The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1909-01-21

all crime. How many men would there
De behind the lars if they had let
whisky alone? Very few. Stamp out
the whisky traffic and there will be no
need OF insane asylums and prisons.
How often do we read in the papers
OF some man or woman who has COM
mit;ed suicide thru the influence of
drink. No railroad will employ a man
who drinks, as drinking man is not
safe and is not to be trusted with a re-
sponsible position. The laws of Canada
are strict concerning the drinking of
whisky and other intoxicants by rail-
road employees. If you are caught
drunk or discovered drinking intoxi-
cants while on duty it means prison
for term of ten years. If the law in
the United States was as strict as it is
in Canada there would be fewer rail-
way disasters and CT nsequently less
loss of life and destruction of prop.
erty.
TIE curse of this land in which we
live, as well as other countries, is the
whisky traffic. There are more dt aths
in a year caused by the use of in
toxicants than there is by natural
death. Take away from the saloon
keeper his trade and throw him out of
employment and you will have him to
take care of. Have you ever seen a
saloon keeper who will help his pa
tron's family when they are starving
and in need of the necessities of life I?
| never have. Furthermore, you never
will. AS long as you have the price of
drink he is your friend. When out
of money he gives you kick and tells
you to move on. Even business men
will not have in their employ a man
who is not "total abstainer." What
is going to become of the family of a
moderate drinker if he is one who de-
pends upon wages for support? The
attitude of the employer of labor is
going to determine in no small measure
the question of the dram shop. Star
vatiOn seems to await the drinker if he
continues to pa ronize the saloon.
While we are at it we might as well
show the matter conversely. Starva-
tion awaits the saloon keeper if the
army of the employed ceases to be his
| a'rOn. To whose household shall
the dile calamity fall? How impor-
tant then is it that the coming genera
tion should be taught not to form the
habit of drinking intoxicating liquor.
Ii they never form the habit they will
never have to face the awful struggle
of overcoming it.
Some time ago in looking over tenn
perance paper l saw where the Danish
government, in filing applications for
positions with the state railways, pre-
Ter men who "a prove by documentary
evidence that they have been total ab-
stainers for at lie .st one year past.
A young man who drinks even mod
era ely thereby surren enders his position
in the commercial world. A man who
will deliberately drink whisky ard
neglect his children ought to he put
where he can never get it. Many
young man who has had good posi-
tioh has lost it thru the influence of
liquor, and who in the end tried to
drown his trouble, and sorrows by the
wine cup or committed suicide. | can
safely say that in all penal institutions
that twO-thlrds of the inmates are there
thru the int1ue ice of drink. You need
not travel to Europe or Canada to see
the effects of the whisky traffic. Right
here in this state you can see all you
want to of the evils of the whisky
question. Go to the slums of Chicago,
New York, or any large city and you
will see the evils of whisky and other
intoxicating liquors. The sooner the
United States goes dry the better the
land will become in general, as there
will be less crime.
During the Civil War the N orth abol
ished the holding of slaves, but today
the South can beat the North by one
better, that is by abolishlng the saloons
which many of the Southern states
have done in the past year. Why
should the fathers and mothers of mar
riageable daughters be less concerned
about the habits of the possible son-in-
law than are bankers, railway mana
gers, merchants, and manufacturers
about the conduct Of their hired men I?