Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-01
A TEMPERANCE SPEECH.
HarrisOn's Postmaster-Gen-
eral the Orator.
SAGE AND SOLEMN REMARKS.
Cold Water Thrown ON Saloons and
People Begged to Vote for
the Amendment.
Associated Press DISPATCHES to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD
PHILADELPHIA, March .-Postmasters
General Wanamaker made his first pub
lie utterance to-day at Bethany Sunday
School on the question of high license
VS.. prohibition. He declared in favor of
the constitutional amendment, and ex.
horted those who listened to his words
to work, pray and vote for it. Mr..
Wanamaker announced that he had
been requested to talk of temper
ance. After speaking in a general way
of the necessity of temperance. in all
things, he referred to the wreck of the
American men-of-war at Samoa, and
spoke of the broken-hearted wives and
children who were waiting for the return
of their husbands and fathers, who had
been dashed to pieces on the rocks.
He continued: "Right here in
our city are broken-hearted people
beaten against the rocks of adversely by
this tide OF liquor and of license. The
man who will not sign the temperance
pledge, though he does not need ii him
self, to help a weaker brother, is not as
much of man as he thinks himself to
be. Christ said, deny yourself
man, and take up thy cross and
follow Me- The man who takes
only q little and will not give
it up is as much controlled by it as if he
was habitual drunkard. He is under
the influence because he won't give it
up. What's the reason you won't stand
up for the amendment? Because you
like glass of beer. You say, want to
be free to take an occasional drink
| if / feel like it. What influence
keeps YOU from voting for the
amendment? Isn't it the influence
of that glass of beer? There are thou
sands of men in this city who do not
drink. They say, we have the right to
drink it if we want to, and to sell it, to
buy it or to give it away A man may
not drink at all, but he may be under the
influence of the liquor spirit, as is the
case with many politician. He is
afraid he won't get votes, SO he
is silent on the liquor question.
| When minister or teacher refuses to
speak out on this question, he is ruled
by the liquor interest. The drunksrd
who votes for prohibition is q freer man
than the total abstainer who carries
water on both shoulders and then votes
for liquor, or to put it in the harness Of
high license. Just as a saloon-keeper
must answer for every glass he sells, SO
we must answer for voting for liquor.
1t is simply a question of whether
or not we are in favor of saloons. 1t is
not question of high license. The
quibble that prohibition does not pro-
hibit has nothing to do with it. The law
against stealing does not prevent steal
ing. The same power that puts the
amendment in our constitution will at
tend to the enforcement of it. 1t is
our duty to make it as diff
cult to get liquor as it is to
get poison. The license means that the
city, State and saloonkeeper shall go
into partnership to ruin men, to build
up iails, almshouses, hospitals and
houses of correction, and to keep
up taxes. Gods going to
count the votes. Vote for prohi--
bition and you will be voting for
Him, for order, for religion and for the
highest civilization. He will see every
ballot When you go!home tonight go
down on your knees, every one of you,
and pray to God to help you to carry the
amendment.