Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1889-03-01
APOwERFUL PLEA.
A Crisis is Upon the Country
and IL Must bo Met.
"Shnll the Licensed Liquor Traffic
Longer Torment Our CvilizniIonY'
"IT is A sOuLLESS lAMDREAKER.,


tho Illinois Senate on submitting Prohibition
to III pcople.)
What an unseen, anbiile power has the
saloon got over men when they refuse TO
submit TO n vote 0f all the people great
question iuvolving their dearest rights
and highest interests? The United voices
of oil the churches aud schools aud cul-
leges, aud the COOL men Of all parties,
have been demanding this submission for
years; and few tinid politicians OF both
parties have s,iaed this voice and have
set themselves upas greater than the peo-
pie Of the State. Petitions with hundreds
OF Thousands OF names have been Ind away
in the capacious pocket OF some adverse
committee and the people have been
told, ut is none Of your business. We
are the gu ardians Of your rights." tell
all these hmid politicians of whatever
party, that n great cyclone OF the peoples
wrath is coming, that will sweep all such
scheeming politicians into the oblivion
they have merited. Any party or parties
or Legislature that refuses TO allow the
sovereign people Of the State to vote on
this question, will be swept out Of place
aud power; and they deserve to be.
The legislator who will not trust the
people to decide great moral and econo.
mic question, affecting every individual
and every home, the people will not
trust very long. eau not ioin In the
fears of these timid men. in close districts,
who think il they vote 10 submit this
question to the people, il will defeat them
for reelection. 1t ought to defeat any
man in any district of this State to vote
against 80 fair proposition. No man,
Republican or Democrat or Union Lsbor
reformer, could be elected IN my district
If he dared say the people should not
decide this or any other question affecting
their welfare.
BUT THE POLITICIANS
are mistaken when they think that all
drinking men are going TO vote against
this amendment. There will be thousands
of drinking men bound in the chains Of
this awful drink habit who will vote for
1t, and be thankful to you for the oppor-
tunity. Many Of these men have come to
me, knowing that was their friend, and
have SAID to me: "Do all you can to
secure submission, and we will vote and
help Danish this awful CURSE" My views
on this question have been known for
years, and yet 1 received in the district n
greater msjnrity than General Harrison.
tell you there are thousands OF men who
realize that this is their only hope, and
in the interest of our common humanity
IL no other reasons, we ought to give them
tins chance.
offer this resolution for the good Of
the geople OF the great State OF Illinois.
offer il in the name aud for the sake Of
thousands Of men who are struggling to
free themselves from the demon Of intem
perance. / offer 1t in the name and for
the sake of thousands Of helpless women,
who, with punched and haggared faces
are turning TO you at this moment ant
pleading for help. offer il in the nam'
and tor the sake Of thousands of starving
ragged children who are growing up IL
ignorance and crime. They cannot reacl
your ears. and plead for them. The II
cent ed saloon and the municipal aulhorit.
granting the liceuse
HAVE FORMED A PARTNERSHIP
in the trSde, and In the name Of the grea
State of Illionis this legalized robber.
goes on, and these helpless women an,
children in want aud disiress plead i
vain. offer 1t in the inlerest and fo
the sake of that vast army OF young an
middle-aged men, with manhood alread
,iebauched, with hopes blasted, with n
future before them but shame. bound |
chains OF habit stronger than steel, VIII
are looking to you for aid.
r need not stop at present to discu,
' the enormiIy OF the evils growing out {
u the use of alcoholic beverages. No brus
:, can paint, no tongue can depict, no to,
q que can portray the evil OF this legslire
"a business. No one doubts but that it
evil, and that continually. There is n,
X Stale IN all the American Union b,
that admits the enormity of the evi
" and has tried all kinds oil legislation
govern and control it. 1t will not
controlled: is lawless, hartlcss, soulle
= lawbreaker. Why mol kill IN There
,, no man In all this general assembly wi
will dare stand upon this floor and defer
this Internal traffic. And yet / reali
that we may enact the strange drama
he an admitted evil. Of giant wrong. wi
no open defenders, and yet with plen
IN of good, clean men TO apologize for 1t NJ
c. vote 10 continue its baleful power.
'h MY MOTHER TAUGHT ME
er early in Lie this lesson which has fc
0. lowed me to this liour,-do right and
reselts take care Of themselves. II Il
II Senate and House shall act on this ileo
= and from this motive, then tina resoluii
= will pass by unanimous vote. Int
a perance ~ the giant evil OF our day. I
,e traffic in alcoholic beverages is the
le naming giant wrong OF the nineteen
d. century. i have no doubt that il is /
Ike direct or indirect source OF eighty
pu cent. of the pauperirm and crime in q
he State, II is filling our iails, and penite
I'd tiaries, our poor-houses and our luna
lg asylums. 1t multiplies criminals q
it paupeis and lunalics for the State
ar support. II IA the constant and fruit
to source Of all evil.
- The Catholic World, in It's issue
July, 1883, says: "The total number
arrests IN New York city during one y,
The Tor all oiienseS, was 69.632. Two-fifihs
'e. those were for drunkenness; but this
gu Gu not all. No less than l20. 1888 called
..t lodging at the station house. $4,000
oh these were men, and $4,000 were wom
rec Eighty-iive per cent. OF these admit