The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-09-21

ted not only by a deuberate, ihten- | tional act of our own hands. but by our negiecting to use all lawful and reasonable means to prevent persons that are under our control from com 4 hitting murder. And the State as a body polite can become a murderer ii 1t authorizes. or even tolerates. occu- \ pations and customs that are known to be deadly menace to society, even where those occupations and usages have a usefui and harmless side to | them, unless it fences them about with every possible safeguard against harm to the public. and severely pun ishes those lawless persons who viii fully violate and destroy the safe guards. The principle is as old as the human race. being founded on com mon sense and justice, and is recog- nized in the code of every nation in the world. About the only people are the saloonists and their apologists. and their paid allies, in connection with conducting the liquor business. Teaching of Text.
 "The teachingo of this text may be fairly, and without any straining, ap. piled to a great many different evils and crimes that curse the world. ] shall confine the application to the li- quor traffic. especially as represented by the modern saloon.
 T do not hesitate to declare that the saloon is the most vicious and rninous wild beast that has ever cursed our world. and therefore 1t deserves to die, and I hold 1t to be the duty of every State in the world to exterminate it by all lawful means--the duty of ev- cry decent man and woman to throw the whole weight of their influence against it--the duty of every religious body. every political party, every so- cial organization. and especially every newspaper in the world, to refuse ab- solutely to make any compromise or alliance with the saloon for pay or sentiment. If we love the cadse of Jesus Christ, the cause of common mo- raIity. the cause of civic order. and the peace and happiness of mankind. we fernal foe of all good and fight 1t till we die.
 This has not only been known to gore its thousands to death. but 1t practically does not do anything else. and 1t has been engaged in It's infa- nous work for thousands of years in all parts of the world. and in no age or nation of the world has 1t been any, thing else but curse.
 Mark 1t, I do not say that the sa- loon has here and there. and now and then been a menace to society and done a great deal of harm. If that were all we could affirm about 1t l would not take up your time and mine discussing 1t. for you can truthfully say that much about nearly all the occupations of men. Everybody admits that all callings and forms of business are un- avoidably marred at times by accidents and injuries. This is true of saw mills, housebuilding. railroading, mining and even farming. There are thousands of human lives sacrificed yearly in all these vacations of men; but everybody knows that the untoward and unfortu- nate occurrences that mark these hon. orable and needful occupations are but the incidental results of the weakness and ignorance of mortals They are only the occasional and unavoidable mishaps that mar beneficent endeavor among imperfect man. And the harm that befalls men In these vacations does not amount to a thousandth the part of the benefits they confer. But who shall recount the benefits they confer and the vast good they dos nate and become a waste. All benefi- cent enterprises would cease and the real business of mankind be at an end. What saloonist wants to make out a list of the fruits of his business7-- the ruined homes; the neglected wives and children. whose only means of support are swallowed up by the saloon; the drunken debauches; the blackened characters: the numberless murders and the ten thousand nameless crimes that can be traced directly to the sa- loon and the vices 1t fosters?otrs
 T hear a man now and then at- tempting to mention the advantages of the liquor business; the places of good cheer and brightness they afford the weary tollers: the good rent the house owner gets for his store room. But no sensible man Is willing to set these paltry and trivial advantages alongs de the awful evils growing out of the lts quor traffic. They are two contempti- bly small and unimportant to consider. As well might they try to give a list of the advantages incidental to wars. and plaques, and fires. They stimulate business. they keep the doctors and druggists busy. and send the underta kers marching solemnly along our streets. If these be advantages, then instead of preaching the Gospel of Peace and Good Win. let us stir up