River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-01-16
Temperance.
CONDUCTED BY THE Nv. c. 7. U
"Ear God and Home and Natire Lana"
Are We Free Men /?
From the LEVER of June 8.

From the LEVER of June 8.
Ever since Noah got drunk. Satan
has given every man opportunity to go
and do likewise. and down through
the ages, man has been more or less
slave to appetite for strong drink.
But to-day, especially in England and
the United States, "tbe land of the
Free" he is a greater slave than ever
and that to the worst forms OF intoxi-
eating drink that the ingenuity of
man can invent.
Not only is this true, but to-day the
saloon power rules the United States.
If eighty per cent. OF our people are
opposed to the saloons, then eighty
per cent. are slaves to the remaining
twenty. Now we cannot hope to stop
in day the power of Satan to tempt
men to drink, but the hour has come
when we, as citizens of free govern
ment, professors of religion which
claims to set the soul out into light
and liberty, should answer the ques-
ton: Shall we longer bow down to
the god Bacchusl Shall thirty-five
hundred saloon keepers in Chicago
rule absolute and legal, and with our
consent, given each year, for so many
dollars paid for the privilege! Some
protesting Prohibitionists say. "the
saloon can t be abolished | say, and
no man of intelligence can deny 1t,
that only the apostrophy and the 1T"
need be omitted from the word
..can't" and the thing is done. Dis
tillers don't stand in the way; saloon
keepers don't stand in the way; love
of money don't stand in the way flor
men there are who can be trusted);
the drink habit don't stand in the
way when it comes to the test, for. as
in Iowa, many drinking men were the
holdest prohibition voters, but
PRoHIBIrIoNI>Ts THEMSELVES,
AMI moderate drinkers DO stand in
the way.
But say lean" and your votes will
practically wipe out every saloon in
the land. Curses on the people who
will set up shops of poison on every
corner! Curses on the processing
Christian or Probibitionist who will
say by his vote: License the saloon,
we can't help its ravages. Give the
devil all the chance he wants to ruin
our homes. He pays us hundreds of
dollars year for it. We don't care
for anything but the money. We
don't mind the broken hearts, the
desolate homes. the wasted manhood,
the empty purse. We are used to
these things. A few of US even like
to take a little ourselves. Don't try
to wipe it cut altogether, &C., &c.
| tell you the colored people were
more free in South Carolina in 1850,
than eighty per cent. of the people
north and south to-day. Satan alone is
free; the sober bar keeper alone is free.
Christian people, the church of God,
the state and national government to-
day are abject slaves TO the low, dirty.
sin-soaked, reeking, foul.smelling, but
gilded and licensed saloon.
Satan tallies 80, 900 souls year that
you, good temperance and christian
brother, send down to him. This
statement cannot be qualified. You
do 1t, and have done it. ever since
you voted at the polls. You can't get
around it. You sit in every distillery.
as uncle Sans agent and watch the
big factory AS it sends out powder and
ball for all the guns that bad men can
set up who are able to pay in advance
so much a year for firing them of
You sec those guns fired every day
at your own homes. Your tender
heart still beats on when loved one
falIs-perhaps your own son or BROTH
er. The writer sold liquor under
cruel father for nine years when
boy. He saw many man fall and
gave many men the glass that sent
them Keeling home. He fired this
4, Wis artillery for nine years. Do
not say you know all about it, you do