The Cairo bulletin., 1909-12-15

that the saloons are open throughout
| the year.
The report of the Juvenile Court of
| Chicago for 1908 shows that l,G5l
boys and 5t7 girls of the delinquent
class were before it. and SIG boys
and 707 girls of the dependent class
This report states that "the distress
full condition of these 1888 dependent
children. was due To drunkenness or
desertion on the part of the father,
more than to any other specified
cause"
There We're lG2 murders in Chicago
in 1906. and PEG in 1907, eighty per
cent of which former States Attorney
Healy states We're committed in con
nection with the saloon. and most of
them after II o'clock p. IN
1t is estimated that there are 100.
900 epi1eptics in the United States
alone and that $4,000 of the persons
so afflicted owe their disease to
drunked parents.
Your committee considers that the
Testimony of these men in authority
at the public institutions of the state
OF Illinois and elsewhere is testimony
which cannot be overlooked or ignored
by reasonable Christian men
The distressing condition of pow
efty into which the families of many
of these prisoners are consequently
thrust constitutes a problem which
We cannot ignore.
The church cannot shut her eyes to
the vast burden of sin. poverty ana
misery which weighs upon innumer-
able men, women and children who
do not reach the public institutions,
and of whom there are no statistics.
but whose lives are blasted as re-
suit OF the saloon traffic.
1t is difficult to find any valid argu.
ment for the existence of the saloon
which can appeal to any Christian
man, when he faces these everyday
results as displayed in the physical
diseases of men and women. in the
immortality of our towns and cities,
and in the economic loss to the whole
community.
The state law which prohibits keep
ing open the saloons and tipping
houses on the Lords Day, and which
has been declared by the federal
court binding on the city of Chicago,
is openly, tiagrantIy and constantly
violated by those VINO maintain sa-
looms, Moreover the saloon interests
in the city of Chicago have shown
| themselves to be arrogant, insolent
law-breaking and law-defying. Not
Iwithstanding the fact that the saloons
are permitted TO keep open twenty
hours every day in the week, yet the
laws existing for their regulation are
openly and constantly violated.
The church must stand for law ami
order, and if she maintains her integ-
| rity she must speak out in no uncer-
tain voice against the spirit of an
archy and defiance of law which is
nurtured by the saloons and the
saloon interests of Chicago.
In consideration of the foregoing
facts, your committee earnestly urges
the following recommendations:
CD That both the clergy and laity
neglect no opportunity to build mp a
strong and intelligent public opinion
against the abuses of the liquor trat-
fic and its associated evils,
(2)That in the present situation,
since your committee believes we can
best serve the cause Of temperance
Iby advocating the cause Of local on.
ton. We commend that system emf
nently fair. thoroughly democratic
and essentially American. And we
therefore urge the clergy and laity TO
work earnestly for the enlargement
and increase OF local option districts
in city and county whenever the OPP
Iportunity for so doing is offered.
go We would impress upon the
clergy the great Importance of strong
sermons on the subject of temperance
and self-control. not only during thf
season of Lent. but throughout the
lyear.
For, after all, the saloon problem l.
a moral problem, concerning which
the church must speak in no uncer
tain words, especially now that the
battle is set in array between the
forces of vice and crime and tn,
standard bearers of righteousness
land temperance.
The Social Evil.
The social evil is so intimately af
fliated with the baser sorts of sa