The Key West citizen. [volume] (Key West, Fla.) 1879-current, 1947-01-18
WHO PAYS?
Editor, The Citizen:

most valuable paper to say a
few words against the liquor
traffic in our city.
! / am a father, Sunday school
teacher, good citizen, also an
excl (who isn't now?
First, l want to say that was
born and reared in Key West,
so / am familiar with its history.
And / know that the morals of
our city are lower now than
they have been for many years,
and that they are not improving.
l know that drinking does some
thing to one physically and
morally. l learned that in the
fifth grade in school, and, believe
1T or not, they still learn the evil
effects of alcohol on the body in
school. And when we fight to
keep liquor away from the
schools and churches, someone
who just as soon sell a child's
soul for bottle of beer starts
hollering about their liberties.
What about our children's liber-
ties? What about my liberties?
What about everybody's rights
and liberties? We want our chill
dren to grow up to be clean,
wholesome, moral and spiritual
men and women, and will con-
tinue to fight to see that they
have the liberties guaranteed
them under the Constitution of
the United States, that so many
selfish persons who think of self
first, would like to take away
from them. Give the children a
chance to live.
Someone has said that it is
absurd that people drive 1850
miles to go to church. No; people
don't just drive 100 miles to 60
to church. Neither do they drive
160 miles to buy liquor. In Mi
ami they have some fine
churches Il have been to church
there); they also have liquor es-
adjustments, and. these liquor
establishments sell liquor. But
the people who do drive $50
miles to go to church are the
ones who stay the longest in Key
West, because they save their
money and they don't throw it all
away in few hours of drinking.
They tell as about our great
beverage industry, that it en-
ploys thousands and contributes
heavy taxes, that are used for
public good. takes that are used
for public good" What a laugh!
My son, only nine years old,
could tear that one to pieces.
Who pays the large police force
that cities must maintain so that
liquor establishments may have
the protection they need to sell
their liquors? Who pays for the
broken homes, the children who
must suffer because of the sale
of liquor? Who pays for the
traffic accidents, the murders, the
fires, the prostitution caused by
the liquor traffic? Who keeps up
the penal institutions, the SAM
tariums, the asylums, that must
be maintained in order to have
the liquor traffic?
Write our FBI man, Mr.. Hoov-
er, or write to Washington, and
get statistics before you rave
about the taxes the liquor in
dustry pays.
In the final analysis, it is the
people who pay, and theirs is a
total loss in money; but the IL
quor interests realize huge prof
its.
But, my friends. if all it cost
us was money, we would not
say one word. 1t is the liquor in
terests who think only in dol
lars and cents. What care they
about humanity? They are MAX
ing huge profits.
Now, our love goes deeper
than that. Yes, deeper than dol
lars and cents. We realize we
are our brothers keeper; we are
interested in humanity; we are
interested in every boy and girl.
That's why we are 100 per cent
in back of Rev. Doherty, or any
one else, whose sole interest in
this fight is to lift humanity
(our neighbors) up to a higher
moral standard of living. So, let's
keep the bars closed on Sundays
and drink the water which
Jesus changed into wine.
EUGENE L. ROBERTS.
Key West, Fla,
Jan. II, l947.