The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-12-01

resolved that they will not return to the
old order of things.
The open saloon in Kansas has gone,
and gone to ay,-Anhison Champion.
Tho Fool and His Money.
The workingman who puts his money
into the saloon keepers till is fool He
mortgages his property and the we'll be.
ing of himself and family, beyond re.
demption. He puts himself under a
power that uses him to step upon; to
grow fat upon by devouring him; and
that takes the manhood out of him.
We need say nothing against the So
loon keeper; we need to indulge in no
TRADE against rum; nor to preach against
the drinking of intoxicating liquor on
neral grounds; nor to say word about
prohibition or license; it is enough to
point to the spectacle of the working
mans delivering himself over to de.
grading life, where the brute is devel-
opcd in him aad his ennobling qualities
are suppressed. 1t is the degradation OF
the man that is so conspicuous; he
throws himself away, and for nothing.
After his hard days labor he goes to the
saloon and in an hour he has nothing to
show for that labor-nothing but stu
pidity, or a drunken fight, or a crime
committed.
The workingman who can make no bet
ter showing than this for the expenditure
of his days wages is fool-yes, worse
than fool, fer the wo.kingman has re-
sponsibilities for his conduct that the
fool has not.
The workiugman may as WILL say to
his fellows: t"Let's work hard every day
for ten years and see how rich we can
make the saloon keeper on the corner !;
we will then make him q Doodle alder
man, 50 that he may become richer"
Yet this is what is done in many cities
in this country, though the workingmen
may not plan it beforehand.
What worse could workingman do
with his earnings than to spend them
for drink2 He might better throw them
into the river or bury them in the
ground, for then there would be no
tyrant ruling over him.
Wages we'll cared for will return vast
amount of happiness to the working
man. Is it better to own home, or to
be in the clutches of the saloon keeperl
Is it better to have money laid away for
rainy day, or to be sunk in wretched-
ness and poverty2
The saloon receives you in welcome
when you have money and kicks you out
when it is gone. 1t takes you man and
makes you beast. 1t consumes your
energies and thrives, while you depart a
beggar.
1t is useless to quote the figures of the
nations annual liquor bill; to this work.
men contribute millions, that they may
deprive themselves of comforts and
never get near enough to luxury to
know what it is like. They part with
millions that might be invested in homes,
in the education of children and in Sc
curities.
What many workman suffers from to-
day is want of savings. With these he
might elevate himself; he might be .
lender instead of borrower; he might
become an employer. as we'll as en-
ployed; he would buy cheaper for cash
than he does now for credit; he would
be happy in temperance, in good home,
in having promising children, in the re-
spect that he would receive from the
public, in the confidence that be would
have in his manhood. Above all, he
would not be making fool of himself
by dumping his wages into saloon.--
Work and WAGES.
The Enemy Of WorkinGmen.
At the recent National Convention OF
the knights of Labor at Richmond, Va,
their official head, Mr.. Powdcrly, eau
toned the delegates "to avoid the use OF
intoxicating beverages, and administered
to the ncwly-elected officials, chosen to
serve the organization the ensuing year.
the pledge of total abstinence" Power
full as that organization has become nu-
merically, with representatives among
tho laboring men of the country, it would
be q great gain to the cause of temper
ance, as we'll as to the industr al interests
of the nation, if the pledge of abstinence
could be taken, not only by its officers,
but by all its members. Laboring men
and their families have TO greater enc
my than strong drink. If the boycott is
ever to be commended, it would be as
applicd to the saloon.-National 1em-
5;lrance Adrocate.
The Mississippi Woman's Christian
Temperance Union held their convention
lately in the Hall of Representatives at