The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-06-02
TEMPERANCE READING.
MEMORABLE WORDS.

Chief Master-Workman Powderly's ElO-
quent Appeal to working-Mcn in Be-
half Of Temperance.
Having warned his men against their
outside enemies, Mr.. Powderly closes
his remarkable circular by warning
them against themselves. He addresses
himself to every drinking member in a
kind, fatherly way, and beseeches him
to quit the use of liquor Eloquently
he appeals to every victim of whisky
''to stand erect on the floor of his
assembly, raise his hand to Heaven,
and repeat with me these words:
kss Ss rse
slavery, whether the slavery appears in the
shape of monopoly, .usury or intemperance.
she OF
reason in drink No man can rob me of the
brain my God has given me unless l am q
/ bring grief to wife, child and sorrowing
friends. ! add not one iota to the sum of hui
man happiness when Invite oblivion over the
ness or inattention to duty while drunk brings
defeat to the least of labors plans, q lifetime
Of attention to duty alone can repair the loss.
I promise never again to put myself In such
position"
These are memorable, eloquent
words. 1t has been shown by careful
and painstaking calculations that the
wage classes of the United States
squander upon alcoholic drink over
all these wage-workers live in the cities
and towns. The remaining two hun.
dred and fifty millions drank up in the
United States is spent by the capitalists,
professional, middlemen and the farm.
ers, representing three-fourths of the
whole population, and best able to spare
the money they waste. The one-fourth
of the population who can least afford
It pay two-thirds of the entire liquor
bill of the Nation. They literally de.
stroy five hundred millions of their
yearly earnings, and, worse than that,
damage themselves. Liquor drinking
wastes their time, squanders their
wages, Injuries them mentally and NOR.
! ally, leads them to the commission oi
crime and to the abuse and impoverish.
ment of their families. Nearly all the
poverty and misery of which the wage.
workers complain are caused by liquor
The impelling motive of these strikes
for more wages is largely to make good
the loss of these five hundred squan-
dered millions which they need for bettel
subsistence and the procuring of {
home. The aim of these labor comb.
nations is to obtain from employer;
another five hundred millions without
stopping the awful waste on liquor. Mr.
Powderly says: IF every member O.
! the Knights of Labor would only pass
a resolution to boycott strong drink sc
| far as he is concerned for five years
and would pledge his word to study
the labor question from its differen
standpoints. we would then have an in
vincible host arrayed on the side O
Justice" More than this, at the end O.
five years time, if the wage-workers
! would stop the use of liquor, they
i would have capital of two Thousand
five hundred millions and the earning
of that capital. If it were invested il
railroad bonds they would own half tn
railroads in the United States at tn
end of five years. Liquor lies at tn
bottom of their troubles. 1t is nearl,
always the cause of their misery an,
poverty and discomfort. If Mr.. Pow
derly could extend this oath among th'
wage classes and make it effective h
would immortalize himself and lif
working-men out of their troubles
Wise, brave words are these which tn
Chief Master-W Workman addresses t
his fellows, and wise indeed will the
be if they heed them and listen to tn
counsels of their truly chivalrous chief
-ChicddO Tribune.