Webster City freeman., 1913-09-09
AN ADDRESS or WELCOME.

AN ADDRESS OF WELCOME.
The following address OF well
come was issued by the w. G. T. U.
OF Cedar Rapids at a meeting Of the
retail liquor dealers association held
in that city not long ago:
Iowa Retail Liquor Dealers Asso-
citation, Gentlemen: A welcome to a
city should be representative and
since the welcome accorded your as
sociation by the mayor of Cedar
Rapids represents the thought Of
hut a portion of its citizenship, 1t
seems fitting that the entire com
munity' should communicate to you
it's sentiment. Hence, in behalf Of
those not represented by the mayor.
the Women's Christian Temperance
Union extends this greeting.
1t is quite usual in greeting a
body to ehumerate its accomplish
ments and tell of its worth and
standing. Courtesy to the individ-
ual somewhat embarrasses US here.
Shall we greet you as those who
wreck homes, debauch manhood.
prostitute womanhood, disgrace and
impoverish childhood? Shall we
greet you as those who place upon
the taxpayer the heaviest burden in
caring for the results OF your traffic? :?
. Your position in a community is
quite peculiar. We fail to find a
city that enumerates among its adj
vantages its saloons. The CONNER
cial club of our city advertises our
manufacturing plants, our churches,
our schools and colleges, but never
once have the thirty-two saloons of
the city been advertised as reason
for industries to locate here.
Your representatives in this city
have lulled the city government to
sleep with the idea that their places
OF business are law abiding. But
the motherhood of the city is arous-
ed by the fact that the boys under
age have been sold liquor by saloon
keepers here, indeed so much as to
induce delirium tremens. Naturally
you will understand that your COM
ing SO soon after the prosecution Of
these boys in our courts and the
sending OF two Of them to the inebri-
ate asylum and one Of them to the
insane asylum, will fail to generate
a great enthusiasm on the part OF
those interested in home and child
hood. In view of this very recent
event, you will understand, gentle
men, that the words OF welcome Of
Mayor Roth do not represent the
thought Of the fatherhood and the
motherhood Of Cedar Rapids.
1t is said by some that you help,
a town. Do you make better fathers,
husbands, sons, and so raise the
standard Of citizenship? Do you
bring comfort and happiness to
mothers, wives and children? Do
you add. to the efficiency OF the lab-
orer or. business man and SO add to
the material prosperity of the place?
Any business is judged by its re-
suits. Some time since, Cedar Rap
ids had a Manufacturers week. Ev-
cry business in the city save yours
exhibited its wares. Yet your ambi-
tion is to be classed as line OF leg
itimate business. The Packing House
and Quaker Oats mills showed their
splendid products ready to feed the
world. The Pump Manufacturers
and Wood finishing concerns exhib-
tied their contributions to comfort
and esthetic pleasure. The clothing
manufacturers gave evidence of
prosperity. Did the saloons of Ce-
dar Rapids use their windows or
were those OF other places loaned to
exhibit their finished products? No,
you find these in the penitentiary
where eighty-fiye per cent Of the in
mates are your graduates. Seventy
per cent OF the Insane are others.
Ninety per cent of pauperism is an
other class. The great burden of
private charity is due to the saloon,
The taxpayer pays the enormous
cost OF the Knoxville collosal fall
ure to care for your product. But
only the Father OF us all knows all
the blight of manhood, the shame pf
womanhood, the wreck Of home, the
heartbreak of the innocent. All NO,
gentlemen. You are not welcomed to
Cedar Rapids by its homes and So
cial interests.
Yours is not legitimate business,
so declared by the United States su-i
preme court. Our stores open at
their pleasure. closed only on the
day of rest. But in self-defense a