The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1912-01-02
CARES FOR HELPLESS ONES
Appeal to Saloon Keepers,
to Drinkers, Finally to
Courts.
Pitiable Story of Sorrows
Caused by Drink Brings
League About.

to the home or Mrs. Stella Masters,
In the fashionable East End district
f Pittsburg.
''I saw your name in the paper and
low you were working to help people
made poor by drink" she said between
scbs. 81 didn't go to my pastor be-
cause he couldn't do anything. I'm
afraid. my husband wouldn't listen to
HIM. My husband makes six dollars
q day in the mills Dut he spends II
| 81. for drink and today-Christma
Cay, just think Of 1.-THE drove our
six children out on the street and beat
me lie was drunk. IS there nobody
who will do something FOR drunlSards
wives? Can you help mc?" She grew
hystcrical and could not finish her
pathetic story.
Mrs. Masters, ". c. r. u. ana
church worker, club oman and suf-
fragist, todsy said she was taken
abaclI by the woman's appeal and she
teallzed that the IA years of her work
along charitable lines, mad somehow
failed TO hit the marx. Right then
and there she made the resolve, "Tll
dc something FOR drunkards' wives and
children"
A short time later the Protective
League for the Families OF DrunKards,
the most unique organization Of its
kind in the country, was formed.
Mrs. Masters laughed when she was
asked whether the league, of which
she is president, had secured any
"swearing off, pledges.
I'VE don't do thinss tnat way she
said. "Most pledges are jokes. They're
made only to be broken.
First we appeal to the saloon
keeper and then TO the erring one him
self. II neither of these two appeals
dces any good we go TO the courts
sour work is broad in scope. We
!, have monthly meetings, but we have
no paid treasurer or secretary our
dues are only 25 cents a year. We
Landed ourselves together like the
! @ usaders of old ana aim to do just
what our name implies protect drunk
ords' families
During the past year 'we have
Helped fifty families. THAT is, we were
successful in that many instances in
Iweaning away supporters of families
fsom the curse of strong drink.
FIFTY families sounds small and In
consequential, doesn't It? But isn't Il
remarl<a Bile thing when only one per
son is turned into better paths
- We don't assume things, or so by
lhtarsay. our members go into sat-
Icons themselves, right up to the bar
| I: necessary.
1--WE are the saloonkeeper's friends
and they are our fr:enGs. We work
! e gether. They know now that we
realize they have a legal right. at
least, to make their living as they do,
and the better class o. saloonkeepers
welcome our aid in conducting respect
/ able houses
Most saloon keepers aren't bad at
heart and then we e;ways have the
law to back us up in our demands and
| lconses are hard anE expensive to get
! ic protests are filed in license court.
but we make no threats. We talk IL
over with the saloonkeeper and give
! Lim chance to mend his ways. A
second offense means more drastic
methods"
! Here is how the league goes about
lta work, quietly and unassumingly,
| A drunkard's wife or mother or some
woman Of the family writes to the lea
que, asking for help.
! one Of the members looks into the
case. This woman detective gets the
names and addresses or the places
where the husband or son spends his
money for drink. Then she goes to
tho saloon keeper ana talks the mat
Ter over with him.
| II he refuses to ac, at the first ap-
leal which usually falls ON deaf ears
o. the league member tries a talk with
tine drlnker himself
If this fails n prin,od notice 10 Civ
en- the saloonkeeper warning him not
to sell to "John Doe who Is per-
son of incorporate habits,
A copy of the liquor laws Of Penn
81 lvania goes with the notice and the
galoonkeeper has learned by this time
that failure to compiy with the no.
tee means trouble getting new Ii
cense next year.
a particularly harG fight was put
up on Christmas and New Years day
last year to close all places where
strong drink Is sold
The court refused Mrs. Masters re"
quest on the ground that it could take
no action within the bounds of law
Noihng daunted, Mrs, Masters and
her colleagues carried the matter &c
: iA2 lidVor dealers association. Th'
eealers were ready to promise If al
the "speakeasies ana one-man clubs
, ana bar-room drug stores were c'oseC
( also"
: But the women haven't given vi
T ythe fight and mean to accomplish thei
aim before another year.
= while Mrs. Masters reluctantly ad
2 mHs it's rather Utoplan, she is push
\ .inH fight TO have women barred a
an times from all places where stron
2 chng is disposed. The work is be
Z eipning to attract country wide at
teption and letters are pouring in
o asking for information relative to OF
J. gpnizing leagues in other cities.