The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1883-01-05
miscellaneous.
For The A'giS AMI InttHigtnc3
Meeting Of Temperance Workers.
Testimonial 10 Rev. MIR. BENSON.

| W.
Testimou;oI,oR rev. Nr pcnso,
|
ReVs. w. L. Il. klefer, j. ii. Marsh, W.
Steele, j. w. smith, and Messrs DAVID q.
Thomas, James Bal, john Divers and David
II. lnomas. JT, informally met at inc nome
OF Rey. u. f.. Benson, last Thursday and
dlned with MN ana his lamly' several
hours were spent pleasantly together. In
The afternoon an informal meeting OF Il mum,
Der OF well.known temperance men was lcld
at the Methodist Protestant Church. Mi.
David Il. Thomas, President ana treasurer
OF the Hartford county Temperance Alliance,
MADE report OF the WORK dohe ana inc
success OF last ialls campaign ABOUT this
time coihnlttee, consisting Oh l.eV' d; II;
Marsh and John a. llama, ESQ., VINO had
conveniently delayed Key Mr. BENSON APP
peared npon the Hoor Oh the church W!th
that gentleman IN iiand, ana imtroouCeu ~ MN
TO tne audience, "nereupon rev. W. l. ~;
kietfer, on behalf OF the temperance men OF
| the the county presented to Rev. Mr.
BENSON nurse of 1880 Rev. Mr., Kietfer
said y.
| DEAR Pho. BENsoN. have been asked
| Inv some of vour friends to come IN To Bel
| Air today and give Won a good talking to !;
and observe they are on hand to see that
do II right Rnt am not roinc TO read Won
tbe riot net | come rather as the bearer of
| the kindliost sentiments and of a token of
affactionote regard. | come TO voice the
minds and hearts of the Local Option voters,
and I MIGHT truly add, of the women also,
| whose svmnothies and Influence went with
! that cause
We meet TODAY for mutual Contamination
| over the victory of Nov. 7th, 1882 not, how
| ever In the official capacity of an Alliance,
Int informally os the friends of Local Option,
and chiefly to demonstrate the appreciation
| with which the people of Hartford regard
your exertions in that cause. To God of
'2onrse +Ielonps al Tie praise. and trust
we are devontly grateful for His good
ness Rut we also recognize the fact that in
Gods kind providence n man was raised IN
| 70 lead us to victory That man is yourself,
smother your modesty, therefore and listen
TO orr cxnressions of GOOD will. If YOU feel
disnosed TO dispute our opinion, first saw
hnmblv TO Yourself
10 wad some power the Giftie gle us,
| To see ourselves as ithers see us
Just here l remark that hold purse
which Is INTENDED lor you, as IN accom-
panlmcnt of our verbal goodwill But tins
l reserve TOR The present, as an lnauccmehI
TO you to listen mcckly TO what l nave 10
say.
Your native mOdesty might make you
object TO beng singled out for such honors,
over and above your many worthy co,Work-
ers. But that point has peen settled long
since From our worthy President, whose
eXertlons have been Jealous, manly ana laua-
able, down to those humblest workers, lhere
runs line OF men all over the county VINO
were untlrlng IN their labor lor Local
Option. The clergy were almost unit IN
their actiyity-so much so, indeed, that the
unntpI tlplnpS
common remark, These preachers have 100
mind their own business = But we may well
ask who would have done the work, IL the
clergy had not actively helped!
But to-day we 1nd all THESE WORKERS.
clerical and lay, united III giving you credit
for the championship OF the cause. And
why? l. Because you originated the plan
which wrought the victory. we VIII moi
deny your modesty the shallow comfort that
some one else might have devised as good a
plan; but we will insist that no one else qua
AT the preliminary meeting at the Far
Grounds, i'll 1880, there was no lcyel-headed
sure,handed helmsman to guide the boat
about to be launched, safely between the
Scylla of fanaticism and the Charybdis OF
political entangements. Everybody wanted
something done; and none knew what to do
An Alliance was formed with full equip,
ment of officers but there the matter was
in danger of making fatal rest. we were
all inexperienced militia. The President
found himself pretty much alone AT last
when the Executive Committee met IN De
cember, you submitted to us plan which
you had CLEANED from the neutrality-suspicious.
and which-was calculated to secure victory
without exciting either tanaticism or politi
cal ill-will The principles of that plan are
well known and need not here be rehearsed
They have been verified by practical trial.
They have shown that the temperance peo'
pie fthe county, holding the balance fpowel
politically, can yet express their opinion on
moral subjects without political embarrass
ment. In the preliminary vote, we gave oul
representatives at Annapolis very emphatic
idea of our wishes. Pledged to grant oul