Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1908-10-26
LIVE ISSUE
DISCUSSED
IN PULPIT
Rev. Or. G. c. WiIding Has Ser
mon on Local Option in The
Political Campaign Now On.
Minister Says The People Know
What the Liquor Traffic Does for
the Country and They Should
Act Accordingly.


of the Local Option League of this
county, for sermons by pastors on its
movement, Rev. DR.. George c. Wild
ing preached a strong sermon in
Simpson NJ. E. church last night. The
subject was 'The Saloon or the Peo-
ple-Which Shall Ruler" text,
Habakkuk, 2:8.
He said in brief: This is a live
issue. never more so. The liquor
dealers are tired of twill be a
great deal more tired of it before it
Is done. Want it out of politics.
They took it in but they can't get it
out. When it goes out of politics
there will be no saloon left Nothing
is ever settled till 1t is settled right
The state of the battle today is
full of interest for all true citizens.
The saloon aims to get it's friends in
lofty political positions. Has sue
ceeded famously in the past. Has
friends near the top in all nations of
the earth. The Speaker of our ma
tional house-Mr Joseph Cannon, is
the faithful friend of the brewers.
They owe him much. The Church of
Jesus Christ and the labor organi-
cations are after him and he will
have difficulty in pulling through.
Investors in the rum traffic, aside
from the dealers, such as renters,
those holding mortgages, owners of
stocks etc, are naturally friendly to
the craft and are feeling now that
the business is not as secure and
profitable as it was but a few years
ago. The national figures seem to
show an increased ratio of consump-
tion Of alcoholic drinks. Is 1t pos
sible that they are In error? But
drinking among women does seem
to be growing among us. This is an
appalling idea. Would that somebody
could prove to us that it is not true.
At and rate we are coming to know
| the real animus of the saloon, and
what it can do for nation. Ignor-
ance is no longer excusable.
In the light of this knowledge
different sections of our country are
beginning to waken up, and are in
clined to take practical action. Local
option by towns and by counties is
gaining all over the South and West.
North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi have passed drastic
prohibition laws; and In all of the
other southern states the local op-
tion laws are rapidly wiping out the
automatically Illinois, Indiana
and Ohio are closing out the saloon.
Great railroad companies and in
dividual and commercial organiza-
tions are demanding that their men
stay out of the saloon. A few months
ago $4,000 employees of the North
western Railroad signed the total abb
stinence pledge inside of few weeks.
Some fifteen of our state governors
are active and outspoken enemies of
the saloon.
Many efforts to reform the saloon
have been made, but all have signal
ly failed. Many newspapers, politi-
clans and brewers are busy at 1t now.
1t Is new type of rather tragic hum
or. The last Model License League.
However well meaning they may be
all of them are doomed to failure.
AS Phil. Sheridan said of the Indian,
so we may safely say of the saloon
The only good saloon is a dead one. "
This latest tendency to reform looks
too much like death bed repentance.
1t is likely to come too late. They
don't need anybody to help them to
be good. They own about all of the
saloons and so can make them obey
the laws of the land whenever they
want to. Their present conduct all
lover the country does not seem to
breathe the atmosphere of reform.
THE situation in New Jersey is
most remarkable. We are one of
four states in the Union in which
the people have absolutely no voice
in the direct control of the saloon.
THE other three states are Utah, Ne
vada and Wyoming. Isn't that choice
company to be in? How long will
free and enlightened people put up
with such pitiful vassalage as this.
We are now before the voters of our
state asking them to elect men to
the state legislature who will give
us a simple local option law. This
will enable any community in the
state to say by its ballot whether it
wants the saloon in its midst or not.
This is certainly a slight demand to
make of our law makers at Trenton
1t does look, on the face of It, as IL
any reasonable man, of any political
party, would favor such a law-so
fair to all concerned.
such a law would not be tenn
perance measure. 1t is simply an
American measure. 1t means the
rule of the people. The majority
governs everywhere else in the po-
litical field. Why not here? Where
majority vote for the saloon we
frankly say-let them have it.
Where a decided majority do not
want the saloon among them, who
has any right to force it upon them ?
1t is just as fair for one side as for
the other"