The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-06-07
PRESIDENT SMITH ON SALOONS.

I L
President Joseph +, Smith of The
Mormon church preached Il discourse
in Granite stake on Sunday. May 2Sth
which WAS reported in full in the Des
cret News OF last Saturday evening
In that discourse, as usual. the burden
Of President Smiths remarks was an
! tagonism 10 the saloon; and vet in 2
| general way he declared in favor OF
prohibition in the Granite stake
| Speaking in cXcorlation Of the saloon
President Smith said: q" Ny object
and desire Is TO drive the nail home
and cliuch il in the mind OF every man
aud woman under the sound OF my
voice. that any man who will darkcn
the door of saloon 10 drink intoxi-
cants is criminal in The sight of God,
and IN enemy 10 society; | do not care
VINO il is. IL is an evil. and ought not
TO exist in any community. These are
my sentiments.
Blu, there is nothing in either relig
ious ethics or authority that makes a
man "a criminal in the sight of God -
for taking drink in a saloon or any
where else. The common experience
of mankind is against that sort Of a
frcuzicd declaration. We do not be-
licvc thai it can he claimed as an in
spired utterance. even by the most alert
oC The anti.saloon faction in the Nor
mon church. IL is the sort of declara
tion that. applied to court decisions, is
called obter dictum. Applied insPl
ratjonalIv. it is the sort of thing that
honest rcveaturs will say is Of them
selves. and not of God.
Plenty Of good men. true men, good
citizens. darkcn the doors Of saloons
and drink intoXicants in those saloons.
They arc not criminals, they do not
deserve 10 be called criminals They
arc not lavbrcakers, and this sort Of
insane assault upon them by a man
who confcsscs that he is violating the
laws of God and man in his daily life,
and intends 10 continue to do so. is at
once perverSion of fact. and an in.
solent insult from a awless source.
Applied practically, VIC may consider
il as declaration in favor Of party
buying five gallon Jug OF liquor, or
n key of beer, and going off and drink
ing il, feeling themselves obliged Ia
drink il AL in order to be rid Of il.
And this raises the question at once.
which is the better. which is the trucr
temperance. for man TO 20 into a
saloon and take drink of liquor and
90 off about his business. or for a
party TO club together. go and buy a keg
of beer or n five gallon cask OF spirits
or Of wine, and soak themselves full Of
ii in order to use up what they have
bought! We think there can be no
question at all in tbe minds Of any
one having any sense or knowledge Of
practical affairs as TO which is the
better OF these two propositions.
The idea that man must he branded
ss criminal, simply because he goes
into saloon and takes drink of
liquor is such monstrou5 perversion
of fact and sociaI custom. that the man
saving it must he pronounced either
Of unbalanced intellect or Of an i'm.
practical and deeply higoted turn of
mind And when we consider that the
man who throws out this gross insult
is himself confessed violator Of the
law, p, determined defer Of laws both
human and divine. we reach the limit
OF sc1ndalous absurdity in this cam
paigu.
We should remember in this election
that there is no question Of prohibition
involved The hreweries, dstilleries
and wine makers can continue their
business. no matter what the people
may vote. They are guaranteed under
the law also The right TO make and sell
their beer. their spirituous liquors. or
their wines. regardless Of how the peo
pie may vote. only provided that they
sell in packages of five gallons or more.
This neccssitatcs the buyers who wish
to drink clubbing together and, as
rule, drinking good deal more than
they should The chances are that
such combinations 10 buy liquor will
almost necessarily end in drunken de.
This, compared with The
inoffensiveness of a man
going into a saloon and taking drink,
and then going about his business, is
something 10 be condemned rather than
And President Smith makes
a double mistake when he prouounces
in favor of the prolonged soak as
against the casual drink
THE SALT TANn nrrIsION