Daily press and Dakotaian. [volume] (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1875-1880, 1878-03-04
AFEw woaD. r.om coLD wArEs,

AFEw woaDs FROM COLD wArER.
Editors Press & Dokotaia.:
y Inetice in your issue ofaAe I'd iust.,n an
.othsr ssffasion hon the treschant Quill of
Fire Ball" which in its general scope, a.
that temperance is not just the thing
for Dakota. The writer bslisvss that Yank-
ton is entirely too young for this tremendous
s~""o,atto"', Of temperance. His idea might
be applied to 0 important conditions,
and It might just IS reasonably b said that
the world is too young for the Tremendous
innovation" of the religion of Christ.
lean scarcely perceive what Fire Balp'
refers to when he says. ''the western terri
ritory is no. ripe for the eastern idea" He
evidently mixes Boston ideas with western
In the first place tbe temper
ance movement in Yankton il not the en-
grating of outside ideas upon the minds Of
our people, but it is the result of the earnest
labors and sincere prayers of the Christian
ladies Of Yankton, who like angels Of mercy
are engaged in saving men from falling into
ruin and despair, and uplifting others from
the pestilentia al slough Of moral debasement.
These ladies have organized no raid upon
saloons, nor have they warned against drink
ing men. What have they done? The an
swer is-they have opened the eyes Of
victims to alcohol, and inspired in
the souls Of such new horn hopes,
noble resolutions, and higher and hoiier
ambitions. They have caused smiles ofjoy,
and gladness in homes ia which the
of q daily sorrow rose like gloomy
pail. Where the plaintive wall of despair
mnrmu!ed and mcaned out sadly its story
of blasted hopes and wrecked ambitions,
they have kindled a fire which glows bright
er and brighter with the radiance of revi
wing peace and joy. Truly. they have put a
new song in the mouth of the drunkard.
These temperance efforts in Yankton are
not assaults upon men, but upon alcohol.
No warfare is made against sa'o,n keepers
as such, and no crusade against property or
legal rights is contemplated. Be~nefac,ors
of humanity in this free land esteem it Us
much a right and a duty to educate public
sentiment against a deadly poison, as saloon
keepers have the right t, cultivate the pub,
lie palate to relish it.
"Fire Ball" critlcises John B. Cough
and other temperance reformers, and charges
them with acts of drunkenness. His asser-
tions with reference to Cough cannot be
taken for truth without proof. 1t is true
that no mar can absolutely conque. = per.
verted appetite, since nc maH is, or can be
perfect. You cannot get white -four oat
Of a coal sack, OF perfection out of human
nature" Because the brilliant Luther Ben
son, elegantly termed "Hoosier Orator
BY Fire Bali, fell into drunkenness in can't
ing, Pharisaical Boston, we must ignore all
reformed drunkards. Do not hide the
faults of such . man. but proclaim them q,
once from the house tops. publish them in
GAIA and let them be trumoeted abroad
with a noise like the believing Of the bulls
of Bashan.
Men with small craven souls may laugh
in the fall Of the mighty, just as the mobs
rejoiced when the Column Vendome fell,
but above such the white winged angels Of
love and pity droop their wings and weep.
Because Luther Benson got drunk in Boston
Temperance should no longer be urged in
Yankton, and because Francis Murphy did
not consent to labor in Washing ton City fol-
nothing all temperance ADVOCATES are i'm.
posters. Il this argument? Is it logic
What does it prove? Absolutely nothing.
Yankton has three or four police courts
and Boston but one: SO saye Fire Ball.
What have police courts to do with the sub.
ject Of temperance, except that intemperance
fosters them. Yankton has but one police
court, In common with all other cities, large
and small. Every county justice Of the
peace is not a police Judge. Under
our laws, four justices Of the peace are cleo
ted for the county. In Boston there may
may be but one police Judge. but there are
hundreds of magistrates. Boston may have
but one Jail but it is large enough to con-
tain its hundreds Of c%onvicts until they are
shipped to the Massachusetts, state prison.
It doubtless has its hundreds of station
houses. References to police courts and
jails and coolers" l apprehend have moth
ing to do in determining whether the tenn
perance question can be acclimated to the
temperature Of Dakota.
have traced Fire Ball" until l fail to
discover logic or consistency in his language;
for when such statements are met like the
following, viz:-"It is our opinion that the
men outside of the temperance movement
SO called, are the only true Temperance
apostles" I find myself like Don Quixote
q wind mill aud cannot see
where the logic"comes in."
The writer hereofdoes not propose 10
array himself as IN assailsnt of my mans
business, but does claim the right TO assist