The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1890-10-03
The Temperance Lecture

The Temperance Lecture
or Miss Bell Shortledge, delivered
in Friends West Nottingham meet
ing house, under the auspices of
Friends First Day School, on Sun.
day afternoon last, was an earnest
plea in the interest of prohibition.
Miss Shortledge has much elocution.
airy power and expression at her
command. and being a member of
the veteran army of female workers
in the cause, addresses herself to the
work of exposing the horrors of the
liquor traffic, with q fervid earnest.
ness which launches her words like
winged arrows. The tenor of her
remarks was to show what a mistake
and calamity it would be to allow
the open saloon to again enter the
bounds of Cecil county after enjoy
irg the blessings of prnLibitory law
for four years. Such a calamity
would be fraught with untold misery
to the people of the county. We
cannot believe that the people will
for moment mediate such an in
sane act with the light they have
acquired on the subject. Such a
course would indeed be a turning
back and would prove the decadcnce
OF our people both in mind and
morals, and brand our churches as
so many useless houses numbering
the land.
Miss Shortledge, in the course of
her address pointed out three causes
to which she attributed the failure of
the people of Pennsylvania to adopt,
last June, year ago, the prohibit
tory amendment to The constitution
of that state. But the main aud
overshadowing reason for the failure
entirely escaped her notice. And
this was the machinery and news.
papers of the two old parties, hired
and bought up by the saloon to work
against the amendment. She APP
peared to think that public senti.
ment was lacking to stand behind
the movement. Does she or any
other person not confirmed idiot,
believe that public sentiment stands
behind and supports tue saloon? No
one believes this. On the contrary
every one knoVs that public senti-
ment is opposed to the saloon. and
If undislurbcd to express itself with.
out being subjected to other in
| flhences, would abolish tie saloon
everywhere. No, it is not public
sentiment that is lacking. Public
apathy nay be present and is in
some measure taken advantage of,
but it is the two Old parties with
their organized machinery which
stands behind and supports the sa.
loon, that keeps it in power in de-
tiance of public sentiment. The
saloon is used by the professional
politicians of these two olu parties
which are stepped in crime, to rob
the people and gather money to be
spent in electioneering campaigns
The people are such idolators to the
superstition of party that these fei.
lows can Use the saloon to collect
funds for election campaigns, which
are the salaries that those known as
politicians live on. Every body
knows these statements 10 be facts.
There is no one who will deny or
question them unless he has some
dishonest motive for doing 30 We
are sick and disguised with the idle
sentimental! talk about making a
public sentiment to stand behind
prohibition laws There is pleuty OF
public sentiment against the saloon
everywhere, and there is nothing
whatever supporting the saloon hut
the characterless, conscienceless pol
iticians standing behind the saloon
and voting temperance people like
dumb, driven cattle by the machinery
of their old parties, while the saloon
collects money from these same PEG
pie to pay the managing politicians.
Now this is the whole story in a nut
shell, and more than this, every one
of you of ordinary observation and
intelligence knows it. The polite
ians of Pennsylvania with their
newspapers, planned and compassed
the defeat of the amendment and
the saloon paid them well for their
work. Public sentiment had no part
in the work at al. There was plenty
of public sentiment in the state to
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