Mexico weekly ledger., 1888-06-21
SPEECH.
The Man From Lexington Tells
Great Truths to a Monster
Audience Last Night.

SNShiiiS, iipIi. 81. II. SlieNuiter, II
leading Democrat and n leading cit
izen from Lexington, this State,
gave his views on the question of
Local Option in a most interesting
talk, covering two hours. Mr.. She
walter is known throughout the
State as a man of sound principles,
an orator, and a man of unanswer-
able logic. These, and a desire to
hear q strong address OH a subject
which just now rivits the atten-
ton of everyone, served to draw a
magnificent audience. There was
a sprinkling of ladies' faces to be
seen among the mass of voters and
tax payers-clerks, merchants,
bankers, tradesmen and brawny-
armed laborers composed the
crowd, and all showed a hearty APP
probation of the efforts of the
gifted speaker of the evening.
Mr.. shewalter is opposed to the
measure the question of the adop-
ton of which is to be voted on in
this city Friday. He is opposed
to it on grounds, to use his own
words, ''too numerous to attempt a
recital of in their entirety" But
like every man of sense and sound
Judgment the speaker was bitterly
opposed to the free use of intoxi-
eating liquors. "God forbid" he
said, ''that l should open my mouth
tosay one world in favor ofsaloons or
Of the great evil of intemperance."
He thought the law of the Local
Optionists ''the most un-Ameri-
can, most un-Democratic law that
ever disgraced the statute of any
civilized country under the Local
Option law, cider, as it drips from
the mill, could not be given away
in a district in which the pernic-
ious law is in force. "What are
my objections to it," asked the
speaker; "I'll tell you: This law
is at wal with the very foundation
on which our country rests. 1t is
at war with the great principle of
constitutional liberty, on which
principle our country has stood and
from which it has grown until it is
now the greatest land on which the
bright sun of to-day shines. All
men are created free and equal,
and on this great corner stone has
been built the most enlightened
nation on the earth"
Mr.. Shewalter dwelt at length on
the evil of bringing together Church
and State. "The State cares not
what my religion is; it cares not if
| am a believer in the Koran: it
doesn't make any difference to the
State if | am an infdel, a pagan or
a Christian, and I deny its author
ity and ask what right has the State
to say that man shall not drink
spirituous liquors. I again de-
nounce this law as a blot; upon
our civilization. NY hearers, we
ought to think about these things
seriously. | never drank any
whisky and | don't want any of it.
This great government a not
founded to advance the sciences or
the arts. 1t was founded for the
defence of our natural rights"
The speaker then reviewed per-
sonal liberty from all the stand
points of this great American in
stitution. He went back for a
hundred years and returned slowly
to to-day and showed what a bless
it is that all men were created free
and equal.
"In these days we have the Pro-
hibitionist and the Local Optionist.
The Prohibitionist will tell you
that he can see no harm in drink
ing a glass of wine while gathered
about the festal board, but he don't
like it, and settles the question; he
is infallible. | am reminded of
the old story of the woman, the
boy and the goose. An old South
Missouri lady went out into the
yard one day and saw q boy making
off with one of her geese, the sim
pie bird having gobbled up a piece
of food through which a bent pin
had been stuck by its captor.
"'Ah! You imp of satan,' cried
the woman; you'll be punished
for that at the day ofjudgment.'
"FOh, replied the boy; had l
known the punishment was as long
off as that I'd taken two geese
eff the Prohibitionists wait for
Local Option and Prohibition to
stop the use of whisky, they'll be
waiting ten thousand years after
Gabriel toots his horn. Puritanical
ideas are revolving. l have moth
ing to say against the Puritan
Fathers. They landed on Plymouth
rock, soon effected an organization
and then passed a couple o fresolu-
tons. The first was, Resolved,
that the earth and fullness thereof
belongs to the Lord and his saints
This was a good resolution, but
look at the second: "Resolved that
we are the saints
"AVhen a man drinks a glass of
WINE, or even whisky, what right
has anyone to set himself above
him as a king in this Christian