Arkansas weekly mansion., 1884-01-26
The Temperance Outlook.

Notwithstanding the back-sets which
the Temperance cause has met with in
the way of legislation and in the en-
forcement of existing laws designed to
check the evils of intempcrance, the
cause is making rapid progress, more
rapid in some quarters than ever before.
Aud the advance is in the most desira-
BILE form. the growth of personal and
and public sentiment in favor of absti-
nence y among the most influential
classes of society. Even politicians are
no longer afraid to advocate Temper
ance principles or to act upon them.
Although recognizing the change, we
confess to some surprise in reading the
| following statement in the Washington
correspondence of the Springfield
| (Mass.) Republican:
| There has been very great and
very noticeable change her. within a
| few years 10 another respect, and it may
be partially due to the increase of busi-
ness representation here or to the de-
mands that business makes. This
| change is in the use of alcoholic liquors.
A striking illustration of it was to be
noticed during the canvass for the
| Speakcrship. Not a single glass OF
| liquor was set out by any OF the candi-
dates. l did not see a single member
of Congress under the influence of liquor
| during that canvass. nor have | sin, e.
| The bar-keep"rS and the hotel propric-
| tors say that the decrease in bar
| tippiinG is SO great as seriously to cur
| tail receipts. The three leading candi-
/ dates for Speaker used to use stimulants
| sometimes to excess. Two of them are
now total abstaincrS and have been for
some years, while the third only uses
wine in moderate quantity at his din
! ner. / can count 4 dozen Senators who
used to tipplc who have not drunk Il
| drop in two years, and there is not n
Senator. with perhaps an exception or
two, who is not prudent and most tenn
peratc in the use of liquor. Nearly
all of them do not touch anyth nT
except light wine at dinner. 1t is
so in the House. 1t is so with most of
| the public men. There has grown up Il
sentiment that a man is Il fool who uses
| liquor immoderateIy. and shat he is
! better of without any of it. Three
years ago saw one of the most brilliant
! members of the Senate staggering drank
in front of Wizards Hotel. The other
! day l saw that he left his champagne
untouched at Il dinner. Said he:
haven t toi ched alcohol in any form for
three years. l woke up one morning
realizing that pretty much all the Tenn
perance lecturers have said was true,
, anu l. SIMPLY Sdiu 10 IlNStll lIdt L nave
had enough. And [ have. | have
never seen the time from that day to
this that have not fe,t q rcpugnancc
for liquor Garland, the learned law
yer from Arkansas, is Il tcctota'er- Sad
he: Il was passing by the cemetery
near my home one day, and l saw the
graves of a dozen brilliant men who be
gan life with me, every one of them
fastened to his end by whisky. l made
up my mind that had drunk my share,
AMI stopped In the social entertain
mcnts here less and less wine is used.
and the number of guests who refuse it
is constantly increasing. In the old
DAYS a man used to fire up with rum
before lie started off in 4 speech, and
politics and rum used to mix we'll But
now a days men who used to di>dain
business are finding enjoyment in it, and
they seem to have learned that it re-
QurcS Il cool head. and tha' there is far
more enjoyment in developing success
fully an enterprise than there is in
getting drunk, or in picking in whskv.'
To the same effect the New York
Times says: "The bar-keepers in the
National capital are discouraged ut thc
prospects of the retail liquor business.
Most of the Congressman appear to
have ceased drinking anything what
ever. and those members of the Senate
who have not already sworn off, in.
tend to take the pledge on New Year
Day, 1884. ~. \. ObSercer.