
ing and debasing childhood, has sine
gore merrily on. to the musical &C
compartment Of the jingle of brib
money into the tills of town, county
city, state, and nation, and to the in
finite degradation Of civic honor II
every place where the corrupting in
fluence of the bargain with iniquit
has held sway. The facts of Ameri
can history during this period O.
shameless participation in the orgie
OF evil demonstrate conclusively tina
Satan lever executed a more brillian
piece of strategy, the liquor traffic
which before had been skulking Il
backdoor grog shops and out of-the
way places because Of the prodding O
the sluggish conscience of the churc
given by temperance lecturers undo
now came forth from it's hiding place
and arrayed itself in the garments G
respectability Fostered by the pro
lection of the state, it advanced b
leaps and bounds, and was soon pow
erful enough to become factor in pol
itics. You all know what it's politics
influence is at the present time; hoy
it controls elections, makes and I'm
makes legislation, and conducts itse
generally as a political nuisance. NOV
we begin to form some conception {
the cost of social dishonor.
But let us balance the books, an
see just how much we as a nation hav
profited by thus becoming one Of tn
principals in this diabolical bushes
Taking their own statement a
authority, the liquor interests contri
butte to state and nation in the forl
of license fees and internal revenu
about $2GS,O00 900 annually; that is
say. every year the traffic in intoxi
cants saves the people of the natio
about SO per capita that they woul
otherwise have to pay as taxes. The
has a pleasing sound, does it not
What else of benefit accrues to the ma
ton from its bargain with the liquc
interests?
They claim that their property rel
resents an investment of 3,300,000.0 90
However IN the absence of the liQut