Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-25
ON THE AMENDMENT.
Emeralds Debating Prohibition at
Their Meeting on Sunday.
AN INTERESTING JOINT DEBATE.
The German Military Addressed by John
E. Joos Against 1t.
FATHERS CANEVIN AND SHEEDY TALK

The proposed Constitutional prohibitory
amendment was discussed before the men,
bers of Branch No. 43 of the Emerald Bene-
fetal Association at their hall, corner of
Butler and Forty-seventh streets, yesterday
afternoon. The occasion was the regular
monthly entertainment Of the branch, and
the matter was discussed in joint debate by
number of the members of the association.
There was large attendance of members
of the branch and others when the meeting
was called to order by President J. B. Nc
Cally, of the Pittsburg postofice. The
opening address was made by Mr.. John
Maley who set forth the advantages of the
organization. He was followed by John
Nichols who sang "The Cottage by the
Sea-, James T Smith recited Washing
toms Birthday" which was followed
by the debate. The subject was:
Resolved, That it is to the best interest of
the people of Pennsylvania that the prohibitory
amendment be adopted.
The affirmative side was taken by William
Soldiers and James Kirk, and. the negative
and Nichols. Mr.. Kirk was the first
speaker. In his argument he said:
know that it is hard thing to legislate
against the appetites and passions of men; but
it can be done, if the voters consider how much
of benefit the passage of the act would be.
There are millions of reasons why the amend
ment should pass. The other side will tell you
of the thousands
OF DOLLARS DERIVED
yearly from the manufacture of liquors in this
State; but not one word will they say about
the misery and degradation arising from its
use. have seen it stated that there are $780,
O00 600 invested in the liquor business in the
United States. If this money was taken and
put into some other business. there would be
20 men employed where there is one man en-
ployed now.
You can take a trip all over this glorious
Commonwealth, and can carcely find single
town of any size that hasn't It's jail, reforma-
tory, almshouse. etc. Over nine-tenths of the
inmates are there, directly or indirectly,
through the use of alcohol.
Before the prohibitory laws were passed in
Iowa. that State was one of the most lawless
and violent in the Union. Go into it now. and
can say it without fear of contradiction, that
over two-thirds of the jails in the different
counties of Iowa are literally empty; not soul
in them. If that isn't one of the best reasons
traffic, would like to know what is. Gods
pure water was made before man knew how to
mix the ingredients of whisky, and it is good
substitute.
In the whisky we now drink you cannot find
s per cent of corn or rye. When a man talks
about the farmers not being able to dispose of
their corn and rye he is not talking sense. 1t
would take only one barrel of good whisky to
make ten barrels of the stuff dished up in bar
rooms now. The report of the Commissioner
of Labor says that out of 100000 divorce cases
so per cent of them were the result of alcoholic
stimulants.
President McCally likewise defended his
side of the case in an able argument. He
said the prohibition of the liquor traffic
would be the means of throwing millions of
dollars out of legitimate business. He
said the men in the business would be de-
prived of the means of making an honest
living by few fanatics and men who can
not control their passions.
ONE POTENT ARGUMENT.
He quoted the number of arrests made
per 1000 inhabitants in prohibition and
anti-prohibition States. In Augusta, Me-,
there were 80 to each 1000 persons, and in
Covington, KY, there were only 6. This
did not look as if prohibition was a success
where it had been tried He said that in
Square in Augusta, there |
were $50. club rooms, and the only thing |
necessary to get in and to get drunk was |
key. He was told of one official of the city |
who had so many keys that be could not |
carry them all upon his ring.
He told how the prohibitory law worked
in Kittanning. Upon one occasion while
on visit to that place, he got the stomach
ache" and, going into drugstore, stated
his complaint. Showing the druggist 81,
be received quart of the rankest whisky
he ever tasted. He did not need any pre-
scription to get it.
Mr.. McCally said the trouble was there
were not enough of fanatics in the city. If
there were, it would be better for the people
He said the last strike between capital and
labor were indirectly the result of the
strikers using liquor. He says he didn't
think God made whisky to bathe in, as
some men suppose. If the liquor signs did
not stare men in the face on the streets, the
would be removed.
Mr.. Nichols replied the law was against
The spirit of the Constitution. The Chinese
we're forbidden the use of Igor, and they
;ook to opium. This dwarfed their minds
and stunted their growth. He said the
of beer caused a mans
stomach to enlarge, and thus prevented his
aking the other kind of consumption.