Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1880-01-22
Temperance in Platteviiis - Some
Radical Views.

Sunday afternoon we happened
to attend the Temperance meeting,
at the Congregational Church, and
We must say that the cause there is
q great one, and the interest OF
some of the speakers, il not the peo-
pie, is thoroughly aroused. The
church was packed full. The choir
opened the meeting, af er which we
were pleased to listen to the address
of N. H Virgin, who advanced
some few thoughts and spoke of the
lawlessness of the salocn-keepers
and the way to bring them to Jus.
tice. He was followed by T. III.
Robertson, who advanced very
eloquent and logical discourse. He
stirred up the latent souls and
strengthened them to renewed &C.
tivity.
Next we listened to John Robert
son, the .jeweler, who expressed
some of the miseries and eorrows
that rum caused. | will give them
at length, to the best of my recoIlec.
ton. Mr.. Robertson said be would
like to say few words, and wanted
them all to stay. He knew he had
great many enemies, and wanted
every decent a1d law abiding citi
zen to listcn, as it was their duty.
On Christmas eve, five young men
came to him and said, "Mr. Robert
son, you ought to be mp in Seimers
q Thiele's. You wouldn't believe
unless you could seeit yourself. The
crowd that is there, the kind of
men. and how many there are
drunk. / don't think you can carry
anti-license next year, for there is
more drinking gong on here now
than there was any time since the
temperance move began. 1t is of
no use to try to bring them to JUS
tice, for We cannot got jury In
town to convict them, and / would
think moro of my dog if he tore a
boy into shreds while be was pass.
ing my store, than | would of the
saloon-keeper who sells drink to
boys. If one of my boys would get
some liquor from one of these men.
would shoot him the first time
met him like would mad dog.
tell you it is of no use of singing
and praying, for that's no good.
You might sing. and pray, and
preach from now till doomsday, and
they would sell the more; and / be-
lieve it is time to put religion into
our bodies, our arms and our feet,
and for one am willing 10 go down
and give these law breakers q
weeks notice to get away in. If
they are not gone by that time, let
the sentiment get up and apply
some of this religion and help them
out" He also spoke of woman
that came to him, aud her story
was pitiful one indeed. She was
wife of husband and the mother
of children. Her husband had been
temperance man for q long time,
and took to drinking. again. The
wife had earned few dollars and
laid them aside for some future
good, but her husband got hold of
them and went down town and got
liquor, and be didn't get it at a sa-
loon, either. He got it a: one of our
drug stores, and CT business man
on Main street, who came to him
and said, "Mr. Robertson, it once
was popular to be q temperance
man. and ! belonged to them, and
prepared a speech to deliver. hut
was not called on then. l wouldn't
give it now, for the sentiment is
changed, and it is popular now TO
be on the other side, and you know
| am business man and in for
making money"
Want of space prevents us from
giving more, and in conclusion we
must say that by this sort of talk,
Mr. Robertson worked the house
into high pitch of communistic
excitement. VISITOR.
PLATrEvILLE, Jan. 2lst, 1880.