Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-02-22
PROHIBITION MASS MEETING.
A Political Primary Held in ia Church
Names of Delegates to the Prohibition


Convention.
A mass meeting was held at the First
Baptist Church last evening to elect delegates
to the Prohibition County Convention. which
will be held at 10 A. to-day in the Y.
NJ. C. A. hall en- Fourth street. At an early
! hour the capacious church was filed with
ladies and gentlemen, and the hundred chairs
in the ante.room were all occupied Rev. A.
J. Frost presided. After song an eloquent
prayer was offered by the Rev. j. Q. A.
Henry. The choir then sang temperance
ode. and Rev. T. S. Dunn read one of the
Proverbs appropriate to the occasion. Rev.
A. L. Frost then real the call for the meet
ing. as published in yesterdays RECORD
UNION. During the reading the reverend
gentleman was frequently applauded. He
then said that he presumed that this was the
first primary political meeting that many
present had ever attended. This was nothing
strange, he said, for primaries were usually
held in saloons This being held in church,
he claimed was a radical change in the right
direction.
Mrs. L. J. Nusbsum, the President of the
w. G. T. o., was next introduced. She
! made neat address, exhorting those present
to exert all their powers in the cause of pro-
hibition. She said Miss Leavitt, an estims-
BILE lady, 8 talented, logical and fluent
speaker, had been announced to address the
audience, but was not present: During the
day she had ascertsined the fact that Miss
Leavitt was watching at the bedside of an in
valid brother.
Rev. II. Q. Christian was next introduced
by the President, who called upon him to re-
late something of the temperance cause in
Georgia. The speaker said he had lately
come to the State, but his heart and soul
were wrapped up in the cause of prohibition.
Georgia, he said was the Empire State of
the South. For many, many years lntemper-
ance ran rife, and no man dared, unless
he desired to be .ostracized or perse.
cuted, raise his voice for prohibition.
The reverend gentleman briefly outlined the
early temperance work of that State and
paid an eloquent tribute to the women. He
said women dared do what men would shrink
from and not attempt. They were the first
to start the work in Georgia. Those who had
been robbed of their husbands and sons
through the effects of the liquor traffic spent
their lives in the cause Of humanity. They
worked in the home circle, the social gather
ings, the town meetings, and finally besieged
the Legislature. They were working in
noble cause and would not down, but re-
newed their efforts with pertinacity that
knows no defeat until the Legislature, just
in order to get rid OF them, passed the local
option law. No community in the United
States should tolerate saloon. The local
option bill which authorized counties to adopt
by majority was taken up and carried,
county by county, until now 80 out of the
135 counties of Georgia have adopted it, and
the good work goes or. Last year, so
strong has the sentiment become in the
State, a prohibition law was framed
and passed the Assembly, but was
killed in the Senate by coin mustered
by those in the liquor traffic. They say
that prohibition does not prohibit. This is a
mistake of extraordinary proportions. Where
they used to handle barrels of the vile stuff il
is now handled in demijohns, and little ones
at that. There is difference between q
hogshead of whisky and little brown jug.
This he claimed was no small undertaking,
but it was a vast and vital question which
must be looked squarely in the face and acted
upon. He desired to see prohibition in Cali
forLis, and said so far as he was concerned
he would be hung to limb of a tree before
LIE would vote for a man who was not in IA
vor of the principles of prohibition.
Mrs. Emily Pitt-SteVens, who has lectured
on several occasions in this city, and who is
acknowledged to be one of the best lady ora
tors on the coast, was the next speaker. She
said she was strong advocate for prohibi-
ton; the cause was gaining strength rapidly
throughout the State, and she referred TO the
recent election in the town of Chico, where she
said at an election few weeks sincs the en-
tire prohibition ticket was elected by hand
some msjority. She thanked God that the
Republican party had outlived its usefulness
thanked God that the Democratic party was
no longer political factor. The Prohibi.
ton party, she claimed, was the party
of the people. It is the party that
fights for our homes, our firesides,
and cur domestic happiness. The saloons,
she claimed, vera dens that robbed the
mothers arms of her sons and sent them on
the road to perdition. Iowa she held up as
the banner State of the Union. A few years
since liquor had its sway and ruled its poll
tics, but to-day how changed" A school
house on every hill top and no saloons in the
valleys" At the last election in that State,
which fosters education and teaches its chill.
dren temperance, $50, 600 fres;nen by their
ballots decla.ed for prohibition. She be-
seeched all those present to buckle on the
armor, unite in the cause of prohibition and
reclaim the youth of California. Just think,
she said, of the 20, 900 boys in the city of San
Francisco thatsre under the sge of Is years. 1t
is your duty to stand up now like men and
vote for prohibition, if for no other purpose
than that Of saving those youths. She asked
those present who believed in prohibition to
hold up their right hand. Every one in the
church did 50 except two who sat near the
reporter, and they were so enthusiastic they
made mistake and held up the left.
After Mrs. Stevens had finished her ad.
dress, Peter BOIL moved that the nominating
Convention organize, and placed in nominal
ton for Chairman Ii. IL. Rice. who was
unanimously elected. L. G. Parker was
elected Secretary. On assuming the chair
the Chairman briefly addressed the audience
on the objects of the meeting, and of the
great Importance at the present time of thsir
making bold stand and an Incorporating
fight for prohibition. He said few days
since, in reading the daily press, he ascef-
the assertion publicly that in this
capital city OF the State there
were four hundred places where liquor was
sold. Just think of it A city of $4,000
inhabitants supporting 400 saloons, or one sa-
loon to every GO persons. 1t is said there is
on an average one voter to every five inhab-
itsnts. That being the case, we have one
saloon to every twelve voters No wonder
the gin mills manipulate the primaries, con.
dates and elect the officers, for it
would be poor saloon indeed
that could not control seven votes
or majority. Those are figures that can.
not be gainsayed, and the result of such
computation is calculated to stsgger and cause
us to look around for protection. This is
solemn time for action. He said Of course
we will have no report OF this meeting in the
daily papers, bus will have to look to the
ProhiJitioniSt for truthful report of our
proceedings. The daily press can fiLd plenty
of space to infinitely describe first class dog
fight, but have no room to spare for q report
of temperance meeting.
After some little delay, no person seeming
to understand the modus opersndi of q pri-
mary, Mr.. Dunn moved that four persons be
selected by the Chairman q nominating
committee. The motion was carried, and
Messrs. A. j. Gregg, B. f. Pike, j. NJ.
Haight and A. j. Frost were selected as such
committee.
When the committee retired Mr. Jeffreys
and his little son we're called upon for a song.
The lad sang in fine voice, and was loudly
encored.
The Chairman read letter from George
B. Kstzenstein, regretting that he could rot
be present, but said he was with the prohibi.
tionists heart and soul.
Rev. L. S. Dunn was called on for sn adj
dress He did not wish to mince matters at
all. He had never voted anything but the
Republican ticket in his life; but the time
had come when Christian people must drop
out of the old parties, and unite in the cause
ef prohibition. He voted for q Republican
Senator by the name of Reuter- last year.