The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1885-08-20
AUTHORIZATION.
Senator Coke's Great Anti
Prohibition Speech
In Full.
A Revised, Corrected and Conn
piete Report of "A Most Re-
markabIe speech.
The Voters of McLennan County
Ought MI 20 Read it He
fore they Vote.
a siafesnan's Calm and Dis
passionate Examination
of Prohibition.

- pleasure OF giving 1t in full to OF
readers this morning, just as 1t fe
from his lips the other evening.
Il FELLOW CITIZENS; l propose {
=. state as briefly as can some of III
, principal reasons on account of whic
| am opposed thoroughly, RAJ licall
aud from top to bottom TO this whol
prohibition movement.
IL is sought TO enforce prOhibitio
upon Waco and McLennan county, b
vote OF the people, to be had on III
3lst of this month.
IL live to see October next, | wi
have been u citizen Of Mel ..eni,an coun
r ty for thirty-tiv years. came her
as soon as, attained majority, an,
my home has been here ever since.
l. rememember Waco when ther,
were not more than u dozen boar,
shanties here, and when hundreds o
Indian wigwams could frequently b,
seen in VIVA, is now the most POM
lous portion of the city, the Indians DO
ing here for purposes of trade.
During the earlier days there was ,
great deal of disgusting, brutal dissi
patton, but rs the years rolled on and
population came in, and schools and
churches were built, gradual change
came over the people, society and pub.
lie opinion. The lido of Improvement
IN all the elements OF a high ciyiiza
ton has risen higher here with each
revolving year, and in looking back
over the thirty-tive years, from ibis
eminence, upon which we now stand :,
L do say to you that you may compare
! thn Wuan ~ ~ -Iaxr ny
any other period of her history, and
that there is less of vice, ofdissipation
less drunkenness, less dealing in Wills
key, and more of morality, enlighten-
nent and civilization than ever existed
here before. We all know this to he
true. Why should we change our
habits, why rcvolutionize our BUSH
ucss Why should the hand OF the
reformer be lsid upon our community
when we are better than ever lie fore. and
advancing more rapidly tlsaD, ever in
all that is good and moral and ennob
lingf Have we not elegant and COM
Portable public free school houses in
every ward of our city in which our
children are being educated, and do
not the spires of churches 4 evotcd TO
the worship OF the living God rise
from every square2 Does not thrift
and enterprise and public spit II abound
here, and do not our people extend a
liberal hand to the support OF every
thing that is moral and progressive d?
Where can you find a more sober,
orderly, entcrprising and thrift " COM
munityI Waco is striving for place
among the leading commercial centers
of the state, and is engaged in IL gen
erous rivalry with her sister cities.
Ought the people of McLennan county,
who feel a just pride in their county,
to handicap her in this laudable
race believe they will not. They
desire as do, to see our little city
have fair chance in the race for social,
commercial and industrial develop.
ment. II this prohibition movement
succeeds Waco will drop behind, will
fall out OF the race. We can not I'M
pose our tastes rs to what people
shall cat and drink on others. II we
attempt it we will be left TO the en-
JOY mont of our fancics, and those up
ON whom We depend for growth, who
claim the right TO determine these mat
tcrs for themselves, will 20 where
their personal liberty is not curtailed.
They will go where social pleasures
which have been INDUCED in by wise
and good men from the beginning of
the world may be sought without vio-
IA ing law. Those now here engagol
in The traffic and hundreds dependent
upon them In the multiform ramiGca-
tons OF social and business life will be
compelled to seek new fields or new en-
pigments. The business of our city
which has grown up and accon,moda-
ted itself TO existing habits and condi-
lions, would be rudely shoe, ied at n
time when already greatly depressed
and little able to bear new burdens.
Values would depreciate, Affecting the
town directly, and the PEG pie of the
country indirectly, bun with equal
certainty, for tins is their III arket town,
and every thousand added TO ITS pop
ulation increases the value of country
produce, and decline here means hard
times throughout the county. The
interests OF the town and country are
inseparably blended. A nourishing
prosperous city rapidly increasing its
population, adds value each wear TO
every acre OF land and every farm in
the county. That viii ch harms one
will also hurt the other. | hold IL To
be an undeniable propc ,sition that any
line of policy which fujures either is
unwise and impolitic. But suppose
the enthusiasts, who without rhyme
or reason, are seeking TO force prohi-
bition upon this county and city are
su, cessiul, will prohibition prohibit
The use of into Sicants, and suppress
drunkenness. That il will not is the
universal and uncontradicted testi-
mony coming from all the states where
il has been tried. In rural districts /
docs TO some. extent lessen drunken
ness. In towns AND cities IL has inva
riably, without an exception, increas
cd drunkenness and crime. There be
ing no license to pay, every fellow
who can got y jug of whiskey runs hi
saloon. The difference being the,
eau sell cheaper, and the stuff they re
tail is viler than when sold undo
license. The state loses the rcyenu
which goes to increase the profits q
the saloon keeper.
The traffic goes out of the hands {
decent and responsible mon who I'm
der existing law, must keep orderl
houses into the hands of disreputabl
and bad men, who are irresponsible
and keep dives and dens and encour
age the lowest character OF dissipatio
and drunkenness.
Fellow citizens, the statement max
that drunkenness in cities and centre
OF population is Increased by opera
ton of prohibitOry laws / repeat
verified by universal concurrence ,
testimony. Nothing but harm result
from forcing prohibition on cities
These ccnters of population very niue
more than rural districts, al
afflicted with the vices which flo'
from the whiskey triilic. Prohibitio