The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-02-14
EDITED BY A. MURRMAN
Who alone lie responsible for what appears il
this column

"No great moral question is eve
settled until it is settled right
This is a truism which should com,
home to those of our business mel
who feel that the annual agitation o
this question does not make for tn,
best interests of business. In this ",
fully agree with them, but must haster
to add that 1T cannot be otherwise 81
long as the saloon is here. Thi.
agitation will increase in its intensity
every year until the saloon is nc
more: the best way to secure the de
sired a and a general good viii
among our people is for the business
interests to unite in saying 1.-THE
SALOON MUST co.
The business men who encourage
the saloon interests. who sign the
saloon keepers applications fol
license and who vote for it are them
selves responsible for the long drawn
out battle. They do more than any
other class to make another fgh,
necessary next year. The men who
are pushing the battle against the
saloon are moved to it by the call OF
God, the voice Of conscience and q
high sense of duty: there is neither
popularity nor worldly gain in it for
them: it costs them much ia time and
money, but "~necessity is laid upon
them and no power or earth can dis
suade them from it.
On the other hand the very fact that
no one is ready to say a good word
publicly for the saloon, the fact
that no decent man cares to defend it
against the bold attacks of Cod.fear.
ing people, while even the men who
sign the applications for license have
a ut when their names r published
these facts clearly indicate that the
business man who persists in OpDOs-
ing this frank and intelligent cru
SADIE, while he continues to stand with
the %cowardly and self-conyicted law
breaker-such a man fully deserves
whatever may come to him of person.
al loss or blame.
The good people Of Milbank have
been long suffering and very slow to
anger, as they have witnessed the men
whom they literally patronized yield
ing most slavishly to the saloon. keep
ers each year, assuming that the
church people can be easily kept in
line with a subscription of a few dol
lars. and a perpetually be ignored,
while the threat of the saloon mar
mi st be respected and his COM
mands obeyed.
Men who do not themselves visit
the saloons and who would not have
their sons visit them, are yet willing
to SO stultify themselves as to be
sponsors for an institution which
they dare not defend, and for no other
reason than to retain the saloon-keep-
ers trade.
Well. the church people are begin
ing to wake up and one of these days
some of our business men are gong
to ''hear something DROP
They are going to be taught that
the real saloon keepers after all,
are the men who KEEP THE SALOONS
here, by their petitions and by their
votes-who keep the saloons open in
spite of the majority of our citizens,
male and female, who protest against
them, and in spite of the fact, well
known to them, that the men who hold
the licenses have no regard for either
law or virtue.
One of these days the moral ele.
ment is going to say t. their mer-
chants-''see here, so long as there is
a man in this business in this town
who will help to make it and keep it
clean, and moral, and safe, he shall
have my trade rather than the man
who ~oes the bidding OF the saloons:
if you are anxious to pose as a saloon
in this community, that is. one
who ''kceps the saloons in business
here, if the success of your business
means the continuance of these dam
nable law breakers, if it means that
you cannot have my trade.
Ii the saloon interests can use their
so effectively in the inter-
ests of an evil business. perhaps my
might count for something
If | used it for God and my fellow
men," This is not poetry, my fellow
citizens. The writer has discussed this
m after with a few. and there is already
prospect of diverting something
ike $40 or $50 worth of business each
from one firm alone to a temper
ance competitor in case it becomes
necessary.
1t will not be done as yet, and we trust
+ will not be necessary: if however. |
We continue to hear of their friend
mess to the saloon, or if in the
future we find them petitioning the
court to grant licenses to sell intoxi.
eating liquors as this year, we will
ct them know how it feels to be
obliged to depend wholly upon the
saloons and their sympathizers for
he success of their business. Yes
sir, the temperance people of Milbank
IRE waking up, they are going to do
Kings not only to the five licensed
men who are excepting saloon" but
llso to some of those who help a little !
o keep the churches going while they
llso do a great deal to keep the
iaoons here.
"a word to the wise is sufficient