Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-09-06
ABOLISH! THE SALOON
TIE PROSPECTS OF THE TEMPER.
ASCE WARFARE.
An Able Address by Walter Thomas Mills
~: the Monona OWLS, Assembly-what
Has Been Done and What We2Slloul.l DO
T,,nc,octS t,f fItt, Warfare.

.el,lny tnat We can understand the duties of TO-
'aorrow. l shall give You today a dry talk on
ZONE things we already know, some things We
have overlooked, and some things We neye,
knew.
The convention that framed the Constitution,
Of The United Stntes adopted resolutions calling
ri the State governments to pass laws to a,ol-
isn the distilling of spirituous liquors. The
first bullet fred toward the stars and stripes
under the Constitution fired by whisky
men. The first men ,ried for treason under the
Constitution We're seventeen liquor distillers of
western Pennsylvania. The history Of the TEN
perance question is rs old us the constitutional
government.
Later on, there was another movement not of
the Government. Ii was an effort OF good cti-
zens to influence the people by voluntary asso-
citation 10 abolish the drink habit. In the close
OF the 4O's ,.nd the beginning of the SOS we came
again to the Government control of the traffic.
This attempt at the abolition of the saloon
began in Maine. The earlier efforts were not by
the State, but by townships and counties. In
Ohio Indiana, Michigan, Iowa and many of the
Northwestern States this law prevailed. 1t goes
back to territorial days. Three-fourths of tie
counties of Indiana, fifteen counties of Ohio all
of western New York. We're without saloons
under local option
The fight was farther carried on by State
Petitions We're senu to Legislatures and proh
bition triunphed. In fourteen out of sixteen
free States the liquor traffic was declared al
outlaw.
But let us look at the kind of liquor traffic
they then had to deal with. The old place WI ere
liquor was sold usually displayed such sign
Is IBIS sas aaI s @ aT, 1arnng 5s
sold under the same roof. Men made their
money out OF their hardware and dry-gocds and
gave away their wet goods to keep the good
Will OF their customers. There Was harlly u
lince where a man could get living out o this
business.
\ few months ago the leading barb,rs of
Baltimore petitioned the CITY TO make itf penal
ottense for any man to keep his barber shop
open on Sunday They wished to rest IN sun
day and they didn't want their trade stolen by
the little shops that might keep optn. The
law was enacted. SO with the temperance leg
islation of thirty Years ago. In many cases it
was urged on by men who were thcmielves en-
gagged i'll the liquor traffic.
Why was this? Because the business didn't
pay with whisky at % cents a gallon Then the
traffic was supported, not by the men who
bought it foN personal profit, but by hose who
bought it for personal Indulgence. The cause
OF the saloon was then supported blythe iencr-
ance the depravity, and the vice represented by
the drink traffic. Such IL support ould not
command the respect of American citizens, and
can now.
Al THAT point there was turn affairs.
Telnperuce enthusiasm died; Temperance leps-
lati"n stopped; The public attention called
away from this great reform. Why The civil
war called the attention OF brave an true men,
and Ihe question for the next four years was the
more important question OF saving the life of
the nation.
Then the liquor traffic secured tremendous d-
MANAGES The internal-revenue system, estab-
traffic, but of making it constant source of
revenue, carried the price of liquor within
tWenty-four hours from % cents to 81 II gallon.
L'faor men We're made wealthy in day. The
same law said also that no man should hence
forth make whisky who couldn't make ii on so
large u scale that the Government would he
justified in appointing special agent TO see
that he did NOT steal from the tax. This changed
condition of things made the whisky trust u
possibility
Why can't we have a farmers trust? Because
he too numerous. Thefanners can't make any
agreement TO put up the price of any commodity
because one man can go around and ask tine
consent of I'LL the rest before he sells II cabbage
head on q bushel of wheat for n certain price.
This same state of affairs made q whisky trust
III the 40's an ilnpossibility. Under the present
commercial relations ii can't he avoided to-day.
The whisky trust is the father of oil the 9TH
ers. 1t has carried whisky up from TWENTY-FIVE
cents gallon TO five dollars gallon when re-
tailed over the bar. The liquor business of the
40 S IS not III existence to-day. We have an en-
trely different enemy to deal with. Now the
liquor has moved out OF the store, the shop, and
the hotel, and under the internal revenue it can
90 into business by itself. This is the evolution
OF the modern saloon.
We had political parties from 40 to '56 hr1t
there was great confusion over other matters-+
friendship for CLAY. admiral
ton Tor heroes OF the Mexican war, the question
North and South crystaliized into two great
parties Tor that most tremendous conflict. Il,
~ when the smoke of the rebellion had cleared
away, the political parties We're not what they
mad been, either i'll organization or methods
Inc military organization that made the Army
OF the Potomac, the Army of the Tennessee and
Inc Army my OF Virginia invincibie for many
Now, to attack the old party is not unlike firing
on the old ng Partisanism has been suLsti-
tuted for patriotism.
: In the 4o's, men voted for members of the
negl stature independent of any other candidate
wings and Democrats could meet OH the Maine
law without leaving their party But to-day we
elect q path master ON the tariff question.
Under the new conditions in 1870 the fight for
was renewed along the old lines
But now petitions TO Legislature were sneered
at, SPIT Ut upon and thrown under the table. Why
than formerly? No. But while the brave and
sober men We're fighting for the life of the re-
public, the saloon men were fighting to weave
the saloon into the very fiber of the government
linen we found that our Legislatures would
not give us local option, we could not elect men
who would pledge themselves against the sa-
loon. Wherever loca. option meant prohibition
the saloonists fought it as hard us thew did Dro
~
In Kansas the question of local option came
before the Legislature. The liquor-dealers at
torney made proposition. Said he: Lets not
sate OF Let, cts have al over
introduced the first CONSTITUTIONAL
fight. The man whose vote de-
clded the submission of the amendment was
SO drunk that he staggered to his feet When he
voted. "-Ao-1 Nv
The state unexpectedly carried the amend
!nent; IL was taken up in Iowa and cnrried
~ ONO, and carried by 100000 majority: in
Maine, ana carried; in Rhode Island, and car
rled in Michigan, and lost; in Oregon. and
lost in Texas, and lost; in Tennessee. and
lost; in New Hampshire, and lost in Nassn-
chusetts, and lost; in Rhode Island. and lost
i'll Pennsylvania, and lost! What did nh this
mean? Defeat upon defeat; loss after loss,
What shall we do? 49,
Like Savonarola, defeated and despairing
drlVen from Florence we halt and II nler he
face OF God Well return to Florence onr,. ore
ana never surrender SO long US crime and de-
baucherv is seated on the throne Of Americon
clVlilzatlon. Like SavOnarola we will 90 huck
WITH q new voice, singing new song and
u new gospel ~
buI what is that new song, and what is that
new gospel? Practical men will ask q practicul
question. We propose to fight for What we've
got. and get all the saloon-kcepers will let ne
have " Ao' US
But you didn' keep Rhode Island did von2
NO. the law was made u farce in its execution
and SO killed o''oa
Won't it be killed in the same wav :, 1,,,..
md Kansas? Ao""
This thing l believe to be true: Either tho
country Will drlN tie saloon out of every Stnra
IN winch Ii remains, or the saloon Will I;r;,.o
lnolnbltlon out OF every State where il re1nui,s
When shtli we do it? Will our country nly,,ss |
be AT pea:s Us now? War may come again Nv, |
questions Will arise to distinct the mind nj ~,
people. We have no guarantee that The ~ ,l,e
viii give US rcnce long as there is a ieI,.nc,1,
lot III our nation where liquor is sold Loci |
opLion Nus been Won three times in Micjliro, |
tliu losI a@it through Machiaveliun me tho,s
we cant fight forever. a team can't lnlI D. |
loaa forever on the brow of II hill. 1t mus 90
on, OF ny nAo by the horses strength will FIJI
hl;d a!i Will 90 down into the gutter uran H.
do not want 1,paca J'l,.S, iie |