Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1866-12-31
SPEECH OF THE HON HENRY WILSON,
1t The Nsw England Temperance Convention, a
Boston Oef0bsr A. 1860

boston, October 4, 1866.
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen IL
| came not into this convention of the sons and
| daughters Of New England, assembled In be-
hall OF the good canss Of Temperance, to give
counsel or a speech Reluctant however, as
| am 10 respond to your summons, can hardly
| say nay, wheu called upon as haze been by
this approving resolve, and these enthusiastic
| and generous manifestations.
You SAX me, sir, to state the condition of the
| GAUGE Of temperance in the national capital. |
| say to ycu-and take pleasure 10 saying it
| that bad as Is the present condition of the
| cause uf temperance iu the capital of the Re.
public, it is better than ever before. ZAP
piause There has been no House OF Repre-.
| sentatives during my acquaintance with Con-
| gress--and have been there twelve sessions
that can compare In freedom from drunken
ness with the present House of Representatives.
| [Applause.l There are very few drunken mem
/ bers in that body. Nearly all the members are
| temperate in the common acceptation of that
word, and many are pledged total abstinence
men. believe the next House will be more
temperate than the present House. TGreat
| appause.)
| Perhaps, sir, IL does not become me to speak
| OF the Senate Of the United States, but il 10 o
matter of the widest notoriety, that we have
/ come pretty hard cases in that body. speak
those Senators who thus bring reproach upon
themselves, by the habitual and excessive use
OF Intoxicating drinks, are in other respects
| excellent gentlemen, and have the sympathy,
! aud pity, too, OF their associates, Before the
rebellion tho night sessions were often disturb
f, ed AID dishorored by drunkenness. The e.
firing rebel Senators took out with Them q large
measure OF whisky. fApplause.l It is to be
| hoped that returning Senators from the rebel
N lla ba uph hfoku a. kakt kt.4
them. Applause.
Sir, derive from my experiences in the
| capital of the nation this lesson Hard as is
| The struggle with drunkenness-siow as 10 the
progress of the cause of temperance, still there
s progress sure and uumistakabls progress. -
| (AppiAuse. Public men generally indicate
The progress of the masses--generally reflect
the public sentiment. Within the past three
weeks have travelled three Thousand miles in
The West, and addressed six meetings upon
public affairs, and san but one drunken man
among the many thousands that made up these
meetings. [Applause.1 Z.
The other day attended an immense assem-
blage at Rock Island, on the banks of the Mis-
sissippi Thousands of the men of Illinois and
| Iowa were Ehere-hundreds of returned heroes
| With their battle flags were there, and during
| that day and evening saw not one man drunk
| Applause. SO much tor the West. Three
years ago addressed fifteen public meetings
| n Maine, and saw at all those gatherings OF
| thousands but one Intoxicated man. ZAP
plause 1t has been my fortune during the
| past twenty. five years to travel thousands of
| miles, attend hundreds OF political assembla-
ges and see hundreds o. thousands of people,
aud say to you to day-and | say it for your
ncouregement-that there is q marked i'm
provement in the country in regard TO drunk-
| enness; that therei 10 less drunkenness now than
| formerly. [Applause,
This convention OF the men OF New England
| is assembled to advance the cause OF temper
ance here and throughout the Republic.
have no advice to give relating 10 modes OF
| action. There is one thing, however, in which
we all eau agree, and that is that every man
and woman too, can be a living example by
| being a total abstinence man and woman -
| GApplaHse. Before was twenty years of age
| took the total abstinence pledge, and have
kept ii for mere than a third OF century.
| thought when young man, that when should
be fifty years oil age might use spirituous IL
| quors with safety to myself and without detri-
ment to others. have passed that age, and
clearly see now that cannot use intoxicating
/ liquors as a beverage with safety to myself nor
without detriment to Others. Yes, sir, real
| ice more than ever before the necessity aud the
duty OF maintaining the character OF strictly
temperate man. loud appiause.1 see young
men ia the bloom of youth--I see men In the
pride of manhood squanderiug talents, time,
possessions, evsrything-blasting regulations
and the hopes OF kindred and friends-and
would not have upon my soul the conscious
ness that had by precept OF example, lursa
| any young man TO drunkenness, for all the
/ DONORS OF the universe. Applause The
| sorrows of drunkenness glare upon us from the
| cradle to the grave. From childhood have
| seen--ay, and felt too--tne measureless evi of
| iutemperance. Kindred and friends near and
| dear to ue-kindred and friends teuderly love-
| whose memories l shall ever .ondly cherish
have been its victims. Anxieties for the near
and loved burden our lives. la view of these
great sorrows that rest upon us, we should be
willing to make the personal sacrifoe-if 1t be
| 9 saerlfice-to put aside the cup of intoxoa-
| tion. have never felt 1t to be sacrifice
[Applause
In ls45 went to Washington to carry petit
| tions, signed by sixty thousand men of this
Commonwealth, against the admission of Texas
as a saveholding State. John Quincy Adams,
| in whose district resided, made dinner par
| ty for me. Eminent men sat around that table
-one of the number has since been Speaker
| of the House Of Representatives, two have been
Cabinet officers, and two have been Foreign
Ministers. looked up to Mr.. Adams with pro-
found admiration and reverence. During the
entertainment Mr.. Adams asked me to drink a
| glass Of wine with him was embarrassed
hesitated moment; it was the sorest trial of
my life; but somehow succeeded in stsmmer
| ing out" Sir, | never take wine |" (Great
applause) That answer settled the matter for
me. ] have never found it hard since to utter
those words nor to gil my glass with cold
water. Ihsve often since sat at the tables of
Governors, Senators, Foreign Ministers, Oabi-
net officers, Generals and Presidents, but |
have ever found it easy TO decline the profered
wine sup. (Appiause.) The real difficulty is
not in others, it is in ourselves. Temptations
are ever around ard about US. The only thing