Perth Amboy evening news., 1913-02-10
WHAT SALOONS
COST THE CITY
hnti-SaIoon League Orator
Says They Represent ST.
600 Each Yearly.
FOX LEGISLATION
Stirring Address in Presby.
terian Church - Pastor
Praises Civic Union Workers

That the Anti-Saloon League of
New Jersey is accomplishing a great
er work now in this state than ever
before, and that they are gradually
making the liquor interests retreat,
was the opinion of Rev. T. A. Cairns,
of Newark, a leader In the temper
ance movement. expressed last night
at the First Presbyterian church. He
heartily approved the Kenyon-Shep-
ard bill, which provides that no
liquor shall be shipped into dry"
states from wet" states.
Rev. James II. Northrup, pastor
Of the church, before introducing the
speaker, spoke of local liquor condi-
tions. He stated that in Perth Am
boy there are l6O licensed places,
where according to the last census
there lives only $4,000 people.
There Is one place for every 200
people, men, women and children,
and one to every forty voters" he
said. He thought it was an unprein-
diced statement to say we have too
many after reviewing these figures.
Praise for Civic Union.
He praised the work of those who
had inaugurated reform movement
and had placed on the excise ticket
men pledged to reform. He said that
the man who organized the move
ment deserves credit for it's success,
and also those men who consented
to be candidates on the ticket. He
stated that by an unfortunate circum-
stance the new excise board was
divided equally between the reform
commissioners and those unpledged
to the movement. But" he said,
"be not disheartened as the two re-
form com missioners can prevent any
license being granted" He spoke OF
the responsibility embodied In the
different offices represented by the
excise board, the mayor, the police,
etc., but he thought the RESPONSIBLE
ity does not stop there. but that each
citizen is responsible for the proper
encouragement Of faithful officer
and the effective condemning Of
those who fail to do their duty. He
citv does his duty the public officials
will naturally do theirs. After this
Discussion OF local liquor affairs he
introduced Mr.. Cairns.
Mr.. Cairns Speaks.
Mr.. Cairns began his lecture bv
presenting figures relative to local
conditions. He said that II there are
100 places In Perth Amboy then this
city pays $1,120.000 year for their
support. He based this calculation
on compilations made by the Anti
Saloon League which show that the
average cost to a community to sup
port a saloon In this country Is
$1,000.
MIR. Cairns stated that people are
just awaking to the fact that they
have a civic duty other than their in
dividual duty; that they are begin
ming to realize that they owe some
thing to the community in which
they live; that personal Godliness is
not sufficient. but that 1t ts their
duty to help elevate civilization.
Mr.. Cairns scored the ordinary
methods used in instructing little
children in their path of duty, He
stated that in the city OF Newark
they take a group OF young children
aside in the Sunday school and eau
tion them against the evils OF the
saloons, and then when they grow a
little older the same people send
them out among the 1,408 licensed
places in that city to be damned. Il
call that social suicide" he said. He
thought 1t was just like telling a
group OF children that there was a
rattlesnake in the backyard and then
telling them to 60 out there to play.
Evils from Saloons.
Speaking Of the evils resulting
from saloons. he said; 'Did you
know that everything you holN dear
splits on the rock Of the saloon? You
will find our very civic life splits on
that rock" He told Of how some OF
the league workers had made a cam
paign against some of the filthy and
degenerate saloons in the slums or
tcr,t,,ued on naoe p