The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1918-02-28
N MY paper of a few
weeks ago l stated that
intemperance or strong
1,,1pL 1oolo -

|01SEM intemperance or strong
lA-Ag drink leads to crime-or
the majority of crimes committed.
l am we'll aware that there are two
sides to this question, but no hon.
est man can doubt that the saloons
are schools of crime. Do you hon.
estly believe that the people, who
are working with their whole heart
and strength to do away with the
saloons and save our young men
from becoming drunkards and
criminals, don't know what they
are doing, or don't know what
they are talking about?
They do. 1t seems to me the best
thought of the Lords Prayer is:
Lead us not into temptation, and
deliver us from evil, "-if you do
not avoid the one you can not ex-
pect protection from the other.
Spare not the saloon, for the sa-
loon will not spare you. Gust the
saloons of this state and there will
be contentment in the homes, mon.
ey in the pocket and clothes on the
children in many thousand families
in this state. If the saloons are a
blessing to this state. if they make
honest citizens; kind husbands and
loving fathers; if they discourage
crime, then there are no two posi-
tions for us to take on the question.
If strong drinks are a blessing, ev-
cry patriotic man who loves his
country owes it to himself, to his
honor to stand by the saloon, but
if the opposite is true-as l am
convinced it js-if the saloons or
strong drinks make drunkards,
cruel husbands, and unkind faith
ers: if it breaks women's hearts
and degrades the children; if it fills
our penitentiaries, our jails; if it
causes riots in our great cities, if
it is an enemy to law and civiliza-
tion, then will you give me a single
reason under heaven why you can
sustain the saloon. With such a
record, people nowadays are wax
ing up to the fact that it is foolish
to educate their boys and then
opening saloons to send him to a
drunkard's grave or to a place of
this kind. What about the thou.
sands and thousands of crimes COM
mitted every day at the homes we
never hear anything about. What
about the abuse the poor women
and children have to suffer. from
the drunken husband and father.
What is the cause of the many
divorces of recent years? Strong
drink and nothing else. There are
women who will stand by the men
they married no matter what hap
pens, but there are a good many
who don't. In seven out of ten
cases abuse and strong drink are
the cause of separation.
You know as we'll as I do that
the liquor traffic is responsible for
the corruption in our great cities.
There are hundreds of poor, ignor-
ant, degraded men standing on the
street corners on election day,
their whole systems craving for a
drink, and are ready to sell their
souls for a drink, but have no
money to buy one. Do you think
for one moment that such man
will vote as a good American citi-
zen should vote? / guess not!
Give him the money for a drink
and he will vote any old way you
want him to, but you cannot cor
rupt good, honest and sober
men.
We cannot expect that a young
man, acting according to his own
reason and impulses, will surmount
bad examples and evil influences if
we do not give light and vigor to
his understanding.
Society is at last beginning to
realize that it is largely responsible