Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-01-14
SOURCE OF CRIME.

No reasonable person viii deny that
liquor is the cause Of crime. IL IL CON
stanuy carrying on n systematic cam-
paigu through oyil men for the de-
basement OF public sentiment and pr-
vate man-and w0manh0od. It's advo-
Gates. 10 not at first, soon learn to Gre
ate am atmosphere conRenial 60 the ma
ture of liquor they grow 20 oppose
the punishment OF criminals smile at
sexual crime, and favor wide open
gambling dons. and themselves become
incorrlgible law breakers opposing
everything that tends towards better
ment OF any Kind.
This antaRonism 20 law and docency
seems 90 be necessary 10 the success
OF the liquor business. Because OF this
tendency. there is-there must be, some
inherent wrong In the trade Itself. II
allies itself with corruption in morals
and politics. and Is such a stupendous
evil that every nbers-minded man
must come to the conclusion that the
saloon--with It's dancing. craps. poker,
opium. cocaine women. lewd pictures.
and song the active tools OF liquors.
a social and political institution Is a
menace 20 virtue and every good act
and resolution, and must therefore be
wiped out of existence Men have come
10 the reasonable conviction that, since
liquor and the saloon are twin Grimm
ais, and 30 hand I'm hand with every
form Of vice and crime. no city no
county no state. no government-has
the right TO license men TO carry on a
business tending to the ruin of the vir-
tue Of boys and girls, 10 make murder
ers. slaves. and drunkards. A furore
would be created il the legislature
should pass a law granting a license,
for q consideration. under certain re-
strictions, to a hundred men in any city
to murder. to steal, or to perform any
other heinous crime. But some people
seem 10 think Il perfectly proper for
that body TO grant licenses to the sa-
loon and its liquor, which in most in
stances are the primary causes OF every
murder theft and social depravity in
the whole catalogue Of crime. and
which 10 at the basis OF a hundred
times more ruin every year than comes
from all the murders. robberies and
other criminal atrocities committed in
the whole land.
There IS only one thing to do. The
saloon must be destroyed; then the
weaker evils in It's wake win die for
want OF nourishment. But some say:
there viii be more liquor drunk without
saloons than with them That state
ment is not justified by tho facts. Be
sides. even then, would 1t not DO better
TO have the business In the hands Of a
few confessed outlaws, lodging about
IN the hills from bush 10 bush, or hid
ing in the alleys and dark places, than
10 see II controlled by political tyrants
and bosses who often govern the Of
fioers Of the law, yea, even the city
itself Men steal, and rob, and murder
IN spite OF the law; men would per
haps drink. also. But the stigma OF
licensing business that fosters crime
and moral degeneracy would not then
alLhcu 10 the Ruule hhf'liAiA'AN
The public In Utah are behind state
wide prohibition as viii be demonstrat-
ed by their petitions: their servants
now In sacred legislative session for tho
welfare OF the state and the people,
should permit no pleadings, no political
chicanery. 20 influence them against
the passage OF such law. They should
allow no factions TO split them, and no
differences OF opinion to scatter their
voaas. but cheerfusly give 10 Utah
statewide prohibition.
one more thing they should encour-
age with their unanimous voice the
passage OF the bin now pending in Con
grcss. providing that the Federal gov
eminent shall mo- longer issue internal
revenue Licenses in communities where
Inc sale OF liquor d. prohibited by local
law.