The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-12-08
A Warning Voice,

An extract from a funeral oratiOn
delivered by the Rev. j. B. Carne,
pastor of the Presbyterian Church in
COVingtOn, Tenn, on the death of
Capt. j. /. Cooper, who was killed in
that place the 18th of November, by
Jas. A Slaughter. Let the people
heed the warning voice and let them
see to it that this unhOly business
must not continue among them:
"There is another point to which l
call your attention, that is to the cause
of this sad death. 1t requires but lit
tie thought or reason to trace this
back to whisky drinking, not that our
deceased friend was guilty of this, but
that the drunkenness of others furn-
ished the occasion for his murder.
Upon this subject l will use plain Ian
guage. In saying what [ shall [ have
no wish to hurt the feelings of any
one. Among the saloon keepers l
have personal friends-men whom 1
like in many respects. But the time
has come when as minister of Jesus
Christ and as a law-lOving citizen l
feel it my duty to speak out regardless
of personal considerations. We all
see what the liquor traffic is doing for
us. Upon Saturdays, on rainy days
anu DubliC td - OuI SLlCElS al = llllCN
and our sidewalks obstructed by
crowds of drunken blackguards who
use the most pFOfane and obscene
language. BraWls and fights are fire.
quent. In short, on such days our
town is turned into perfect pande-
monium. During the past week, be-
sides other mischief, the drinking
houses have been the means of send
ing one Of our citizens into eternity
who died in fit ofmania pOtu. An
other one crazed with drink is said to
| have threatened the lives of his wife
and children with pistol in hand.
/ Then our friend who lies in that
| coffin was from the same cause hur-
ried into eternity through no fault of
! his own, while still another citizen
/ has his hands stained with the blood
of this innocent victim. You see that
/ this traffic is taking the bread and
| clothing from our helpless and innO-
| cent children. 1t is making demons
of our men. 1t is making widows OF
/ our wives and orphans Of our child
/ ren. 1t is taking our children from
under the paternal roof and out of the
/ family circle, and from faithful and
/ Obedient sons it is Transforming them
/ into drunkards and gamblers. In fact,
/ it is simply turning our town into a
! perfect pandemonIum. Now these
+ are facts that we all know. 1t may
be that whisky dealers have never
/ thought of these things. They may
never have realized the inevitable re-
/ suits of their unhOly traffic. If so,
when they see these things as they
cannot help seeing them; when they
realize that for their trifling gains
/ they are breaking the hearts and
/ blighting the lives of our mothers and
our wives that they are making beg
I gars, widows and orphans OfOur child
rem that they are making beasts and
demons of our men when they realize
these things, then if they have one
/ spark of manhood or honor in them
they will give up the unholy traffic.
But if, with these terrible facts star
ing them in the face, they are so
greedy for their gains as to persevere
in their business regardless of conse-
quences, then if there be in the world
of woe yault deeper and darker and
more hopeless than any other it will
certainly be their home for eternity.
And now l appeal to all good and
law-abidiug citizens. You see OuT
laws defied and trampled under foot,