The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1911-08-17

SaturO
comparison with these modern whiskey
fiends who prey on the innocence of
childhood.
The traffic has been reported to be
back of movement to adulterate candy
with alcohol so as to develope appetite.
A little girl went into candy store
on her way to school to spend penny
for candy. The keeper said Dear
have some whisky drops; they are the
best.
Some Chicago saloons are reported to
be fitted up with play house attach
ments in side room, furnished with
dolls, little chairs, blocks, games. pic
lures, and other toys. Children are
lured into these places to play, and
while there are coaXed to take alcohol
in small quantities for the sole purpose
of developing an appetite for the poison.
The liquor traffic is the enemy of child
hood.
A brewer and saloon keeper were
standing side by side one dav near a
school building at the noon hour. Across
the way some little distance from them
were two or three hundred happy chill
dren playing. Said the brewer to the
saloon keeper, Glow is business?"
Poor enough" was the reply. 'In
the last few days several of my best
customers have died" "Wen," said
the brewer, pointing to the happy chill
dren at play, there is plenty more ma
terial Just 40 good over there" Yes,
the traffic is the enemy of children.
We will consider next the question of
crime. To live in a rural community
like this where we do not come in touch
with crime in its worst forms is bless
ing Recent figures show that ninety
eight per cent. of our criminal popula-
ton comes from the cities. This seems
Incredible No wonder that the man
hood of a city must be constantly re-
plenished from the country to prevent
absolute decay.
1t is also true that the enormous
figures relative to crime seem incredible
to US who know SO little of it by actual
contact.
We are spending SO, 800, cooper day in
this country on crime; that is, this vast
sum is spent in experimenting, keeping
in custody and in prosecuting the Grim
inal classes.
Some one asks, what has that to do
with the liquor traffic? Glad you ask
the question. We shall see that the con-
nection between crime and the traffic is
vital and closely related; that to eliml-
nate whisky from our modern life means
to reduce crime at once to the minimum.
We shall take first an illustration from
England. That country has an average
of about $50, 900 criminal suits per year,
costing from 81 900 to $4,000 each. To i
be conservative we will place the cost
of each suit at 5000. This is a low
estimate, but at this figure Eng !
land spends $3.50, 900, 600 annually in
prosecuting her criminal classes. Her
best judges say that 50 per cent of this
cost is traceable directly to the saloon. !
No wonder Mr.. Gladstone said, at has
destroyed more lives than war, pestil- J
ence and famine combined"
Judges in this country have placed
our criminal expense, traceable directly
to the saloon, at from 70 per cent. to 80
per cent. of the whole cost.
Before proceeding further let us get
a conception of the magnitude of crime
in this country as far as figures can
convey an adequate knowledge of it.
"At the meeting of the National Prison
Congress few days ago an expert stat
istician and penologist of established
reputation estimated that out of a rev.
enue of $50, 900, 900 in 1899 New York
City spent $50, 900, 900 of it as the re-
suit of crime, its detection and punish
ment. The same authority estimates
that in a recent given year the United
States spent 5000, 900, 900 for the same
reason-S105, 900, 600 being raised by
city taxation, S45, 600, 900 of it by coun-
ty taxation, $50, 600, 600 of it by FEEDER
al and State taxation. Estimating the |
income lost to the country by the choice |
of criminal career by the $50, 900 GRIM