The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-11-26

dirty dens of Decatur street are produc
ing that is beneficial to Atlanta society
If any one is ever so fortunate as to max
the discovery let him come to me, and
promise him a notoriety such as III
Georgian has ever had. If they are mol
producing something that is beneficial t
society, then according to the law which
I have just quoted, we must class them q
paupers, and in this republic there are 81,
hundred thousand ofthese paupers to sup
port. They produce nothing that i
beneficial to society; but that is not all
If they were only class of paupers w
could feel very kindly towards them. II
they were only paupers, we could tolerate
them as we do other paupers. have
seen the poor tramp who was perfectly
harmless. He disturbed nobody's prop
erty and nobody's peace. But who vii
say that the class of paupers which W.
are dealing with to-day are harmless
Will Mr.. Mark Well say it? viii Mr.
Julius Brown say it? I think not. L
all the world were book it would moi
contain space enough to chronicle the
mischief which these whisky men have
done. And yet the citizens Of Atlantis
and of Fulton County are asked tc
believe that they cannot get along with.
out these vampires. They are asked to
go to the polls in the approaching elec.
ton and say that they shall be protected
and supported in their ruinous work.
Daughters of Georgia, ye who wear the
white flower of innocence and purity
could we offer any greater insult to your
feelings, than to charge you with giving
sympathy to such cause? Would not
such an indignity turn your blood into
liquid fre2
But if you abolish the liquor traffic
how will you get revenue sufficient to
support the government? Every man,
suppose, has his.ideal statesman. Mine
is the peerless man who stands at the
head of the grand liberal party of Great
Britain. His is that mountain majesty
of worth, which looks forth into the
suns face like Alpine snow-imperisha-
bly, pure.
any question by the wisdom of William
L. Gladstone, let no man call me fanatic
or u1adcap. When the English brewers
came to him and said, "If you interfere
with our business you will have fright.
full deficiency in the government treasury
to provide for" he looked them calmly
in the face and replied: Gentlemen,
you need not give yourselves any trouble
about the revenue. The question of
revenue must never stand in the way of
needed reform. With a sober popula-
ton, not wasting their earnings, / shall
know where to obtain the revenue" Oh
that such words were "writ where stars
are lit" and for such q man no throne
is too high aud no empire too vast.
"The question of revenue must never
stand in the way of needed reform" :"
Put over against these grand words the
pitiful political philosophy Of the anti
prohibitionist of Atlanta: "We can't
afford to reform, because it will diminish
our revenue" Fellow citizens, will you
take the wisdom of William E. Gladstone
or the folly of Mr. Mark Well?
The suppression of vice and lawless-
ness and crimes, the lifting up of the
nation in morals, is more important than
a full treasury. That is what the great
statesman means. Is be right? Every
man who believes in God and moral
government knows that he is right. But
what say these statesmen who have
espoused the cause of Atlanta's whisky
ring? "We cannot afford to purify the
nation at the expense of the nations
treasury. Sobriety, chastity, honesty
and virtue are of less value to people. :"
These are not their words, but this is
exactly what they mean. Doyou believe
them? No, you can never do that until
your natural instincts are dead and the
last traces of Gods image have faded
from your soul. Yet this is what we are
asked to believe. This is what we are
asked to say on November 25th. Let
men who are willing to barter their man.
hood say it, but God helping me l never
will. desire the material prosperity Of
my country, but let that prosperity rest
upon the solid granite of moral intelli.
gence. Let US have full treasury, but
when it is full let US be able to say,
"There is not a dirty shilling in it,"
These sentiments, we are told by a GER
lain gentleman of our city, were trans.
ported to this country upon the 'May-
flower" If heis correct in his statement,
then, TO my dying day will l hallow the
memory of that dear old ship. I would
not give one such man as she bore over
untrayeled seas to the shores of this
Western world for whole legion of
your modern beer suckers and whisky
blUats.
But, says the great English commoner,
with asober population not wasting their
earnings, I shall know where to obtain
the revenue" He means that virtuous,
industrious and economical people will
never find it hard to raise revenue
sufficient to defray the expenses of the
government. Is he correct? Is it not
to the material advantage of any people
10 be sober and virtuous? Will notsuch
q people have more from which to raise
a revenue than community in which
iders, drunkards and deadbeats abound !?
Has the God of Heaven made US and put
US into world where civil government
cannot be supported without encourage
ing vice and crime? To this hideous,
hateful, damuable doctrine, We are asked
by the champions Of the anti-prohibition
cause to commit ourselves. Can we do
it? No, not till our judgments have fled
to british boasts and We have lost our
reason.
If these dens Of vice should he closed,
and the people of Atlanta are not more
prosperous, happy and contentcd two
years heuce than they are to-day, then
the Bible is not true, and God himself is
q myth. Or, if there be 3 God, aud he
has made the material prosperity of
nations and communities Of men to
depend upon the prevalence of drunken
ness, debauchery and crime, he is mon.
sLer, and deserves to be hated.
The executive committee of the prohi.
bition party is made up ofmen whose We.
racity is unimpeached aud unimpeachable
men upon whose record no stain can
bs found, and who would choose death
rather than dishonor. These meu have
carefully and conscientiously gathered
from the villages, towns and cities of our
State, where prohibition has been tried,
all the information which is needed to
form correct opinion as TO the effects of
prohibition upon Atlanta's material
prosperity. After calmly weighing all
the facts which they have collected, they
arn nrenared. as honest. patriotic God