West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-09-12

State in the Union, and fill our
country with churches, Sunday
Schools, institutions of learning,
and with joy and gladness.
2. How the work Of the Wo-
mans Christian Temperance
Union can be best and most rapid
ly advanced in our State, is ques-
ton of great practical Importance,
And it should be earnestly and
prayerfully considered in this Con-
vention, so that the workers at
home may know, what, according
to your united counsel, are the
best methods and plans to be used
in their various local Unions.
3. We must work with all our
might, and work all together, for
Prohibition. There must be "a
strong pull, a long pull, and a pull
all together" and then the liquor
traffic will 60 down in West Vir-
ginia like Dagon before the ark of
God. 1t will be banished by lar,
never to return to curse our homes
and destroy the souls and bodies of
men.
Faint not here. Our brothers
are with US, hand in hand,
and shoulder to shoulder in
the grand march of Prohibi-
ton.
During the session Of the Legis-
lature last winter, we petitioned
that body for the third time to
grant us prohibitory law, to pro-
tect our State and homes from the
terrible curse of intemperance. At
one time our hearts throbbed with
unutterable joy, when we fondly
cherished the hope that the long
prayed for, the long-looked for boon
was within our reach. But my
heart aches with anguish when l
remember how that sweetly cher
ished hope was crushed by evil
men, who for selfish considerations
sold themselves to defeat the will
of the people.
Let it be known in all the towns
and homes Of our State that twen-
ty-five Legislators said, "No! we
will protect the saloon in it's work
of death and destruction; not your
homes and your children"
Is it not true that the saloon fills
police courts, jails, poorhouses, pen
itentiaries and insane asyl1ms ?
Is it not true that the land groans
under burdensome taxations to sup
port the victims of the saloon? is
it not true that the saloons are
destroying fathers and sons; yes
and daughters, too, by tens of thou
sands And yet in the face of these
appalling evils, these twenty-five
men in our Legislature. had the
hardihood to say, "Away with
these petitions Away with the
will of the people! These saloons
must be protectedW Oh, my God,
how long, how long shall the peo,
pie submit to these outrages and
tolerate these evils, which deluge
our State with wretchedness and
woe
Brothers of West Virginia, shall
not this curse be speedily removed
from our young mountain State,
that we may be a free people in
deed? Free from the grasp of the
Rum power-free from the fear
that the awful blight may fall up
on our own home and that our
loved ones, as well as other loved
ones may become the victims of in
Temperance, and at last be wrapped
in Christless shrouds, laid in
Christless graves, and sink forever
into Christless hell
Mother, can you in the quietness
of your own home, lay your hand
on the head of your boy, and say,
"He is safe-he is in no danger p
What is that voice / hear? Moth
ers, hear it. "He that standeth,
let him take heed lest he fall p
Think Of the countless homes that
have been wrecked. Think of the
tens of thousands that have fallen
They were once as full of power
and apparently as free from dan
ger as your boy, but, alas! they
went downtown into the drunk.
ards grave and many broken
hearted mother cries. ooh, my boy
NV how ~