Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1875-09-29

Committee, Wilson for Senatorial
Conferee and Lyons for Representa-
tive delegate, will inspire confidence
at home and give character abroad.
Last Thursday evening about Z
O'Clock, three gentlemen appeared on
the platform in Graybill's Hall, be
fore the audience assembled there
These were Dr.. Thomas Elder, the
active head of the Politico-temper-
ance movement in this County, III
company with Hon. James Black. OF
lancaster city, and Reyerned Gen
tleman whose name we haveforgotten.
The DR.. introduced them .Nr. Black
appeared to make speech, the Rev
erned gentleman accompanied hmm to
open the meeting by hymn and pray
er, which he did by announcing the
HYMN, ..All Hail the power of Jesus
Name" in the singing of which a
number of the audience of both sexes
ioined, Oh the conclusion of the sing
ing of the hymn, the preacher offer
ed a prayer on bended knees to the
throne of Grace. The religious pre-.
liminary exercises being concluded,
Mr.. Black came to the front of the
platform and delivered a speech IN
advocacy of the recent PolItico tenn
perance movement. He opened by
dwelling on the superiority of the
system of government of the United
States, in that it tolerates the advocacy
of Il cause. In the countries Of the
old world. there were few places that
allowed people to assemble, as his
audience assembled to consider mat
ter of politics or State affairs and
thence he drifted from the eulogy on
the rights of 1.-The freedom Of
thought" to the temperance question
and the temperance movement lie
considered the manufacture and sale
of Intoxicating drink sin against
God, and in its relation to man a
crime. The position of the Church on
the question was stated, DR.. Rush was
quoted, and the dates of the several
notable temperance movements IN tins
country given. There were temper,
snce Epochs in this country, advances
and declines on the question. .Hr.
Black did not, but he could consis.
tently have deduced from his line OF
argument, that the cause of the de
cline in interest in the Temperance
cause at stated intervals in the past
was purely owing to the efforts to
organize it as Political party. and
that deduction would have been fol
lowed by another natural one, that il
political manipulation ruined or carls-
ed it to 'backslide' in the past, the pres
ent movement Will result in the same
end Viewed from legal standpoint
liquor has been subject for legis-
lative action for many years. 1t is
perfectly consistent he argued to es-
tablish or enact law for its prohSbi-
ton. He would not deny the per
sonal right to drink. The legal
right to prohibit the traffic could not
be denyed The country had recog-
nized the right by allowing legisla'
tion in the past on the question The
enactment of the license law ltseli
was arecognition of the right to pass
laws in regard to it. But after awhile
.nr. Black got away. from the general
advocacy of the question, purely as q
moral and religious issue with sin
and notwithstanding the silent but
powerful renonstrance there Is con
IInually coming up from the decline
of the question at stated times III the
history of the movement, which he
referred to by Epochs, he would or
ganize it now INTO a political party
He declared that the question be
fore the people of this country is
Rum.
He declared that the Republican
party had no issues He declared
that its work was done, that it is q
rum party. 1t was a series of wild
declarations and an eatire ignoring
of the general workings of questions
and state policies. The charge adds
nothing to Afr. Black as fully compre-
hending The great issues that have
been wrought out in this country by
the instrumentality of the Republi-
can party, The very great privilege
that Mr. Black spoke SO highly of III
the opening of his speech has only
been secured to the people of this
country within the past twelve years,
for in one half of this country within
the time stated laws were in force that
denied the right to discuss all ques
tions, moral, religious and political,
whenever people chose to assemble
for that purpose. Nearly one-half OF
this country was opposed to free
thought. free speech, free religion,
and that portion IVES a constant