Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-05-18
THE ISSUE DEFINED.
Mrs. J. Ellen Foster Advises How 10
Argue the Amendment Question.
ALARGEAUDIENCE A In ALLEGHENY
The Saloon Keeper Illustrated as Hind
rance to Progression.
THE WORK TO BE CONTINUED ANYHOW

A large and very attentive audience was
congregated in the First United Presby'
terian Church. Union avenue, Allegheny
last night, listening to an address by Mrs
J. Ellen Foster on the Constitutional
amendment The lecture of this well-known
prohibition advocate from Iowa was seme.
what Of an advisory character, inasmuch as
the lady lllustratively and pointedly sug-
gested 10 her audience how to meet the
arguments of ti-Prohibitionists, and on
what grounds they ought to fight She
said:
The question to be decided in the State of
Pennsylvania on June Is is not question OF
total abstinence at ALL Don't for o moment
waste your time to discuss the moral phase of
the issue; leave that for the present at rest.
The argument for the pledge is always going
on, and you can take it up again on June ~.
Neither is the question of liquor as a medicinal
article the one of importance. Do not stop to
argue on such a matter. The time has been
when the world labored under the belief
that drink of wine or brandy was good for
any ailment. That time is past. The first
class physicians of to-day use liquor very rarely
as medicine.
OF course, if we abolish saloons, the sale Of
liquor will be somewhat increased in the drug
store; but drugstore can never be made the
loafng place of the low, disreputable drunk
ards, as saloons are. So we shall have
A POINT GAINED ANYHOW.
Let us get the enemy on the run and we will
defeat him. From the saloon to the drugstore,
snd from there out of existence.
The question whether wine should be used at
the Lords table is neither necessary to be dis
cussed now. 1t is not the question at issue.
When we have the penitent sinner kneeling
down at the feet of Christ, asking for the for
giveness of his sin, it will not be very difficult
TO convince him that wine, the result Of fer
mented grapes, is not a proper representation
of the blood of our Lord.
But the question which we must discuss, the
issue which is involved in this campaign to be
decided on June Is is simply this: Shall the
distiller and the brewer and the saloon keeper
go on? That is all there is to it; nothing else.
The liquor business is claimed TO be great in
dustry. understand by '1an industry" mode
of manufacture of a certain article which con-
fers benefits upon the worker who is engaged
In its manufacture as well as upon the con-
sumer, who receives it. The manufacture of
iron steel, glass, cotton and wool are indus
tries. They have made the American people
the richest nation on this globe. They are ben
efcial and useful to the producer as well as to
the consumer. How about the liquor mans
industry 1t creates gold for the manufac-
turer, and nothing but despair, desolation and
death 70 the consumer. That is his kind Of
industry!
A LEGACY OF SATAN.
But they say it has been a usage among the
people for hundreds of years; the law has
sanctioned it, and you have no right to abolish
it, Yes, it has been in existence for o long
time; but think it is legacy Of Satan, and as
other things had to vanish before the ever ad-
vanclng mower of progress, so this mustgo. We
used to burn rush candles and oil lamps to light
up our homes but now we use gas, and before
long we will use electricity. We are going
ahead and improving all the time. Our fore
fathers drank whisky; but we know better, and
we don't do it
They say: "But look at the loss of capital
and real estate invested in the liquor business"
That is all right; the liquor man has to put up
with it When railroads were introduced the
man who ran stage coaches and carriages had
to lose his business, too; but the railroads were
built, nevertheless.
Now, you must make up your minds to carry
the amendment Garry IL, no matter how!
believe we were defeated in Massachusetts, be-
cause the people wanted to do business in ele-
giant decorum. Don't do it that way. Go to
the corners of the streets among your friends
and enemies. and show them where they are
wrong, and success is assured.