St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-10-02
The 81. John Movement in
Illinois.
To the Editor of the Caledonian:

Hhe -. IOnh MOtemeht III
Illinois.
To the Editor of the Caledonian:
GRAND CROSSING, H., Sept. 20.
The cause of prohibition moves
apace. The work of organization goes
on in this county, including the great
city of Chicago. Cook county contains
about double the population of the en-
tire state of Vermont. The work of
organizing is very difficult, where
there are no places for meeting with
out the payment of large sums of
money. The expense for Central Mu-
sic hall and printing for single meet
ing is about $3.50. But there is al
ready St. John and Daniel club in
nearly every town or city in the conn
ty. The club in this place grew from
II to 81 members in less than three
weeks. The entire state is being or
gained. In places where there werr
no prohibition votes cast two years
ago, we now have clubs of from 80 to
200. Democrats and republicans are
flocking to the standard of the home
and the school. The chairman of our
state central committee recently or
ganized il club of 90, and 30 of them
were of democratic antecedents.
September Is was est. Johns day"
in Chicago. Our county convention
had been called for that day, and a
grand convention it was, indeed. St.
John appeared in the afternoon and
spoke for a few minutes. In the even
ing he spoke in Central Music hall,
the largest hall in the business portion
of Chicago. The great hall was filled
to the very standing room ut the top
of the third gallery, and hundreds
meeting was held in the First Metho-
dist church, where about 1900 people
waited until 10 o'clock to hear St.
John after he had closed his speech at
Central Music hall. The governor is Il
fine speaker and carries the people
with him. He makes no attempt at
oratory, but out of the abundance of
his heart pOurs forth tide of fact and
reason that lifts his audience to the
highest pitch of enthusiasm. A prom
inent republican of this town said to
me on the way home that evening,
81 used to sing at the meetings where
Abraham Lincoln spoke, but in my
Judgment st. John is an ADLER speaker
than Lincoln"
st. John is a hero, Daniel is dit
tie giant" both are pure, clean, able,
honest, incorruptible christian men.
They are before the American people
with the grandest moral issue ever pre-
scented in this country. Subsection to
the English throne under King George
the III, or the blight of African slavery,
pales before the curse and slavery of
the American liquor traffic. St. John
in his canvass has no mud to throw
he says he will leave that to the par
ties that have no other issue that any
party that dare not stand for the right
before the American people deserves
defeat, and the sooner it goes down
the better. Speaking of personal lib
erty, he declares "Only the right are
free" that whether assaulted on the
plains of Kansas, defending his home
at OssawatOmie, under fire at Harper's
Ferry, in the old Virginia Jail, or on
the gallows, John Brown was always
free"
The governor was recently APP
preached by politicians with promises
of political preferment and money if he
would withdraw-he is a poor man,
but he cannot he bought. 1t was
Abraham Lincoln's rugged, honest,
straightforward dealing and heroic
heart that won the love of his cOun-
trymen. The same qualities are win
ming place for st. John to-day in the
hearts of this people more tender than
that for any other man actively before
/ the country. How noble his spirit
and bearing contrasts with the sneak
ing policy and contemplate cOwardice
that lodges a vote on the most vital
question to the welfare of the state
so Lucifer, how art thou fallen :" Q
''Plumed Knight" let "white feath-
| err from a chicken wing eyermOre
adorn thy crest
On the 18th of June, 1868, the old
Vermont brigade, at the point of the
bayonet and to the tune of the "rOgue's
march," drummed thirty one men con
victed of cowardice out of the United
States service. Let the shrill notes OF
the''rogue's march" be sounded at every
polling place in Vermont next Novem
Der, and let the voters say mo coward
! can be commissioned as commander-in-