Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-02-21
: HrrE,s HARD HITS.
A Clerical Review Of the senatorial Argu-
m6nt.

A Clerical Review Of the senatorial Argu-
The announcement in Saturdays REG
IsrsR, that Rev. Geo. Hite would, on
SUNDAY evening, review the Senatorial
arguments on the prohibitory amend
mept. quite filed the Ian. street NJ. l..
church, last evening. Among the con-
creation we're several members OF the
House and Senate, though the latter in
Guided, SO far as the reportorial gaze
was concerned, none OF the fifteen MEM
bers who voted to postpone. Rev. lite
began his sermon asfollows:
The goth and 2lst verses OF the 9th
chapter of Isaiah, are as follows: "Woe
unto them that call evil good, and good
evil that put darkness for light, and
light for darkness I; that put bitter for
sweet, and sweet for bitter; woe unto
them that are wise in their own eyes,
and prudent in their own sight"
have not addressed myself TO the text
for any VAIN purpose, but / attempt this
sermon with desire to contribute my
mite 10 the furtherance OF the great
cause of.temperance and TO lift my arm,
feeble as it is, in defense Of my fellow
man.
After a brief expression OF his sym
pathy with the cause, and his willing
ness with Gods help to unite himself
with it, he referred to the lines OF the
text with the opening that "if such lines
do not express the condition OF some OF
the members of the Senate OF the West
Virginia Legislature, / have heard IL
vain, or language is expressionless or
my ears deceive me-" :,
The temperance people, he said, had
met at Parkersburg on December 10th
TO devise means and measures for the
mitigation OF the curse OF intemperance.
With short notice a petition had been
drawn up, with twenty thousand
signers, "ani these signers were the
wisest and purest and best men and
women in the State. And yet, after two
DAYS OF a discussion that was very re.
markable for some things, fifteen men
voted to indefinitely postpone the
amendment. Immortal fifteen. May
their names be written in letters OF liv-
ing fire in the temple OF fame!
After arguing for some length upon
the right OF a prohibitory amendment,
and the duty Of representative 10 lay
aside his own ideas and vote with the
wishes OF his constituents, he said:
"And vet these fifteen men pitted their
wisdom against the combined wisdom
| of twenty thousand. Insutferable ego
tism! have been thinking OF what
could he made OF these men. | have
been sailing on the wings of imagination
| TO the North, the South, the east and
| the west, and have found three occu-
pations for them. would suggest they
hire out as body guard to the Gar OF
Russia. Or, il they could not find
places there, they might try the Sultan
Of Turkey. Or, il he could not employ
them, they might become private secie:
taries 10 His Holiness, the Pope OF
Rome. For they alone would have re-
fused to acknowledge petition OF 90
900 of their subjects. We had only
three, but now we have eighteen intalli-
be-"
A considerable portion OF time was
here devoted to argument, setting forth
by illustration, what the people had
done and would do when their wishes
were not respected. He quoted the en-.
forced signature OF King John to the
Magma Charta and the demand OF the
American colonies that eliminated in
the Declaration OF Independence. Con-
Guiding this argument, he predicted he
would vet see Legislature sitting at the
capital of West Virginia that would
hearken TO the voice OF twenty thousand
people.
lie had proceeded thus far without
any special allusion to the arguments
adduCed in the Senate, and to this he
ROW directed his attention. Referring
to the claim OF the unwholesome effects
of prohibition in Maine, he summoned
the local option laws OF Maryland in re-
ply. and produced various statistics to
back his statements. This point was
wound up with the remark that he be.
lieved, from the general sentiments OF
the anti prohibtionists, they would be
for repeating the criminal code and
wind up with repeating the ten COM
mandments
We cannot, at this time, follow Mr..
lIite through the course of his argu-
ments, which was that OF most temper.
ance speeches. He took up the points
made by various Senators, naming
them by counties, and answered them
from his standpoint.
In conclusion he said that though de-
fsated they were not conquered. They
would keep on working and agltating
and century hence he would look
down from the battiements OF heaven
and see the temperance banner waving
over the land, from Maine to Georgia.