The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-09-02
GOODCITIZENS
OPPOSE VICES
Highest Authority of Country
Declare Liquor is Chief Breeder
DESTROYER OF HOMES
The Purpose of all Law Is to fortify and
Maintain Public Morais-The Saloon
Destroys and Depraves

Can a man be good citizen and vote
for the saloon?
This is a live question in Florida and
one that ought to be clearly understood.
More and more our citizens are being
called upon to take sides for and against
the drink traffic. Many men who pride
themselves in their morality, who be-
long to the church, who enjoy an honor
able place in society. have voted in
favor of the saloon. They will be ask
ed to do so again, but can they DO this
and at the same time pass as friends
of the people and advocates of good
government?
Let us see.
One of the chief ends of government
is to promote the general welfare.
Every individual right gives way be-
fore it. Personal property, liberty,
life even, are all held subject to the
general well-being and must be forfeit
ed whenever they interfere with the
larger interests of the community or
state.
The general welfare cannot be con-
served without morality. Its promo
ton and preservation depends upon the
promotion and preservation of the
morals of the people. Bishop. who for
thirty years has been a recognized
authority in the United States upon
criminal law, says. Morality, religion
and education, are the three main pill
lars of the state" Sheldon Amos,
recognized authority upon Jurisprudence
in England, says, "The purpose of the
law is to fortify and maintain public
morality" As we'll think of trying to
float ship whose load of passengers
are scuttling the vessel, as to preserve
the we'll being Of society, while allow
ing its morals to become corrupted.
The government closes its mails against
obscene literature, lotteries, gambling
schemes. prohibits prize fights and fight
pictures, wholly on the ground that
they are detrimental to morality.
The saloon is the greatest destroyer
of morality known in our American life.
This is not the assertion of fanatics, or
prohibitionists: it is the statement made
over and over again by the judges of
our highest courts, keen, sharp.headed,
Unconditional lawyers, who, because of
unusual ability, have been exalted to
TIE bench. For instance, the supreme
court of the United States says: "The
statistics of every state show greater
amount of crime attributable to the
use of ardent spirits obtained in retail
liquor saloons than to any other source. "
The supreme court of Missouri says
the sale of intoxicating liquor Should
receive no encouragement because OF
it's tendency to deprave public morals. y
The supreme court of Kansas says,
"No greater source of crime and sorrow
has ever existed than social drinking
saloons"
The supreme court of Indiana says,
"The traffic in intoxicating liquors has
been found to result in the most de-
moralizing influence upon private
morals"
The supreme court of California says
"The saloon business is dangerous to
morals and good order"
So likewise says the courts Of other
states without single exception.
To advocate the saloon, or "local
option" in a Statewide prohibition
campaign. therefore is to encourage
immortality, vice and, crime. To vote
for the saloon is to vote for immortality.
1t is casting ones personal influence
against good morals and in favor of bad
morals.
No physician could be said to favor
health who should work to maintain
unsanitary conditions in society. The
saloon creates anil maintains unsanitary
moral conditions wherever it exists. 1t
is c.,mmon resort of gamblers, harlots.
thieves, thugs, prize fighters, men who
give and take brides, who buy and sell
votes. who thrive on the rotten ele-
ments of social life as vultures do on
carrion.
Every liquor man, whether distiller.
brewer, saloonkeeper, agent, or repre-
sentative, no matter how refined or in
telligent he may be, or how beautiful
home he may live in, is corrupter of
the public morals and hence an enemy
Of, the state. He may give money to
churches. and educational institutions.
may advocate public improvements, but
he also constantly seeks to strike
dagger at the heart of the body polite;
for to corrupt the morals is to destroy
the state.
Every man voting to maintain the
life of the liquor traffic by that act
stands over against the best moral in
terests of the people. Hence, he hurts
rather than helps the state. Hence, ne
cannot be good citizen. Guy Fawkes
in his gunpowder plot was no more q
bad citizen of England than are the
bad citizens of America who plot to-
gether to continue the beverage liquor
traffic whose very existence depends
fcontinnod m nnUA ~