The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1914-11-20
fitting its moral tone.

iiuuOP bUutu DS SOtH ia tHEo wv" - -
contained no licensed saloon. This isl
Impossible if honest and capable Of |
fcials are employed. Too often cor
rupt officers are employed. This may
be prevented only by caution on the
part of the voters. 1t is every citizens
duty TO acquaint himself with the
record of each candidate.
1t is altogether probable that liquor
would De ordered from the brewerieS,
but only the hardened drunkardS, who
are possessed by the deadly appetite,
would order it. We cannot save them,
but let US save those whom we can; the
younger generation.
Many a young man who does not take
into c nSiderauOn the inCalcula5le
harm done to him mentally, physically
and spiritually, by alcohol, drinks not
because of any especial liking for liquor
but for the sake OF fellowship. This
little frieadly drink does not seem harm
full at the time, but the Demon Alcohol
works silently and Stealhily, and at the
very time they are enjoying themselves
over the friendly glass they are giving
themselves up, mind. body and soul.
into the hands Of that which will drag
them down to a most miserable end.
Young men could not be thus beguiled
if no saloon existed in their town.
In places where a saloon exists, more
and more men gradually acquire the
taste for alcohol. A larger percentage
of the population drink. The habit
formed is no longer thought of serious
ly. and slowly but surely the moral
level OF town to which there is
saloon, sinks lower and many vice
sprouts in its foul atmosphere. Shall
we allow and even aid our town to sink
to this degraded position?
To persons who object 10 paving tax
eS, the license money pleads very
strongly for the licensed saloon. How.
ever, to patriotic citizens who are in
sympathy with the government, the
very fact that a saloon must be Ii.
cenSed, proves that it is detriment to
the moral advancement of town.
Where do you stand? Do you prefer
to ally yourself with those who are
against taxpaying and prefer to get
money for public use by licensing Sa.
looms. OF do YOU prefer to pay. Iperhaps
slightly larger tax, and keep out the
evil influence which saloon inevitably
exercises?
There are two other phases Of the
question of taxpaYing to be considered.
First, that on account of the saloon the
amount of money spent annually for
liquor greatly exceeds the amount
spent for taxes, so that on the whole
the license does not cause much OF de.
crease in expenditure. The second
phase is that the number Iof inmates of
the insane asylum and poor house in
creaSeSlin proportion to the number Of
drunk rdS: the taxes also increases in
proportion TO the number OF these un.
| fortune persons who must be sup.
ported. By considering everything
connected with this we now find that
when we license saloon we Sully our
honor while we do not decrease our
| taxes.
The business of the saloon is an evil
one. 1t is center around which many
vices cluster. and in licensing saloon
we make a compromise with SIN.
1t is the opinion of some that good
can be derived from the license money
/ but it is an established fact that good
cannot come from evil. We should not
sacrifice the eternal happiness of the
growing generation for the few fifty
dollars we gain through the license
tax.
1t is Gods law that the son shall in.
herit the fathers infirmitieS, as well as
his good qualities; therefore, he must
inherit the dangerous appetite for
liquor, which viii, under the tempta.
ton of the saloon, soon lead him into
the paths of drunkenness. from which
men rarely turn. Does this not show
the mistake of having a licensed sa
! loon?
! Ignpra nee is also a reason why q
licensed saloon is an evil influence in a
town. Many a man drinks when he
does not know it is destroying his
| faculties. Whenever he is cold he goes
| into the saloon and takes drink, think
| ing TO trick nature into warming him
| Nature, if left to herself, would con
sSrye his warmth for an emergency
Perhaps he has not yet acquired the
appetite for liquor, but when the sa
I3z~..