Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-06-12

uulcL, Uut III d ucliCiOuS lever OI cAClCc
ment A drunkard speaking right or,
in temperance meeting they haG
never heard of such thing in theil
lives. Verify, Buckley was going tt
add one to the roll Of modest villages
made famous by unusual occurrences
Il 'spose, Mr.. Chairman" contin-
ued Joe Digg, "that the pint of tenn
p'rance meetin's is to stop drunkenness,
an as I'm about the only fully devel
opel drunkard in town, I'm most likely
to know what this meetins mounted
to-
Squire Breet inclined his head slight
| ly, as if to admit the correctness Of
Joe Digg's position.
81 believe ev'ry word the gentleman
has said," continued the drunkard,
"and'- here he paused long enough te
let an excitable member exclaim, Bless
the Lord :" and burst into tears -"and
he could have put it all good deal
stronger without stretchin' the truth
An the sorrer o. a drunkards home
can be talked about til the dictionary
runs dry, an then We don't know moth
in bout it. But hain't none Of We
ever laughed bout lockin' the stable
door after the hoss is stolen? That S
Just what this temp rance meetin' an
all the others comes to-
A general and rather indignant
murmer of dissent ran through the au-
diencc
"Ye don't believe it." continued Joe
Digg, ''but I've been a drunkard. an
I'm one yet, an ye've all got sense
enough to understan' that | ort to know
best about it.
"Will the gentleman have the kind
ness to explain?' asked the lecturer.
"l'm comm to it, s.c, ef my head'll
see me through V replied the drunkarl
"You folks all b'leeve that its lovin'
liquor that makes men drink it; now,
tain't no such thing, never had a
chance to taste fancy drinks, but know
that every kind Of liquor I ever got
hold off was more like medicine than
anything nice.
Then what do they drink for,' de-
manded the excitable member Il Il
tell you," said Joe, t'if you'll have a
little patience. | have to do it in my
own way, for [ amt used to public
speakin' You all know who an.
Ny father was church-mcmber, an so
IS mother. Father done day S work,
far dollar n a quarter q day, How
IN lch frewood an clothes al food d We
suppose that money could Pay for?
We had to eat what come cheapest,
an when some of the women here wuz
a sittin' comfortable o nights Emit
tin an scwin an re ,din, mother WIZ
hangin' aroan' the butcher shop. tryin'
to bat the butcher DIVA on the scraps
that wasn't good enough for you felix's.
Soon as we young 'uns was BIG enough
to DO anything we wuz put to work.
I've worked for men in this room
twelve an fourteen hours day. |
don't blame EN- they didn't mean
nothin out Of the way-they wJrked
just as long emselves, an SO did their
boys. Bat they alters had somethin'
inside to keep EN- up, an | di4n t.
Does anybody wonder that vher | har-
vested with some men that kep' li1our
in the fcli, an found how it helped
me along, that | took it, an thought
twas reg lar blessin'. IA when |
foun' twas hurtin' me, how was | to
90 to work an Civ it up, wien it stood
me instead Of the eatables [ didn have
an never had, neither!"
''There's lots Of Jest sech folks here
in Buckley, an ev'rv where's else
people that don't get half fed, an do
get worked half to death. Nobody
means to 'buse 'em, but they do hev a
hard time of it, an whisky's the best
friend they've got
II work my men from sunrise to
sunset IN summer, myself, said Dea-
con Towser, jumping up, "an' I'm the
first man 10 the field, an the last one
to quit. But | don't drink no liquor,
an my boys don neither.
But ye don't start in the mornin
with hungry little faces hauutin ye--
ye don't take the dry crusts to the field
for yer own dinner, an leave the meat
an butter at home for the wife an
young 'uns. An We 90 home without
bcin afeari to see half fed wife drag
gin herself aroun' among lot of puny
young 'uns tEdt don't know what the
matter with era. Poor human bcin s
sometimes reaches a pint where they
can't stan no more, an when its wife
an children that brings it on, it gifts a
man awful.
"The gentleman is right. I have no
doubt. said the chairman, $50 far as a
limited class is ccrcernei, but of course
no such line Of argument applies to the
majority Of cases. There are plenty of
well-fel, healthy, and lazy young men
hanging about the tavern in this very
village
Il know it." said Joe Disg, s:and
want to talk about them too. I don't
want to take ur all the time of this
meetin', but you'll all low l know
more bout that tavern than anybody
else does Ther' is lots of young men
hanging aroun it, an why, eau it's
made pleasant for 'em, an its tt only
yl,oos -, ,.,r, tbot ic To bon, q