The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-15
BUILDING TEMPERANCE
 ON A. NEW FOUNDATION
By F. I. MONKS

losses. There really seemed to be no
 remedy but total abolition, and total abolition followed. In the excitement a over the issue and advantage was taken of the confusion. Saloons and liquor were made to appear equally culpable for the conditions then existing, whereas in truth the conditions were solely due to the violations of the law regulating the sale of liquor, and these violations were made by men who sought by every means in their power to reimburse themselves for the outlay they were put to in the pay
 ment of their license and other ex- pcnses. There is a story told of an Australian aborigine whose curiosity was aroused by seeing men stretch a telegraph wire.
 What for." said he. "do you use such very tall fence posts and put wire so high?" ITO prevent cattle from climb ing over," he was told. That's no good" he said, 'cattle walk under" This little story very aptly serves to illustrate the high license proposition. If the license is made so high that few. if any. can pay it then the unlicensed sale of liquor is en- couraged, and the bootlegger, the blind tiger and the boarding house reap har- vest The license that Is too high. like the penalty that is too severe, only serves to defeat it's purpose and encourages, rather than prevents lawlessness.
 It cannot be repeated too often or too forcibly that 1t Is the man and not the price of the license that will be the con- trolling factor in the retail liquor bus mess. While the saloon can never be re- garded as a blessing, still 1t need not necessarily be curse; but it can be very easily made such if there be not the foc In ha ton of the men to whom that business is entrusted. A properly conducted and well regulated saloon Is the only means by which the consumption of liquor by the majority of people can be controlled, and since there's no use trying to prevent the consumption. then at least let it be controlled So long as grapes grow there will be wine; so long as there is hops there will be beer, and so long as there is rye and barley there will be whisky. These beverages are made to be drunk by people. but not to make people drunk. Like many more things in life, 1t is the abuse and not the use that does the harm. The man who sells glass of beer or wine or whisky Is no better nor worse than the man who buys 1t; but the man who sells intoxicating drinks to another when he is already intoxicated, or until he becomes so, is not fit or proper per son to be entrusted with the sale of liquor. That Is the man against whom every precaution should be taken, and unless it Is taken there will be repeti- ton of the conditions formerly existing
 The manufacture and sale of liquor is viewed in a very different light In the United States from what it is in Europe. From platform and pulpit in America the sale, especially the retail sale, of liquor, has been condemned and the seller de- nounced and his family socially ostra- cised. He has been branded as the aide de-camp of the devil and his saloon as the ante-room of hell. Notwithstanding the fact that his business has been one of the biggest sources of revenue to the municipal treasury: even though he pays a higher rent for his premises than any other merchant in the block and meets his obligations promptly, yet he is the target for all sorts of villification and abuse. There ia an old proverb, "Call man a thief and he'll steal" If the sa- loonkeeper in America Is all that he has been called, he is no more than he has been made. If he Is all that he has been called. how is it that state. federal and municipal governments recognize his bus mess and are willing to accept his tainted money? The truth, the cold, hard. bald, naked truth. is the saloonkeeper Is more sinned against than shining.
 The saloonkeeper has the courage of his convictions and openly sells beer and wine and whisky to men who slyly buy