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Show I I1UM ON THE RUN. 1 The Rise of the Flood. By Harris Dickson. 9 The following article was taken form "The Circle," a paper I published in New York, and is of interest to supporters of the I prohibition movement. 1 I ' ' Ttio waves rise high whon tho wlud K blows bard, tut ttio forco behind this ' I wave 18 aometblug stronger (ban wind. I The old voodoo negro whispers: H "Lordy, honey, doun you know cr I bog kin seo do win'?' Hut tbo nv I erage saloon keeper 1b cot tint kind ' ' of it bog Ho lins never yet been able to seo tbo exact nature of tbo wind that is blowlug him out nf business. Ho boldly assorts tbat It ia nothing but fanaticism and projudico. None of tboin cuu eoo that it is a pact of tbo worldwldo orueado for cleaner poll-tics poll-tics and bottor government. A bnrrlcauo of this eort, in Colonial Colon-ial days, swopt tbo Atlantic Coast and spout itsolr in tho Tronzy of its own wrath. In 18G0. to 1800 it struck again, bit tho Statu of Maluo slant-who, slant-who, turned tho NorthouBtcru States upside down, thou passed westward, touohing tbo ground in high pluoes, and broko up things an far as Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota. Tbeu tbo Hurry lullod iignio, nud tboro.was murtb baoksliding. Hut tbo wrecks that struwed its path set mou to thinking. think-ing. Tbo present blow is not nn orrntio Btorra; it is as steady, regular, mid ' -reliable es tbo trado winds. Coming i grudualy, it felt Its way with mom 1 than In; men cuutlpii. For many yonrs uow thero havo bouti prem.nltury mutterings, rlaliic lis littlo tomposts -; of fury tbut vainly beat against tho &-fti . ..' , racks or established conditions These 4Q ru ., -ro-dnrdlsturbjuros woro led-aa tho ? " saloon keeper always maintained by 1 - pooplu with n urlovanoo, in pulpit . ' and poctiooats. T" booio degrco this wiib trux. Tbo tlrst and moot earnest , protests against tho liquor traflla " , aamu from tho prencher, from tbo j mother, and tho wifo. Decency nud ' wotuauboud bad tbo groivauco. Suf- f , ferors lod tbo way. Tdoy opened ro t oruiting statous and enlWted volun- ' leors. Littlo by littlo thoy rotued tho nation to tliu faot that it, too, hud a griovauco, THE SALOON K13EPER HASTENED HIS OWN RUIN. Tbo mightiest reoruit that cvor I joined tho prohibition rnul8 wbb tbo retail liqr.nr dealer himself. He did not know it thou ho does not real ize it uow, but ho has beon tbo rcost poworful singlo faotor in ralsiug tho storm which it I uow iroposjibio for biiu to rldo. The retuil liquor dealer has converted con-verted moro unwilling men to tho prohibition cause than all tto b'eh-ops, b'eh-ops, wives aud mothers comblaed. Ho has uiod praotioal arguments whioh could uot bo rofutod. Ua per-Istod per-Istod in soiling his whisky to littlo boys, evon to littlo girls. Ho per-stated per-stated in Keoping bis saloon open on Sunday. He maintained bis gumbl-Ing-boupo in connection with his bar. Tho decent oloment In every community com-munity found itself powerless, for a saloon-dominated oity employs none but blind polloemen. Theoretically, indeed, tho enloon existed by toleru tion of the law bound down by multi- I tudlnous restrictions. Praotloallf, the people existed by courtesy of tho saloon, for the saloon was ibo law. Nobody know this morn thoroughly than thnusauda of business men who patronized saloons. Deep in their heart men of this olaaa wanted tho law bettor enforced. They wanted tho saloon, and realized that it bad to bo ' more rcspeotablo or disappear. , One by ono, two by two, thouanud by thousand, liberal-minded oitizens . began to ally themselves with tbo j prphibltiouiBtB. Tho wavo galborcd j strength i tho men bebiud it quit us- ing wind, and substituted work. Tbo 'M cloud on tbo horizon, which had been ' no bigger than a mBn's hand, black- l enod aud en mo nearer. Tho direct- ) lug force included brains, toleration, lm industry, and cash. There wbb now something substantial and respect- commanding about tbo movomont. Timid peaplo began to join it Tbo gieat middle olasa of hesitating clti- zo iib joined houdft. All of a sudden It burst into n tidal wavo so poworful that it-swept other tbousanduotr thoir feet and born thMn aluug. Last of all wero the politloiaus. They mounted tho topmost crest, mado tbo most noleo, and shouted tho loduesc "oomo-ous" to tboo behind, Just as soon as they benamo convinced that tho Doople wero really behind it, they got in front after tho fashion of thoir kind. John llarlftyooiu, tbo King, wno dead. Loug llvo Kiug Adam'8 Ale, whoso obarict ia tho wator wagon. Thoy climbed to tho front seat, and tho saloon koepor mado tarcaatlo re-maiks re-maiks about "gratHudo" ns tho pro oeesiou went by. Saloon keepers had been need to jeorlug at prohibitionists for a let of "loua haired mou and short-haired women." Uut wbon tbo wator-wugon brlgado marobed by, thoy 8aw uioyors, judgeH, district at tornoyp, oberitrp, cnugrcsamen, nud governors sittiug on tb. frout seat. Many of tboco politloiaus had gained and held public oflloo by thoir phrowd gueRsing ns to which eido could iniiB ter tbo biggest crowd. Thoy had to guess right, tor thoir bread aud moat doponded upon it. This sight jolted the barkeeper, for ho understood tbat somo of thero men bad mounted tho water wagon becauso tho water wagou carriod the band. lu some communities, tou years ago, it was a bravo politician who would admit tccr-t toleration for tho prohibition propaganda. Now it takes more courago to deny it. The main foruo of tho movomont lay in tho business ma-i, mauufuoturor, profession?! mRu, and farmor the non-partisan, hard-headed ojtlzenship of tbo country. Thdohanged their minds grcdually, but once for all, acd lipcamo proliibltlctiicts not bo-omigo. bo-omigo. of fanntiuiam Or projudloo. not. oven for tbo sako of church or theoretical theo-retical morula, but for plain business busi-ness rcnsonB. Tho busim-tB ninu had nlwnyo dreaded making tho prohibition prohibi-tion experiment, becauso ho is always ooiiEorvatlvo and droada n departuro from citublished ronditiuns, Times had been coed. Ho waj ftcctislomed to loeitig many itoio houses In bis town oooupled by saloons aud uaying h'gh rents, which, as ho thought, teudod to rrnintalu real oEtato vuluos. Perhaps ho owned n building or two hlmsolf, and tho monthly rental was a poweiful peifiURder. Ho saw u doz-en doz-en prororous liquor doalors in his town; they wrra liberal spondore, which livened up things und gnvo tho town bij air of bustle. Liquor Jl-on03 Jl-on03 in many pluces supported tbo publia eohools, and tbo business man tb6ught tbat if this sourco af revenue woro shut off his owu taxes would bo increased. Gladstone was onco asked, "What wiil you do for revenue if you roduoo your Income from the liquor li-quor tratflo;" Ho replied, "Yon give rao an industrious pooplo who aro not wasting thoir monoy for drink, and 1 will raise tho roronuo." Then, too, tho liquor man was a good fellow and tradesmon aro proverbially proverbial-ly timid about offending a possiblo customer. For nil thetu urrrra tho conservative business man set bis'faco against prohibition. COMMERCE DOES NOT FOLLOW THE JUG. Hut tho business man's fear could nut stem the tido which bad set in against tho saloon, in spito of his vote, various communities tried tbo experiment. The dry towns did not disappear from the mop. Oommerce did not follow tbo jog; trade in a dry town wna better, more substantial and reliable than trade in a wet town, because sober men stood at both ends of every bargain. His clerks becamo steadier and moro atteutlve to business; busi-ness; his customers, who had formerly former-ly spont part of their earnings on whisky, now bought more dry goods, school bookB, and groceries. Every dollar tbat bad heretofore gone for whisky was one dollar withdrawn from tho business hiau's roveno. Tho gonial drummor had flitted from town to town with h quart In his eatohol, and troatnd cnoh prospective customer two or threo timcB before broaohing business. He began to chaogo bis methods. Ida employor no longer desired tho sotrloo ol n man Who was half tanked nil tho time, and no longer deBirod to sell gooda to a man who transacted business while iiudor tho Influence of liquor. UMPLYOEItd INSIST TUA'I MEN QUIT DMNK1NU. Railroad magnates throughout tho country began to compute tho cost of whisky -not the Ofteeu centB per drluk spent by n conductor or ongi-ucor, ongi-ucor, but tbo cost of wrecks and tinman tin-man lifo diroctly trncenblo to liquor. Theee rrngnntea wore rolther Purllaus nor PharUcfB? they woro simply bus-inces bus-inces men recking to munago their vast proport'cH bo as to oaru dividends. divi-dends. Dividends could not bo enrnod by servants who drank. Tho railrcad odloials issued iron olad orders or-ders tbat nuy employco taking a drink while on duty might atop up to the captnin'a desk, got his money and quit. Thoy wont further nud eald tbot their employee) must not only keep Bober while on duty, but off duty as well. For tho reason that tho man who hnbltally drinks in his Idio hours will some day make a slip whllo ho'o at work. That ollp might cost tho company n hundred thousand dollars. Tho men at Ibo throttle, boll cord, and switch quit di inking for thoir own protection. In caso of accident tho stockholder lost money; tho engineer en-gineer lost his lifo. Train hands insisted in-sisted tbat evory man in tbo operot ing department should bo ibsoiutoly Bober, nnd refused to run thoir trains uudor other conditions. Tho manufacturer, for tho Bfinio ronBoiiB as tbo railroad man, declines ,to ,-employ .n2eu..wha.drluli TJio, handling of delicate machinery re-qulrci re-qulrci oaro and sober attention. Tho country morabnnt ohnngod frout. Ho furnishes supplies to tho smell fanner whioh enable that farmor to mako a crop, Whou thn crop Ia gathorcd set tlomeut day cornea round. If (ho farmor has been industrious and sober ho can pay his merchant othorwieo not If tho farmers fall to ay, tho moroliant can furnish no more sup nlies which go into tho ground nud oroato moro wealth for tbo country. Oftimos tho merohaut saw t'no money that eh on Id huvo eomo to him being diverted to tho Imrronm. This not only domlved him of bio jnot dueo, but tlfbfroyetl tho earning cnbuoUy of the farm laborer. In no part of tho country was this condition so acuto and disastrous as in tho South. Those pmnll merchants saw thot they must either close thoir own doors or close tbo barroom. Thoy rololzed this for some timo boforo they joined tho prohibition movement. Holng conservative, con-servative, they woited until It attained such powerful proportions that they could safoly follow. Hut thore were eomo aggrossivo ones who led, P'nctlcolJy, overy largo employor of labor in Amorioa desires to uloso tho tarroomB which cluster around bis factory gates. Tbo ocat und Iohs to bim is enormous. Tho farmor was tho prohibition plo-ncor. plo-ncor. Whisky demoralized IiIb labor and endangorod tho livesof bis fum-ily. fum-ily. Ho didn't want it sold in hie neighborhood aud wasn't afruld to say bo. This wbb truo all over tho oountry the presenoo of tho negro put tbo question boyoud dlBoussiou In tho South. Tho orossroads dog-gerv dog-gerv and tho villago grogshop had to go. Ten years ogo, In trnvollng through any port of America, tho man In tho Pullmuu smoklng-oompBrtment who admitted u leaning toward prohibition was euro to bo jeered at and to draw down upon himeelf denunciation of thopo arnuud bim. Today tho situation situa-tion has entirely changed. Perhaps the strongest motivo thot has drnwu consorvatlvo nicn into 'this movement Is tho American awakening to tho necesalty for cleaner uovern-ment, uovern-ment, especially la our olties. THE OMNIPOTENCE OF TUB BREWER. Reformers not the wild-eyed cra-sador cra-sador who strikes at everything liko a blind adder, but tba mou who deslrcH bia city taxes to bo expended with ' pomo degree of honesty and oaro tho reformer has begun to reallzo that ivory'effort was blocked at tbo thresh old by tho dlvo dictatorship which had growu up lu politics. Tbo ays-tern ays-tern was Bimplo. Evory dlvo keeper gathered around bim a ootorlo of employees, em-ployees, bummors, and hnngers-on each with tho quid pro quo of a vote. This whh all tho bummer had and be did not own that. It belonged to tbo barkeeper. 'Xcn dlvo li papers in a ward could thus control duo hundred hun-dred and fifty votps to bo placed whoro thoy would do tbo most good. TIicbo woro bundled by tbo ward boB, and iu return tbo barkeeper wna privileged privi-leged to do oa bo ohoto. Half a doz en ward bouse dominated tho oity, nud In conjunction with others of similar strlpo pulled tho wlrBfor tbo Stato. Tho rich browcr superintended superintend-ed national affairs with ease aud grace Whether thoao peoplo bo onllcd Demnouits or RcpiiUlcaim thoir politics poli-tics aro Idoutioal to sell whisky and beor without interference. Whoro dooB tho rich browor oomo lu? Ho owiib tho dive not ono dive, but thousands; not iu ono oity, but throughout Amcrlcn. Ho wnuta to soil hia boor, und tbo morality of tho spigot doea not matter. He takes man aftor irnn, utterly Irresponsible, and rots them up lu business The brewer furnishes tho fixtures aud tho license, pays tho rent and poya tho holdup whllo tho to keeror Bella tho beer. Saloons multiplied, jammed ngulust caoh otl or, and overlapped. Iu location whoro ono ioIoou could makn a living under tbo law, tun would bo orowdod iu. And they bad to soil beer. Demnnd must be created, creat-ed, thirst encouraged, and consumption consump-tion Inoroneed. With HiIb luudiiblo purpoeo th barkeeper added ono attraction at-traction after another, music, dancing, danc-ing, orapB, poker, orlum, cocaine, women, nud soug gutbored ovory modern convenience under cuo roof "winnrnro price' o-rnTOjfttflwhiirca- just tho some 1JEER fio. Hack of nil this stood tho ultrnro Bpcotablo browor who raked in tho sbckola whllo tho man in tho whito ' apron Bhouldorcd tho blamo. "Jiur," sayB Mr. Aveiago Oitlzon, "why wua oil this pormltted? Tho law " Aud tho dive keeper laughs. THE SALOON KBEPERSNEVER 0 OT TIRED. lu order that the saloonlst might vlolato the law, ho must ocntrnl public pub-lic offices, nnd having Jingo interests at stake wbb nompollod to dovolo himself him-self and hia money to tho practical giimo. Tho reformer oxporinuced an cccudIo'IcJ I'lmsm of conscience, but tho saloon kept working three liuil-l drod and aixty-tlvo dayB in ovory year not cotiutlng the nights. Sheriffs dared not arrest saloon lawhreiikerH or to Interfere with thoir mothodn. Distrlot nltorueys must koup their mouths shut and proecouto oniy HII0,, pooplo as wo'o not proteottd by tho nil powerful Hquur Interest. Tho judge on tbo bench must ho blind In tho oyo that looked ualonnwnrd, and tbo mayor of tho city must orlngo to tho sumo Warwick. Tho saloon had given thorn power aud tho saloon could take it away, bloseed bo tho name of tho saloon. Candidates know from long export-onco export-onco that tho so-called "best pooplo" might or might not. take nu In torus t in politics, ns tho fancy struck them. Factions would split tlmm and differences differ-ences of opinion scatter thoir votes, Rut tho saloon voto was sure, Bleep-less, Bleep-less, untiring, solid. Thoro wero no factions und no differences of opinion it believed iu liquor nothing else. That voto would bo welded into n compact masH and hurled against tho candidate who antagonized it. Tho salonnlst must conduct u systematic campaign for tho debasement of pub. He sentiment Ho must oroato an atmosphere at-mosphere in whioh ho can live. Consequently Con-sequently ho Is opposed to tbo -punishment of any criminal. Ho favore turning tho murderor loose, smiles at tho white salvo trade, and advocates wido.opon gambling done. Why? Recnuso bo ia an habitual and incorrigible incor-rigible lawbreaker, and tho sumo healthy public soutimont which con viots criminals nnd enforces tho law would Bweep bim out of business. Ho must defeat ovory proposition that tondu toward the betterment of nuy kind, bocaoEo if the ball of reform starts to rolling it will eventually run over him. Fur hia own protection tho whisky " man stands "in wld do gang " wheth- H or tho gnug bo Democrat or Ropubll- H can. When meddlesome oitizens H grumble, tho policeman doos not nr- H roBt tho dtvo keeper, but merely re H quuBta him to pull btj curtain a little H bit lowor on Sunday. Polloemen H daro not boo too much or Intorfero with unspeakable dous. Unduo ao- H tlvlty would lose tho job. H This condition gradually aroused 1 publio seutimunt and arrayed against tho saloon thousands of men who bod H no projudico against tho moderate ueo r or liquor. Patriotic uitizetiB regard- ' od tho whole system as tho groatest' JM Btumbllug block lu tbo path of honest , govornmout. No matter what plan H might bo proposed for thn reform and H udvaiioomont of the oity, tho allied H liquor aud criminal olomonta stood H beside thn maohlnn polltiolaus, mus- H ket in baud, to dofond the old oya- H torn. Llboral minded mon canio to H boliovo thnt tho ealoou, as n sooiul aud political institution, must be "B wiped from tho faco of tho earth be- H fore anythiug whatsoever could bone- H oomnllBhod. Aftor tho saioon It dos troyed it will be easy to uproot the H weaker ovllo which have found thol- tor bohind It. Thousanda of gontlo- .H mou nay thov lind rather roo tho II- H quor business In tho hnnde of n few- H ooufoB!d (jutlawo, dodging from buah to btiHh and hiding in tho alloys, H than to boo it controlled by political tyrants who Loss tho town. Thty cannot uudorBtand why tho liquor .buelncHS should go hand in hand with ovory form of vice and crlrao. Tho hardwnro trade and tbo grocery storcB .H do not Und It ncoossary to outer lntb 'l suoh partuorshipB. Tho dry. goods ; trado doea not ooutiuually fight tho Jl law. If this antagonism to law nud H dcoouoy bo tiocossary for tho suncrsa H of tho liquor business, then thoro 'H roust be somo luhereut wrong iu tho H trado Itaolf, and,tht. trade should-bo-p.. itmmiB 'BCTfttfftnl' "' v' arWI iftpiiM W -JBHI Suoh rousoua as theso hnvo drawn H into prohibition ranks thousands of H relualant recruitu; originally they did m not want to bo prohlbltioniatii but W aro iiono tho lesa enlisted for tho wnr H and moan to tight it out to tho last Tho prccticul progress of the move- mont Is bapod upon fundiimciilnl priii- H clples of Anglo Saxon local celt-gpv- Fl KST DRV VICTOR I ES WJSRE H IN THECOfJN'IRV. H First came tbo Flv.i Mile l?w iu couutry dlstrlalB whioh prohibited tho sale of liquor within llvo ml I en of W certain clinrclieo arid enhoolliouDeB.' B These J.OfeJy local BtututoH nppllod B only to spcalfled neighborhoods. H 'iholr operation wiib so bouefloont that they multiplied rapidly p.H aver tho country. This was tbo germ of fl Jccal option. The Ideu wua thou car- fl rlod one step further and applied to tho beat or prooinot. Tho voters do- tormiucd whether or not liquor should bo sold therein. I)y a logical pro- oo is, local option was ox tone od to tb'o county. Hero tho laws rested for many years, and thousanda of oloo- tlotH woro held throughout tho Unit- ed States, H For n period of twenty yoara coun- H try neighborhooda and agricultural onmmuultloa gradually vored for 11- quor. Thia abut the crossroads dog. gery and drove tho trado to tho towns whore thero wub a bountiful theory of police protection. Pinctloully, tbo pol Icemen protected the saloon man. Tho progresu of publio opinion then 1 directed itself against tbo saloon in H the smaller town, aud droro it from the H Undor tho county local option. ays- tern now provulliug In most of the H Cnltod States, the aaloou has beeh prtistioiilly oliminiated, except in tbo H linger citlcH. Thousands upon tbou. sands hnyo boon put out of biiHlness, and every one of them hia weukeiictl M their genorul politloul strength by juSt H thnt muu votes, r- Ah Stato by Stato drsvo the auloon 'H Into u few citlpfl, milking them the M distributing points for tliud tiger whisky throughout tho dry dletrlcte tho cry of State wide prohibition D gained strength. Thl?, to matfy H thoughtful men, waB carr,vlt!K tbo prinnipnl-of local self government far HI boyoud its logitlmttte bumiariea. Mou H who aro strong prohlbltioniatB . for '" H (Continued on next page.) HH 'BBB |
