Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1890-07-14
AN OPEN LETTER.
REV. SAM SMALL WRITES TO THE EDITOR OF
TIE REGISTER"
Sunday at the Prohibition CamPground-Rsy. ]. B.
Hslwig Talks in the MOrning-A Vigorous
Sermon in the Afternoon by
Sam Small.

try roads very disagreeable, and this. to-
gether with threatening clouds and inter
mlttent showers on Sunday, kept hundreds
away And yet there were hundreds
there Larger throngs Of people through
out the grounds have not been seen on any
day OF the campmeeting, although perhaps
the services Of last Sunday were q little
better attended.
The people amused themselves in the
early part OF the day, and at intervals an
day, by discussing the controversy between
sam Small and the REGISTER The Sun
DAY REGISTER was in great demand. and
ON all piazzas and places of retreat people
were eagerly devouring its columns.
The programme Of the day opened at
1890 a. m. when Rev. J. b. Helwig. ID. d..
Of Ohio, preached a sermon TO a fair sized
assembly. Mr.. Helwig gave u very sub
stantial discourse. and il was listened 10
with marked attention.
The afternoon trains reinforced the gath
ering and at 2:3O o'clock, when Rev
sam Small was announced 10 speak. there
were nearly 1900 persons gathered in the
pavilion, and viewed from the platform the
throng in the central part Of the building
appeared like
Az UNBROKEN sEN
Of humanity
After the usual prelimnaries Mr.. Small
advanced TO the front Of the stage and be
gan his remarks by saying that after care.
ful consideration he deemed il not inappro-
pirate at this time 10 refer 10 a matter
that concerned him, and had become public
property by reason of its editorial promi-
nence refer 10 the long editorial in the
! Wheeling REGISTER this morning take
this occasion 10 say that have replied 70
the editor of the REGISTER and desire 10
read this letter TO the audience, whereupon
the speaker read the following vouminous
communication
OPEN LETTER FROM SAM SMALL.
| TO tie Edtor Of Hs R,gisfer.
SIR: | recognize the justice Of some of
the criticisms you were pleased 10 saddle
upon me in your Sunday issue IL is not
Just criticism that | object TO- but lies
And it was TO your false report Of my IT
marks, and your equally false comments
upon what did not say, that drew forth
my reply Of Saturday afternoon.
do not desire 10 misrepresent The lirG-
I>TER in the minutest matter, and do not
propose TO let THE REGISTER with impuni-
" slur and misrepresent me. This latter
you did do causelessly. brazenly and, II
not maliciously, then idiotically ! spoke
simply Of the venal and purchasable sec
tion OF the public press. You at once be-
ing in your self-defense. "Who told thee
that thou vast naked
The REGISTER knows that il has been
proven, as ! produced the record 10 my
audience. that large numbers of the So
called reputable newspapers Of Penn
sylyania, Rhode Island, Tennessee Texas.
and Nebraska. sold their col
umns, news and editorial, 10 the whisky
party in prohibition elections Why do
you seek 10 suppress the facts and seem to
deny them:
did not say the REGI-Tn, had sold itself
to the whisky party in the West Virginia
campaign; but do say now that the REG-
IsTER actedin that campaign and published
the same sort of trash as did those pa
pers that are known 10 have sold their col
umus for Just such service and matter II
the REGISTER did all this for nothing
which its contemporaries did for enor-
nous pay, then the REGISTER is entitled to
full credit for its wicked liberality toward
the saloon and its despicable operators.
Since / did not charge THr REGlsTEg
with selling OUT do not propose 20 en-
courage an investigation Of IT'S books Of az
counts Such transactions, when they o.
cur. are not usually entered b haze r,ris
on the day books Of the venal concerns en-
gagged in the trade ! have no idea that
Mr. James w. BOdley. or anybody else,
would find on the books of TnE REGISTER.
or the Philadelphia Press, on the Boston
H,rdid. or the Omaha Be, an entry Ike
this:
"By cash from the Liquor Dealers
Association for ten lO columns Of
editorials against Prohibition SlOOOOO."
repeat the charge. backing IL with the
confessions Of the liquor brbcrs and the
written offers of the prOprictOrs Of scores
journals that "a l4fsra Utal tsfUflfra a. fhp
this country have fought
Prohibition and advocated the cause Of the
saloons for a stipulated price, paid by
whisky men with whisky money. This
satisfactorily accounts for the practical
unanimity Of the newspapers against the
prohibition Of the traffic. The churches,
the clergy, the teachers the mothers, the
wives. the good men and women Of Ameri
ca, are all practically unanimous the other
way. am convinced that il is not justice,
nor patriotism, nor philanthropy, nor reig
ion. nor love, nor craftsmanship that makes
the secular press 50 solid in favor Of the
saloons If ii is not money, and only mon
ey, then it is an unfathomable, inexplca-
bic mystery.
You say / am "cXtrayagaut' J admit
it, ! became very eXtravagant when ! waS
<pOtationst and. like YOU, was fighting
Prohibitiouists and defending the saloons
You doubt II have "a very clear idea of
what temperance means SO do ] doubt
IT, Temperance" is now "A worn husk
Ifit means anything in the modern contro-
versy with the drink devil, il means
..liquorr tolerated. licensed and protected.
am not temperance man am pro
hibitionist by the grace and word Of God,
from scalp 10 heel The word temper
auce." like the words "cOnscrpt" and
'demagogue." has lost its significance. boo
the mutations Of time and language. until
IL is az epithet Of degradation. rather than
title Of honorable distinction.
You say Twill hear Of no remedy for
intemperance but prohibition You are
right. can never agree with the REci~-
TER that any form Of license Is remedy
for intcmDerauce ] have had per
sona and political demonstration that j.
cense i no remedy. never has been, and
never can be. High license never dimin
ished nv ability % get all the liquor
wanted la drink High license liquor never
made any drunkenness less disastrous and
damninG. High license liquor never made
me less ready tO pay any price demanded
for nv drink. High license never made
the grief of nv wife. as a drunken mans
wife less poignant High license never
made the tears Of my children less burning
and bitter Out. then, say /, forever upon
the infamous deiuslon, the DEGRADING COM
promise. the damnaDle suOieriuge
So far as the REGisTEE is conccrhei 'h
this matter IL must charafterne rs own
position. ! have not sought todo so' iNFih'r
iban IN suggest that il is records were
clean IL had no cause 20 complain OF my r.
marks and no right 10 denOunce me Tor
eno.lfng that OF others which ! know 10
I.e trre The RrDf-rER has made lAirlF
excellent and impartial reports OF lhc
Noundsyille meetings, and am gratelul
To-. ,,hafever Of kindness 10 has thus SHOWN
N me But the REclsrER was not so gen
crons I'm this regard in lsN,, when ih"
ar9c,,dment campaign was no progress
This was notorious and the kE"i-IEh VIII
not dare 10 deny the charge -, ,.-
/ have personally the Nndest resaiu lo.
the Rrcf-rEg and It's editor Out ] WIZ hol
submit quietly % injustice, ialsenool AN'
SANDER from either, with the Silence "u''H
is confession. or the meekngss & &"Hl.H
cowardice SAW ~ " ~. S,,ai
II ,ba, he had REPLIED % the editor OF the
y RrctsrER because the matter lni'-h'
rnbiicafion had become a public question:
,rae "a send TINS lclFi
- the editor of the kEGi-iLh'
49,, didn't know whether the edItoI
.''..,lS W. rnbIisb II or not. have been too
" 49,. -ified with the legal bar ana lhe
- bar and TOO long idenuhed WIN tA'
= Te.vsnapers fourteen years. 20 " s1P
sensitive about any criticisms %ll0n ,,, -
e,-oIve from the editor oi the hh.I.ihH
4 f,er saving that despite the iuiPu.1li.on'
contained In the edlt0rlal oi - ~. -.
me Ohio Normal University nat -.
.ne y. mon him the degree Of Doctor
of Divinity, having to-uag !4s'
HQH