Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1908-10-23
Iconocla SITS vs.. Refor m.

Neither tne lnQiVluubl HOr bne VI
gauization that is purely iconoclastic
has right to the title of "Re-
former. " Reforming is not merely
overturning; it is building anew.
The empty house will not long remain
empty. and recognition Of this fact
is the basis of every true reform move
ent.
This morning | received q circular
letter from the Prohibition committee
containing cards which were to be
signed and returned. They read in
part. 81 am opposed to the saloon.
consequently q prohibition voter and
desire 10 have my name enrolled,
etc. This is, from my point of view.
decided non stquitur inasmuch as
that party up to date has made no
move to provide the substitute for
that which it would destroy. A man
may be opposed to the saloon W thout
voting with the prohibition nor any
other party. A wave OF reform is
sw, sping over the land, having for its
object the destruction of one OF the
most appalling evils that ever cursed
the earth. The progres of that wave
has been such as to surprise both
friend and foe. Whether it will be
permanent or not will depend upon
whether the constructive force shall
go hand in hand with the destructive
1t is useless for NJ TO deny that the
saloon supplies, in some measure, a
want of mans nature. He is social,
a gregarious animal, and all reform
movements must recognize that fact.
And 1t is just as necessary that
we racoRnize the diversity OF tastes
in human nature. An afternoon tea
party may be to the taste of Beatrice
or Alperuon Augustus, but 1t will not
appeal to Jack, nor will it lure from
the saloon the III ner fresh from the
mines nor the COW puncher from the
range. When Jack came home from a
tea party he was asked Jack, how did
you feel among those swells at the
tea party" ''Feel?" said Jack.
"Why felt like II snerm whale trying
to do crochet work, that's how
felt" And he would not go again,
no matter how kind the host and
hostess mi ght be.
The saloon has been voted out OF
Grants Pass, but the blind pig is
with us, and il we can believe nose
and ewes and ears it is doing pay.
| ing business. And we are asked what
we are going To do about it We
would not EAST doubt upon the in
tegrity of the courts, though there
has been palpsble perv,rsion of jus
tice in times pas, nor would we
look TO the cou Is for remedy for the
existing evil further :han the enforce
ment of the law Upon the Christian,
the law abiding people of Grants Pass,
rests the responsibility for the ex'
Istence of the "bliud pig.
A recent estimate places the
national drink bill at $2,275 070, S57.
To this must be added fully 81, 200, 0O0,
900 indirect cost such ss loss of life,
wasted grain, misdirected labor.
crime, pauperism, insanity. idiocy,
ect. Against this the recorded gifts
Tor charity, education, religion aud
other philantropic purposes amounted
Sl49, 902, 1870 or about one. fifteenth OF
the direct cost OF the liquor traffic.
Grants PAS with its numerous
saloons has borne its share OF this
enormous loss, and the loss to homes
and socIety has been felt even mere
keenly. Ii would seem as il the hope
of returning our proportion of thi'
enormous sum TO the Legitimate
channels Of activity would stimulate
us to do our work thoroughly, bat Sc
far as we know no steps have beer
taken to supply that demand for hu
man nature that the saloon supplies
10 mans hart.
We do not want tea parties, nor d'
we want some stCtfy reading room
where the mae not educated up Co al
enthusiastic appreciation of Milton
Shakespeare, Ruskin or Browning
can 20 and pore over n lot of.secon,
hand magazines. We do want plsc
where man can not only fnd goo,
books and magazines, fresh an,
clean, but we want place where b,
can have healthful games, bath
gymnasium, place where he cal
meet his fellow man and talk above
whisper II he wants to, plsc
where he can get refreshments tha
will not hurt In word he wants
place that will appeal in a hghe
sense to that in his nature that draw
him to the saloon.
The writer never took drink o
liquor as beverage, never played ,
game of cards nor smoked pipe
cisar or ciparette vet he has sDan