The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1915-08-12


he would in the home of one of his friends.
Right here is where the argument fails, and
in this way: If the State, County and City
would not license saloon, close them up,
keep a strict eye upon the ssblind pig"
the young man and the habitual drnnkard
would have to look to some other place to
meet and enjoy life; and men, as long as
the world goes round, will look for social
intercourse with their fellow man. With
the saloon out of existence the home will
be the place where frieds will be invited
and entertained at far less cost than at the
bar.
You advance the argument that the sa-
looms pay big revenue, employ thousands
of men; likewise the breweries; that in the
large cities it would make things slack in
all lines with so much capital taken from
the daily business. Here is where you are
wrong. True, it would put lots of men out
of employment, bartenders, brewery hands,
and the like, but it would put more men to
work in the grocery, the butcher-shop, the
clotbier. the department store, in fact all
lines would benefit by it. At present the
saloon is reported by the laboring man
| who at his best salary can not expect to
give his family too much, and every dollar
he spends over the bar comes out of that
home as sure as if he took bed, stove,
or pound of meat out of it.
Very few of the laboring class own a
home of their own and fewer still have all
they need in furniture in their home, in
fact some have barely enough to get along
on. They are ashamed to invite their
friends to their home, whereas, if it were
not for the saloon their money would go
into the home where it would represent cap
ital to him and not into the saloon keeper
bank account.
Oh God. pity the countless wives and
little children who are suffering to-day in
silence for the loved one who has left his all
in the saloon. In many cases he will be
found in place like this, prison, and still
his wife and babies hope that something
may yet turn up that will send him back to
them who love him, and not to the saloon.
Few indeed are the saloon keepers who
will give you dollar OF drink if you are
broke, but they will pat you on the back
and "set 'em up if you are a live one.
They have good graft and know it; we
are the suckers and the loosers.
l have named but one or two of the evils
of the saloon and one or two of the things
that would be of benefit TO organized soci-
ETY. if they were eliminated No man be-
came SO drunk he did not know what he
was doing and then committed a crime
which he thought at the moment benefited
him, but the drink put his mind in such
a condition that he did not care and he was
willing to take any chances. Boys. the
suffering l, and perhaps you, have caused
those nearest and dearest to US, cannot be
measured nor counted in gold; sufferings
that have left a scar that cannot be remov-
ed in this life, and the cause-drink and
the saloon.
The time is not far distant when the city,
| the state, and the whole nation, will be vot-
ed dry. Then we can cut down one-third
of the guards here, one-third of the police
department, one-third of our courts, and
use these men in producing something fol
the home. The saloon is place where in
nocence is not known nor wanted but a
place where crimes are planned, where health
is lost and homes ruined; truly, place fit
for only His Majesty, The Prince of Dark
ness, and not for you and l. Drink and
the saloon has taken everything from me,
all that held dear, and given me nothing
but this prison cell.
1t is indeed the last stand for the saloon
keeper. He is back to the wall now and
will lose in the long run. The last stand
for you andl; for remember, if we take
| the first glass we have not the moral cour-
age to resist the second and it will be an
easy matter to keep away from the first
glass if we but try, and try hard, to keep
| away HUH Tic SdlOUu uutlt tic law tdkSs
away its license.
When we leave here let's leave drink
alone for the sake of the wife and babies and
mother who have not ceased to love and
pray for us at all times. We have lots OF
time to think it over here and / am sure
you who are like myself. drinking men,
will agree with me in the foregoing, and
when you are paroled your chances are
only one in thousand that you will vio-
late it if you leave drink alone. l know
| boys, l have been thru the mill, and may
we have the will power and strength to
make our last stand against the curse that
has befallen US. Let's try!
CRIME
The degree of success or failure of any