Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1913-11-26
TEE SAIGON SITUATION.

TDes MoineS Register and Leaatij
The closing OF the saloons 81 yes
MONIES under circumstances Whlch uo
no. promise we'll for their reopening Is
a circumstance that may We'll attracl
the very serious attention OF those
who believe the saloon should be per-
rnitted, and of those who are re1oiciEs
at the turn of events that has forced 1t
out of business.
On the one hand. the saloon must
recognize that the lines are peins
drawn tighter. Everywhere 1t is tHe
same story, more and more dry terri
tory, less and less wet territory. Noe
only is this true of Iowa, it is true OF
every state north, south east ana west.
It is not only true CT the United states,
but it is true OF European couhtriss.
There IS universal movement against
the open drinking place.
But this movenlen: against the sa-
loon does not seem tn be IN equa' 1e-
gree a movement against the Use CT
lycuor for statistics seem to prove in1t
IS. e .Ien drinking 9.:,i es are 'e'"r
the consumption of liqucr is stcadiiy
on the gain Such an anomaly mus:
suggest that whatever is TO be the flu
ture of the consumptitn OF alcoholic
be long permitted in the open saloon;
in other words, the saloon is doomed.
The saloon may held OUT here ami there
for a longer or shorter period, but. in
the enc, 1t is booked TO-. extinction.
If the saloons and their friends have
these SOLDERING reflections forced upon
them, the enemies Of the saloon here
in Des Moines have no less SOLDERING re-
Elections forced upon them as they con-
slider the immediate problem OF read
justment. For nothing will be easier
than to bring about powerful reac-
ton thru nom enforcement of law, or
thru radical, irritating and trouble
some enforcement.
The Register and Leader confesses
frankly for itself that 1t had come to
take a friendly view OF the nulct law
as measure Of practical temperance
legislation, and to look most hopefully
to the "inching along" process OF recent
legislatures. The sortening Of saloon
hours. the removal Of derelict public
officials, the state enforcement OF law
are all things that have been won in
recent years for the forces of law and
order. Whether in city like Des
moines anything is to be gained by
abandoning this "inching along" and
jumping at once to the direct abolition
of the saloon we shall soon be in po-
sition to Judge better than can be
judged now.
There is but one thing for the city
to do IL the saloons shall fail under the
ruling Of the court to reopen pending
another city election. and after that
shall fail to be able to secure a peti-
ton Of consent, and that Is to en-
force the law and make Of Dies Moines
an experiment station for the trying
out OF q policy in which every city OF
the land of 100000 is intensely inter-
ested. II Des Moines can go ahead
without saloons successfully. Des
Moines will attract more attention than
was attracted by the new experiment
in city government.
The one thing Des Moines can not
afford IS q nerveless and sp!neless ad-
ministration OF the law, followed, as It
will be, by an Illicit traffic In liquor
that will multiply crime and disorder
at home and bring the name Of the cry
into disrepute abroad. Dies Moines has
had the most orderly saloon known 90