Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1886-11-01
ooions , Bssn- Great Lecture.

orchestra. the circle, the gallery and
crowded into the aisles and sat upon
che window lodges yeste Iday afternoon,
at the Opeas House. TO hear Colonel
George W. Balm, the silver. tonRued
orator from Kentucky, speak upon
'sOnr Homes and Our Duty" The
leeture commenced promptly at 8
O'Clock, Jabez Hudson, President Of
the Red Ribbon Association presiding,
A select choir from st. Paul's M. e,
Church sung some very pretty solec-
lions until the meeting opened. Rev.
Dr. Marks Of Hanover Presby yterisn
Church made the opening prayer.
Mr.. Balm, being introdaced; calmly
surveyed the vast audience before him
a. II drinking in inspiration from the
scene. He then alluded TO the rare
spectacle of Southerner eta sndipg upon
me platform before Q Northern audi
ence and speaking uron the subject OF
temperance, especially coming 40 he
did from Kentucky, the State noted for
is Bourbon whiskay, and further 40 he
came from Bourbon County, where that
famous whiskey was made.
He then said there were three educa-
tional influences ut work in this coun.
Try. The public school was one Of
them. Does 1t produce evil or good?
II 1t produced good, he would have q
school house on every hill top and in
every valley. Another educational force
was the church. Does the church make
people better or worse? He would have
the sound OF the church going bell
heard everywhere. The third oduca-
tlonal force was the liquor saloon. Is
the saloon o benefit 70 the country, and
does It make people better and happier?
IL 1t did not. his voice was down with
the saloon. Mr.. Balm then went briefly
into etatistios to show what each educa
tional force cost.
The country paid last year SlO9, ,O0O.-
600 for educational purposes, and $780,
000, 900 for church purposes, INCLUDING
missionary enterprises, but $500. .OOO..
eco was paid to support the 400, COO m.
looms OF the land. Mr.. Balm here went
into perfect burst of eloquence nud
drew . vivid description of the 4O0. GOO
saloons Of the country like masked bat
tsries pouring hot shot through and
through the peaceful homes Of the na-
tion. He drew q vivid picture of
the happy homs of his childhood,
before q saloon In the neighborhood
opened its batteries upon 1t and made
1t wreck OF ruins. His burning elo-
lquenee at this time Ia hard to describe.
Turning his after tion to Congress in
scathtng terms, he accused that body
OF legislating for the saloon and not for
the people. He refuted the oft-repeated
assertion that prohibition did not pro
hibit, and especially WAS it common
saying that there was more liquor drank
in Maine under prohibition than under
liceDse. He showed that the men who
make this assertion did not live in
Maine, while ex. United States Senator
Lott, M. Morrell, Senators Frye and
Hale testified to the contrary, and the
citizens OF Maine were SO well pleased
with prohibition that after twenty five
years. trial of it they put 1t In their con-
sitution two years ago by 10000 ma
jority.
The law had bsen declared failure
because it had been occasionally vic.
lated. The law against murder was q
lprohibitory law, but there were still
iplenty Of murders; so with the law
against theft; but nobody talks about
repeating those laws. Mr.. Baip, in
illustrating the benefits of agitation
referred to the slavery question, and in
an amusing manner followed the leRis.
lation upon that question, but in spite
of all compromises 1t was never settled
until Abraham Lincoln took his psn
and manumitted four millions of human
chattels. We of the South, he said,
clustered and fought against it, and we
Igot whipped.
We are glad now that slavery is abol.
isLed and the South stands unaltersbly
lopposed to slavery now that IL is abol-
isned. We Southerners were very brave
when the war commenced. When the
United States forces came down into
Kentucky and carried off Colonel Bain's
|nsighbors prisoners, he said they would
u ever take him; he would spill every
idrop OF blood In his veins before he
would be taken. He met . few OF them
lone day on the road and they said
halt, and he halted. Then they said
surrender" and he surrendered with
tout losing drop of blood.
He gave . glowing description of the
Iprogrsss Of prohibition in the Southern
States, and said that as the North had
come down to the South and rid the
icountry of the curse of slavery, rs one
good turn deserved another the South
might yet have to come to the North to
resoue that section from the influence
OF the saloon "Yes, but Mr.. Balm, you
are In such q minority" say the oppo-
nents of prohibition. "How would
you have liked to have been with the
! majority at the slime OF the food" was
Mr.. Bain's reply.
II was good thing, he thought, to be
In the majority sometimes, but mot al
ways. Mr.. Balm closed his hour and q
half speech with perfect torrent of
Ieloquenoe that held the vast audience
ispell-bouud except when 1t applauded,
and after the lecturer concluded, at his
lreQuest, the great crowd remained uR-
til the collectors passed around hats
and took up q large collection. Such