Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-12-10
MUST DECIDE ATTITUDE
ON LIQUOR QUESTION
Labor Bodies VIII Take Action, Says
Committee OF Churches
OF Christ.
BITTER FIGHT is EXPECTED
Married Men, Declares Report, Spend
More Time I'm the Saloon Than
Single Aien-MOre Cheerful Homes
One Solution.
rBy Associated Press. !

-
ST. LOUIS, December S-'rhe atti-
'ude OF the great labor organizations
OF this country on the liquor question
soon must be decided. according to the
commission on temperance OF the Fed
eral Council of the Churches of Christ
session of the quadrennial meeting Of
the council. In It's report the commits
sion speaks OLA big fight in the lahur
federation coming soon" 1t says:
various groups in the federation
nave from time TO time made an at
tempt To open the discussion, and Mt
the convention OF the American Fed
Grafton of Labor held In San Francisco
during November 1915, Il number If
resolutions were brought to the con-
Vcntion by various delegates seeking
to have action. favorable to the liquor
business, taken by the convention. hut
these resolutions were hastily with
drawn when the consequence of such
action was brought hometo the leaders
or the convention. However. there is
no doubt that. in the near future the
entire question will he discussed by
the American Federation of Labor.
Such pressure is being brought To bear
by the liquor interests that the fedora
ton must decide definitely where il
stands. This will result in the bit
tcrcSt fight that ever has taken place
1T any convention of the federation
Because of TINS. II is SuDremcly inn
portant that Il campaign OF education
be engaged in tby the churches) which
not only VIII furnish material for those
VINO must make this fight on the floor
OF the convention. but for the benefit
of the rank and file Of workinemen,
who should support To the last degree
the labor men who will be called upon
TO make this fight, and against whom
all the bitterness Of the liquor traffic
will be hurled"
HOME BEST SUBSTITUTION
FOR TIE SALOON
Discussing Married Men and the
Saloon the commission says:
ut is striking fact that married
men spend more time in the saloon
than single men. This is somewhat
startling. because married life is sun
posed to have a SOLDERING effect upon n
man. Can ii be that in m:,ny of these
cases the home has failed to function?
For let it be said with all the en-
phasis possible. that in the last
analysis the nome must be the best
substitute for the saloon. II is very
generally true that men do not do their
part I'm making the home what il should
be from the social standpoint: and
perhaps too much has been said about
wives failing to make themselves and
their homes more attractive, thus
driving their poor husbands To drink:
but the fact remains that II careful
student of the subject revealed that
about twice as many married men go
to the saloon as do single men. This
may be due To the higher idcaiism of
| the younger men. and il may also be
attributed 10 the fact that they spend
n great deal of time i'm the company
of their SwccthcartS, who naturally
would not visit the saloon with them
Perhaps no satisfactory solution may
be founo OF this particular aspect OF
the problem until in some way il be
comes possible To provide more cheer
full homes for working people. in point
of ventilation. light. space and general
outlook. This condition must be met
by men and women OF large social con
ccptionS. II may be taken up by the
municipality or the Statc--Somcb ody
must do II, for il is unfair and short
sighted Ia charge up to married men
and women s,hial sins and omissions
for which they are only in part re-
SponSiblc."