Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1888-04-17
ST. JOHN ON The PLATFORM.
He Sets Forth His Mission With IDc-
ton and Justifes His Course.
ne Turns BRLLIGERENT.
Yiyisects his Traducers, and Wipes the
Floor with the oregon Statesman

to cx-Goy. ~. Johns power q,
public speaker, i'm our report ye-ter
day of his discourse the cveuin!
preceding. II has been charged il
a number ofncwspapcr- in the STATE
that thi, eloquent cold water apostle
wn- desccrating the sabbath by de
livcring political harangnc- on tha
sacred day Mr. Webb alluded tC
this objection i'm his Introductory
remarks, and insisted that religion
and temperance were indissolutely
allied. He said the prohibitionist
champion was not there to talk
politics, but 10 instruct his hearers
with a strictly moral
discourse. And to dis
arm criticism the worthy elder
opened the proceedings with a
fervent prayer, II gospel hymn was
then sung, and when Mr.. st. John
presented himself to the audience,
he carried bible in his hand. He
took his text from Isaiah and
Ezekiel: "WOc unto them that are
mighty to drink wine, and men of
strength to minglc strong drink,
which justify the wicked for re-
/ ward, ." etc. This confined the
/ speaker to II purely temperance
lecture, with politics vigorously cX-
cludcd; hc was hanpcrcd with the
restriction, and unable to give loose
to his powers of argument
But last evening this restraint was
removed, the withcs that bound the
limbs of this oratorical Samson were /.
looScd, aud he stood forth before
IA crowded and delighted audience
master in dialcctic-, an irresistible .
plcadcr and
Snpping rihald jest with solemn ,uccr
The lord of iruny-that master spell.
The cN-governor's talk lasted two
hours, and there was not II person in
the large audience that felt weari- .
ncs, or who batcd in attention, It.
would be impossible to do justice to
50 compcudiou- un argument in the
brief space at our command. lie
told of the terrible evils inflicted ON
society 10y the Use of strong drinks.
The money wasted, the homes desc
lated, the crime and misery aud loss
ot useful energy that result In this
country SHO,OO,WO is spent in in
toNiUutsryrry ycarund iu this state
he figured up thc expenditure at
'o.OpUOO Ia Sls,mu,OOO The saloons
In Oregon alone il set side 10y side
would stretch out To "a length of
eleven miles, We leave to the inn
'gimtiou of the reader how IA frrvid
orator would dc~cant ON this aggrc-
CATION of miocry-dcNliug and poison
dispensing c,tah.i,hmcuts.l The
liquor tmnc, he said, was !
Nor,c shan the slave traffic: I
{ produced more misery, l
mon victims, destroying 5
r. Notarir, body and soul. The Z
'uhimIiou party Wa, organized 10
Nrc~tlc with and destroy thi, giguu-
be- evil; 10. ranks Wvr, being recruit |
d with earnest, thinking men, who q
Nou,d NOT hc turned from their pur- /
'o-c an they had accomplished their
ud, lildlrulc would not deter them.
.hu,r would mot turn them aside. u
heir uhlvct Wa, clr,utiug, and vnm-
'vhcudcd the good ot AN: their
Weapon va, argument thcu aim n
uuNivtluu They would mot AM 4
Wvr rNilmg with r,vilmg: they ]
would NOT p~ort tp NiURratinu
huugh provoked to their umu,t cu-
.uwncc They wen. ylothcd with
hv armur ot righteousness, Ood wa,
ul,,,vd uu their side. and Inc Gauss.
hey Wcu ruUgcd uu would march
n In victory, no matter what ol,>ta-
lv~. human pvr,vr,ity and mi,uk- I
% spite might pl,vc iu iJ,way. |
lhvu the lcvuDr descended fD,m
ni, high moral standpoint to uotiyc
lc ,luruud nl,ihyatiou, aud ahus,
lat had hvu hcals'J uu hm~clf
uj hi, faithful y,-Nurkyr, ,mcr hi, 1
Wuuov into ungou. lu thl, l.au. |.
Wl city of Salem, be- said hv had
,vu as,aih'd. and hc would ukra
IA momrut, to make aplaUut to
D, audivuv, Jhv uaJUn, at thv wtap.
t' dlpvIvl against him. From q,
umlsr ot printed and Written Is,-
,rs lying ou hi, table the lc-tupr =
l1'y'i "a oopy of the Statesman uf
'turdaN last. aud mad the follow.
.g ,ho.oy vNovpi,.
~, John vau az beast congratulate
.hi,''li ui.1u uuv mvi. and that Is
+ b. the l.',l halvd man iu Amrrl.
!, \ dv,vnI vitlfvuWill turn aWaN
ld huld hi, uU,c quicker al ths
.Fntiou az his uattt Than .th.t