The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1915-06-15


stain of awful triple murder. And,
yet gentlemen of this convention,
how shall we meet this evil Shall
we not be consistent and reasonable :
in our thought and legislation?
think we should be. Now, permit me ,
to give you, having in our minds this
sad experience to which l have re-
ferred, our attempt at prohibition in !
the north. Public sentiment was
wrought up through the press and
from the pulpit. Ninety per cent of
the people felt just as my friend on
the left has expressed himself that
that great curse should be wiped out,
and they petit!oned the city council
to enact an ordinance that would ac-
complish that end. What was the
result? Instead Of three saloons I'm.
law, an attempt to prohibit the use
of liquor In that town developed six
teen dives; dark cellars in which LID
uor was given to all classes of peo-
pie surrept tiously. These dives be-
came holes of iniquity and nightly
carousals were had there. notwith-
standing we doubled our police force
and had spoilers and spies who were
employed and paid heavy salary to
root up this evil. The peoples sym
patty went with the Illicit dealers.
rather than with the law or the de.
tectives. Thousands Of dollars were
| expended to put down, and as my
friend on the left says, crush 1t ont,
but stmptuary laws, in my opinion,
will never destroy mans agency. The
white armed wife and the delicate
sister may lift out Of the ditch the
husband or the brother, but here is
agony, and II men through the exer.
else of that agency cannot be con
trolled through their moral and re-
ligious convictions. I have grave
doubts as to the accomplishment Of
that end by sumptuary laws. In eigh.
teen months, under prohibition, the
town of Logan lost all revenue, which
is but a small point, for the people
there would give half Of all they
have in the world II they could only
accomplish prohibition In the use OF
liquor, opium and morphine, for they
are kindred devils under the same
form. But, sir, our experience in
the north proved that in eighteen
months OF an attempt at prohibition
officers of the law and convictions
for drunkenness and crimes growing
directly out OF the use of liquor. We
employed lawyers to fight II down be-
for the courts, we employed detectives
to root out OF these dark places. All
to no avail, until at last the people
: were as anxious to petition the city
council for a high license and regu
lations as they were in the first in
! stance to petit on for prohibition. II
! was scattered all over that town ant
1, acted just as a loathsome, conta
! gious disease would do.
; And, gentlemen, as believe the at
? tempt has been done recently lin Salt
s Lake City; drive an evil off from Com
y mer.lal street and scatter II around
. this city as you scatter the smallpox
2 II is better to keep It within contro
I and under the eyes of the guardians
s OF the law than in undertaking to pro
e hibit, to allow II to grow up in every
I part of your cities. There was twic,
0 as much liquor drank in the town o
= Logan during an attempted prohibit
g ton as we drank before or immedi
o ately after. SiXty-two arrests, as
g stated, occurred in eighteen months
q but when they introduced high II
n cense; twelve hundred dollars a year
IS the utmost extent of the law, ivt
@ saloons opened and in eighteen
d months under that system the ar
r rests were twenty-seven instead o
n siXty-two and now we have but tire,
It saloons in Logan. would that W,