The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1883-08-28
Am Appeal TO the Friends OF tRS
Temperance Reform i'm Florida.

At a convention for Orange county IL the
friends OF temperance reform, whose b;,rssL Of
union is pledge to sustain the Local Option
Law by all lawful ways and methods, lie nnder.
signed were requested TO address son3e ri,nd.y
greetings to our cO-wOrkers in all tll,: coSln les
and towns in our Commonwealth
Our object is one Our work is conitain
work. We moving to the rescu: of fsl,en
humanity. We are battling for the i,eace iilsd
security of homes. we are trying ea-nesale- %
save our boys and young men from :Areatsaed
ruin We want to reduce the taxes on nreItTy
and the burdens on labor, by reducing g~eatiy
the list of crimes and criminal prosecutions. Ave
want to deplete the jais We want 10 make a
riot almost impossible; We want TO MAKE ace
humble abOdes of the industrious poor peaceful
and hopeful, while the meal shall not Jail in The
BARREL nor the oil in the cruise. We W AT 90 ar
rest the maniac who has lost self-coeiri. :;nd
feels impelled by an alien power toward The
gulf that opens before him. we wa6t To cad
him back. and leave him sitting at the se :, of
Jesus clothed and in his right mind" :
These wOrks-thiS work, prompted i'y lQy% Of
country, and love for our race can be largely az
complished by simply sustaining and enforcing
public law, declared valid and bindins ty The
highest judicial tribunal of the State.
The right of a majority of the citizens 20 a.,
termine, subject to The law, all questions OF put:-
lie policy, is right that lies at the bOtt;m of re
publican self-government. No man daye attack
the principle. Now, let us wake up l., the f;iCt
that the friends OF virtue, and good o,der, and
sobrety are majority OF the people We All. II
majority! We have struggled in weakness Tor
want OF organization Let us organize society in
every voting precinct of the State with president
vice president, secretary and treasurer, with ,be
names OF all good men enrolled, under the p. Aige
simply that We will not sign petition for lice4se
TO sell liquor and that we will by III lawful
methods sustain and enforce the Local Option
Law. Then hold county convention and etf..ct
nfx,0 .,..t~ \
an executive committee When we are thus
prepared. let us hold State Convention, and
utter forth in no uncertain terms the reat trthl.
that old things are passing away, and new ideas
new purposes, and new methods e being in.
stalled; that the claims of manhood and the
moral requirements of society demand proper
recognition that we do not mean TO have the
noblest aspirations and most solemn convictions
of our nature strangled by machine politics md
whisky dens.
Brothers! will you work. Will you bring a
gift of sacrifice to this altar? Let the Christian
sentiment of the State assert its power In orr
county convention we saw "a handw riting on
the wall declaring the old system weighed,
in the balance and found wantingw Presty-
terrain clergyman was president Baptist cler-
gyman vice president, Methodist clergyman,
secretary, and another chairman of the county
executive committee. Lawyers were there, aad
merchants, and farmers; old men we've there,
and striplings; woman was there and there WAS
calm and irrepressble purpose in her face. The
handwriting was on the wall! Small this be
ginning may seem to Others but it was cleud
larger than human hand held against the sky |
Brothers! will you 60 to work? We have moth
ing to do with political parties or platforms.
If Caesar will behave himself we will render TO
him the things which belong to Caesar. But
Cesar must not lift up his heel against the Local
Option Law If he does. he must prepare for
the worst. We have got law, we will keep:it
we will enforce it. We will save the State frcm
the curse of the liquor traffic. Only ae fra
only organize only work.
j. WoFFoRD TUCKER
J. A. RICHARDSON ),
REV T. BISHOP
SANFORD, FLA, July 1883.