The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-12-10
WHY THE SALOON MUST GO

day evening, December 9TH.
WHY THE SALOON MUST GO
Extracts from q speech made by
eX-GOv. GOrding 10 the people OF Lin
coin county, IdahOD
There might be those among you
who can say thar their families have
been free from the drink habit for
OF years; but very few, if
any Of you can look back for any
length OF time without finding the
skeleton in the closet that has brought
humiliation. gray hairs and often
death to some members of the family.
Il am going TO ask every voter in
Lincoln county who attends our meet
ings, TO ask himself a few questions
before he goes to vote for or against
the saloon on the 18th of November.
First, ask yourselves what good
has the saloon done? What good can
it do?
Suppose you take half an hour
with yourself, eliminating every other
thought from your mind. and 90 over
with yourself honestly the good or
evil that the saloon has done.
You might be able TO say that it
does not hurt you. That might be
true, for nature has been especially
kind to some of us. l myself. like
many of you, have taken a drink Oc-
casionally all OF my life. Many Of
you have done the same thing. appar-
emily without any evil effect on your
selves: but how many are there so
constituted that they can do this, and
you and l have seen wrecks strewed
all along our pathway, OF men who
should have been good citizens, but,
lost to the drink habit, finally became
a burden upon the public, or were
lost in the pauper's grave.
Now we all owe one another some
thing. II seems to me that you and
could get along very nicely without
that drink that We have taken occa-
in order 10 help the poor
fellow who cannot help himself.
1T may be that you are the father.
of a boy, and your one thought and
your one hope is that he will grow up
to be useful citizen and leave no
stain upon the name you love so we'll
l want you to consider his chances.
You and know that they will be bet
ter, that the element Of risk will be
in his favor if the saloon
is removed.
1T may be that you are the father
of a daughter, the apple of your eye
Your hope is that when she grows
into womanhood she will find some
true man for a husband. and the great
cares of life which every woman must
undertake will be lightened by a hap
Ply home. | want you to consider her
chances before you vote on this ques-
ton, and l am sure you will come to
the conclusion that her chances in
the choice of a partner for life will
be better with the saloon removed.
for you and l know and have seen
of young men, bright and in
telligent, with a lovable disposition
men who would have made good citi-
zens and fathers, become outcasts in
the world through the drink habit
do not measure this question by
dollars and cents, for standard of
cannot be measured by
the dollar mark.
The government makes il a crime, |
a penitentiary offense to sell or to |
give the Indian whiskey; yet there is
a great number OF white men who are
bad Indians" when under the influ-
7nce Of Intoxicating liquor.
The people of Idaho spend more
money every year in whiskey and
beer than it costs them for all the |
bread and meat they eat and clothes
that they wear. These are appalling |
figures. but it is true nevertheless
while | was governor of this state |
investigated very thoroughly the
Of our penitentiary and our
two aSylums. To my establishment |
found that fully 50 per cent. of the
inmates OF those institutions were |
here from the direct or indirect cause
IF strong drink
Measure. if you please, the great |
cost Of your criminal courts: your
your asylums and your
poor houses, the burial of pauperS. |
and you will find that it costs you very
much more than every dollar you get
n revenue from the saloons