Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1885-04-06

years past. he was in favor of temperance
work in the home; of mothers and fathers
teaching TO their children, with the same
c~arefulness as they taught the gospel, the
Importance of abstainiag from anything i
the shape Of strong drink; of working aud
preaching at every opportunity for radical
reformation. He differed slightly from his
friend Murphy in that he did not believe
that kindness alone would accomplish the
great object so much desired. But he was
willing to co operate in any movement
which promised to aid in attaining the
abolition of rum.
Rev. Z. ". RYAN, of Detroit, was then
presented to the audience by Mr.. Atkinson,
as one who was well.known to those present
by reason Of his former residence in our
city. The speaker said he thought one Of
the greatest obstacles to the success OF the
temperance cause was the detected air Of
those people who went about saying: oh
yes, its q great evil, of course, but You can't
prevent it. 1t is bound to go on; the best
we can do is to keep clear Of the trouble our
selves" He cid not agree with those peo-
pie. 1t might, indeed, be hard to
fish out those unfortunate people
who had fallen into the great aud
rapidly running stream of iptempersnce, but
il this was so, he was in favor of going high
up the stream and building a fence around
the spot where these people fell in. Re
verting to the harmful effects of whisky
drinking, the speaker said that if moral
suasion would not reform the drunkard, he
was in favor Of the enactment OF laws TO
cover the case. The government Of the
United States or of the State had the same
right to prohibit the sale of whisky that 1t
had to prohibit the sale of opium or arsenic,
or punish the murderer. The speaker con.
tinued to talk at considerable length, with
much feeling and earnestness.
Prof. Wade, of M~organtowu, wa next
called upon, and prefaced his remarks by
saving that he was an educator, but he was
heartily in sympathy with the fight going
on against rum. The question had been
asked: Are we making any progress
He thought we were. Why, he remember
ed, in the early days Of New England, that
on one occasion, at the dedication
of a church, thirty dollars worth
of fine LIQUORS were consumed, and, when he
was a young man, the best teacher was he
who, getting drunk on Friday night ana
Saturday, would be all right for duty on
Monday morning. He thought one OF the
best things which could be done would be
the compiling of a textbook on the subject
of alcohol and its effects, that the rising
generation might be enlightened as to the
great evil resulting from its use. He al
Iuded TO the destitution in the interior OF
he State. and said, as far as his observs-
ion went, the men whose families were The
worst off were the men who drank. He re
lated an amusing incident or two, and end
ed his remarks amid applause.
Mr.. G. W. Bags thought it a little I'M
fair to call upon him-a laymeu-after 30
many of the clergymeu had spoken. But,
after all, probably it was all right, for, IN
ike all who had preceded him, he had been
over the road OF intemperance, and knew
every milestone on it. He dipped into
local politics, and said that almost every
saloon.keeper in the city violated the city
laws Sunday after Sunday, aud yet one
| never heard Of one of them being arrested,
but let a poor devil of a man get a little too
much liquor on board and he would be
landed in the lookup too quick. Before
the election Republican and
Democratic candidates were loud
in their p~rotestations OF willingness to en-.
force the law, but 60 to them after election
day and they would button up their coats
and say: "1f you want this saloon keeper
or that gambler closed up, swear out a war
rant, l won't do it" And yet We pay that
official 81, 800 a year for enforcing our laws
The speaker alluded to the common prac
tice of young men sneering at the socalled
notoriety of reformed men who, after sign,
ing the pledge, came to the lecture platform
10 talk, and yet those very same men would
get drunk, make an exhibition OF them
selves on the streets after dark, go to the
lookup, and give somebody else's name to
the Judge in the morning. There were five
hundred men arrested in Wheeling every
year-men who claimed to be respectable
who appeared at the Police Court under an
alias.
The meeting closed at AIS o'clock, and
afterwards a meeting Of the Executive Com
mittee was held.