Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-03-30

perance because | am thoroughly
American, she continued. My fore
fathers fought in all of the American
wars for liberty. l am now fighting
for personal liberty. In my child
hood the only movement on foot was
the temperance society, a society for
character building and to resist temp
tations. and when the radicals said,
Let US make them temperate by law
the wise leaders in this movement
stepped out
When | was II years old my faith
er, physician, was appointed to an
office in the Old Soldiers home, near
Augusta, in the dry state of Maine.
Those old soldiers there walked miles
over the hills and returned with some
kind Of liquor, and at night the Off
Gals Of the home were forced to send
out wagons to collect the veterans
who had become intoxicated before
reaching the home. Later, when my
father accepted position at the sol
diers' home in Milwaukee, I went with
him there. At that home there was
a saloon right on the grounds, opera
ted by the home, and conditions were
different. The men were contented
and seldom intoxicated and rarely
ever was anyone in the guardhouse
for misdemeanor At the home near
Augusta, in dry Maine. the guard
house contained 80 to 40 men at all
times"
Mrs. Jones went on to tell of con-
ditions among the laboring classes in
Ireland and England as she had found
them on visit there She stated that
in England $4,000 families lived in
one-room homes with large families,
in cellars, under sidewalks and in at
tics. Their wages would not permit
them to purchase steaks or chops and
they drink ale to feed their stomachs.
She also claimed that Rockefeller gave
thousands to the dry cause in Col
orado while the great strike was still
in progress there and the laboring
classes and their families were still
sick in body and soul. She also point
ed out that the saloon question was
brought into Texas when the great
land question should have been set
tied first
Not Cause of Poverty.
She also denied that drink was the
cause of poverty stating that she had
the latest official report of the char
liable organizations in Chicago which
showed that only per cent of the
cases we're traced to drunkenness. |
Who gives the poor man a sandwich |
and a glass Of beer and lets him wash |
up?' she asked. Society places a |
burden on the saloon, as no one else |
is willing to help them. The Anti /
Saloon league is an incorporated /
body. Most states are made dry !
through Legislative enactment and .
rarely by popular vote. In each state .
and at the national capital this league /
has its lobbyists and paid superin- !
tendents 1t is an invisible govern
ment seeking power and profit, not
caring to better moral conditions. !
The league finds tools in every town,
and the third-rate preachers join.
seeking to be your spiritual adviser
and your political enemy at the same
time Therein lies the danger-drag
ging religion into politics-and it will /
mean the death knell of this ridicu
lous prohibition idea
The Anti-Saloon league boasts that
it has more money in its treasury
than either the democratic or rePlb-
lican party. The books of the politi
cal parties are always open to inspec
ton, but not so with the Anti-Saloon
league 1t has had no audit of books
for seven years There must be
reason. The issue is not religious
or moral one, but one of economic
Mrs. P J. Carlson, president of the
auxiliary to the Municipal
League of Rock Island county, pre-
sided The meeting was opened by
the audience standing and singing
America" Several selections were
rendered by the Mixer trio of this
city and orchestra music was fur
nished.
The last speaker to appear in Rock
Island under the auspices Of the Mu-
nicipal league will be DR.. W. A. Gard
ner, who is to deliver an address Sat
lrday night at the Illinois theatre.