The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1888-02-08

tlcable, but thank God Atlanta IS not
ono of them. Chicago will lack seven
heads of being as much that way after
the 10th of this month. [Applause.] In
insisting that prohibition has not had a
fair trial, do not mean 10 beg the second
proposition laid down, namely, that it
has been a demonstrable success. If there
is man here tonight who has not the
fairness and the unpreiudiced mind that
will lead him to give all important ques-
ton full trials there man who will
abandon this experiment when it can be
shown that working even imperfectly, it
has worked unspeakable good?
commit myself to that word with
perfect fearlessness. I say "unspeakable
good" If talk until my tongue loses its
power OF articulation, could not give
you one-half of the instances of good
that have been put in my hands by kind
friends this evening. l will hastily class
few, none of which will fail to prove
significant.
When you 60 to get the effect of new
movement for good or evil, where do you
go? Not to the rich and idle, because you
may swell or diminish their income and
yet not change their habits, you simply
diminish their hidden surplus. Not to the
middle class, because when you diminish
their income they simply pinch them
selves and pinch so quietly that their
neighbors do not know it ; or swell their
incomes, and they loosen out a little and
pass something up to surplus. You can
not tell it there, but go to the poorer
classes the men who labor for their daily
bread, and whose wages barely suffice to
give it to them, and there you find the
first signs Of a good or evil movement.
1t is at once the truth and reproach of
-, <I,ok ,ko Call
so close on labor that an evil movement
children and the haggard faces of womne
before it is made manifest to the higher
classes.
Let me show you some facts-my facts
they always come out, remember that
[laughterl they have been laughed at a
good deal, but they always get there.
(Applause.) When you want to discov-
er the effect on the city you all agree that
you must 60 to the poorer classes, because
to pinch them means distress, it means
outcry and to help them means to still
the cry and soothe the distress.
Mr.. George Adair rents houses to 300
tenents. He states that he has issued in
the last year one distress warrant to
where he issued twenty-one, years ago.
(Applause.) claim to be an Intelligent
lnau Will Soue couldSe VI CCuNlCt1ou,
but pledge you my word, if that one
fact were established to nv satisfaction
I would vote for this thing if I never
heard another word on this subject.
Have you thought what that means-a
distress warrant? It means eviction !;
it means the very thing that is to-day
kinding the heart Of this world for poor
Ireland. 1t means eviction! It means
turning women and her little children
out of home that cover them, and to
which they are entitled. I was aston
ished at Colonel Adair's statement. Mr..
Tally, who rents six or eight hundred
houses, say: 81 used to issue two or
three distress warrants-four or fiye-a
month. I have not issued single one in
eighteen month" (Applause.) Now
both of them are prohibitionists. Let
me try you with Harry Krotise. He was
an t-prohibitionist. He said; "My
distress warrants averaged thirty-six to
the year, and I have not issued one in
twelve months. said;
"Then, my friend, I don't carry your
conscience, but how can you be an anti
prohibitionist."
He said: IT amt. My knowledge of
the thing, day by day, among people I
used to poster and evict has changed my
convictions, and am red-hot prohibi-
zionist"
Invent down to Mr.. Scott, who did not
vote for prohibition and asked him. He
said: II have issued as many as twenty
five distress warrants in month, and I
have issued six in the last eighteen
months, and five were to get people out
of houses because they were obnoxious
to the neighbors. have not issued one
single distress warrant for failure to pay
rent"
I said, "You didn't vote for prohibi-
tion."
He said, "I did not believe it was prac-
ticable."
I asked, "What do you think now."
He said, II am going to vote, and vote
for prohibition" EApplause.l
Mr.. Roberts was prohibitionist. He
is square man and an intelligent man,
and is running for council, which is a
good sign. Laughter and applause.]
He says, "My testimony is the same. I
formerly issued two or three distress
warrants every month, and have not is
sued one in twelve months"
Gentlemen-and ladies, [laughter1 espe-
cially ladies: Is there any possible an
swer to that? Is there any industrial,
any social, any economical evolution that
has been worked since this world began
that would account for the diminution in
this most vicious and intolerable of legal
enactments? Have you thought about
what distress warrant is?
Have you ever thought about woman
being turned out of her house-the little
cottage that covers her and her children
Can you picture-you who live in COM
Portable homes filled with light and
warmth and books and joy-can you
think of these people-human beings,
our brothers and sisters-the poor moth
er, brave though her heart is breaking,
hnddling her little children about her
and the father weak but loving, and lov-
ing all the deeper because he knows his
weakness has brought them to this want
and degradation-and little children,
those of whom our Savior said, "Suffer
them to come unto me aud forbid them
not" there asking; Mamma, where will
we sleep tonight" Canyon picture that
and then their taking themselves up and
the woman putting her hand with indy
ing love and faith in the hand of the man
she swore to follow through good and
evil report, and marching up and down
the street-this pitiable procession
through the unthinking streets, by laugh
ing children and shining windows, look
ing for hole where, like the foxes, they
may hide their poor heads?