The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1867-03-06
TEMPERANCE.
speech OF a aReformed Drunkard.


AT a recent Temperance Meeting at
Washington City, Senator Dick Yates, OF
Illinois made the following speech. Yates
Is noted drinker, and if he but keeps the
pledge, he will do better than he has in
regard to many other pledges he has made
The speech is very ardent one, and some
things arc very beautifully expressed;
ADDRESS OF SENATOR YATES.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN 1t was net my
intention to address you at all until this
afternoon, and | feel the need Of more
preparation before speaking to so large an
audience as this. The reason why l did
not propose to address this assembly was
because having associated myself with the
Congressional Temperance Association did
not like to make parade OF myself before
the puplic. Men sometimes sign pledges.
and don't keep them but Mr.. President
have signed for good, Iapplause, and |
made my covenant with God that | will
keep mine. But / felt it were better to
prove first that [ was well established in
my new position before attempted to ex-
press sentiments on this question in that
earnest and enthusiastic manner, in wi ich
[ always address my fellow citizens in behalf
of any cause which has the conviction of my
Judgment and the approval o. my heart.
Scme two months age your distinguished
chairman, the able and eloquent Geuatur
| from Massachusetts, in his kindness, in the
goodness of his great big heart, came to
me with petition numerously signed by
members of Congress and said: Governor,
| want you to sign call or a temperance
meeting" "With all my heart, " said L.
I 81, Il p,,f fb
did not come eff. | became impatient
went to the honorable Senator and told him
I was tired of waiting; could he not furnish
me a hedge? He said he could tomorrow.
The next day he furnished me with q
printed pledge Of the Congressional lem"
perance Society | put it in my pocket,
took it homc. took it to my. room, read it
carefully, and. after one look to God and
one to home, signed the pledge. / raised
myself to my full height and / was FREE.
Great applause. If / refer to myself in
the remarks | have made, and which IN
tend to make, assure you it is not from
egotisnl, for Itake no particular pride my
self in having addicted to the use Of ardent
spirits. But thrre is another reason why |
feel permitted to refer to myself, and that
is b cause while have considered that |
was only a moderate driuBtr it has been
published all over the land that | vas a
drunkard.
Felow-citizens, there was some truth in
this, and there was vast deal of error in
it too. | was addicted to drinking occa-
sionalIy as stimulus. as | supposed tc
strengthen my nerves laughter and as a
heightener Of social joys. But, Mr.. Chair
man, differently from other men, | had a
most unfortunate difficulty with myself, and
that was, had wonderful faculty, when
ever drank Of letting everybody know it,
Laughter My sprees were not frequent.
Tut they were long and they were loud.-
Laughter. The grand praries of Illinois
,, did not furnish area enough for one Of my
forward movements. Laughter. That
was not only the case, hut whatever have
| done for the last seventeen -ears--whethCr
I had ia make speech to political meet
ing; whether | 7poke alainst the Nebraska
bin upon the floor Of this House; whether,
a. Governor, wrote massage, or pub
| lshcd proclamation, or prorogued seces-
sion legislature, great applause, the uni
ver>al charge of the opposite party was.
| that all these acts were done under the
influence of whiskey Laugh cr. Now
fellow citizens, | have concluded to put a
! stop to this matter The editors and re-
pnrters Of newspapers are an honorable class
| of gentlemen whom | respect; but want
| those lihellOus scrIbbers who have made so
n any misrcpresentations as to my course OF
conduct, to understand that from this time
! hencetorward their vocation IN that respect
| is gone, laughter and applause. and they
may now publish their lihels until the hand
that writes them shall fall withered and
palsied; bnt | never intend that they shall
have any fcenfe or authority to publish me
as a drunkard again, even if have to alb
stain, as | will abstain, from the mildcst
| glass Of caret that ever the hand of the
tairest lady in this land should present to
me. Applause.
There is the evil of the thing; this mis-
representation, this liability to misrepre-
tation Why, sir, after had MADE these
speeches scmc sharp article of abuse would
be published in the paper. and some
Friendly Indian Of mine laughter -
would mark arourd it with black lines and
send it to me for my Christian contempla-
ton and supreme delight. Laughter. J
will stop it. I have promised God;
have promised my country; | have promis-
ed that proud Commonwealth which for
twenty-five consecutive years has hopnred
me with all her public positions, i'll the Leg
islature. as Governor, as member of both
houses OF Congress; | have promised all
who love me, ard have promised Katie
and the children loud applause that
will never touch, taste nor handle the un-
clean thing Iapplause- by the bless
ing of God and my own unlalterinS purpose
/ iuterd to fight it out on this line to the
last day in the evening of my life Ap,
plause If all you gentlemen, would do
the same thing, you would lose nothing in
mind, body, or estate. Laughter.
Fellow. citizens: 1t may seem strange, hut
would, us feel now, as soon drink fire
from hell as whskcy, Tor it is he'll and dam
nation too. 1t destroys the health. and
mars the beauty OF the body; it can bow
down to earth the most giant intellect, and
make it weak as that of a child. 1t de
lEoralzes and il annihilates the immortal
soul it makes a man forget his children
or the wife Of his bosom, and treat them
with harsh nnkinducss and barbarity, and
even murder them. Unaffected by lntcm-
perance he would dive into the ocean S
depths, face the canron's mouth, or peril
his life amid the flames of the burning
dwelling to snatch from death his darling
babc.
| DO not suppose at all that am supe-
rior to anybody else in intellect. | certain
ly have no special claims to consideration
from birth or fortune; but there is one thing
do claim, and that is, that God has endow-
al me with nobility Of SOUL with wart1 and
generous impulses--a. heart as unfathoma-
he in its affections as the ocean, and as
h,,,I 10 tho prao ~ hup,on;tu and | an.
peal to you, Mr.. Chairman, from our slight
acquaintance, if yon do not think J have
enough OF the ardent about mo without
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