Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1890-10-02
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE.
The Temperance Movement.

L
A movement whether good or bad was
never yet put down by misrepresenting
the motives of its advocates.
| The temperance movement suffers to-
day chiefly because hobby riders are
kings in its councils; men who spend
their strength in pounding persons in
stead of principal.
| The union of the friends of temper
ance on some practical measure of re-
preston and reform is the first of any
sort of successful warfare against the
greatest evil of our age. 1t is hindrance
beyond computation that good men and
women of all parties and conscientious
total abstinence people so often fade on:
among themselves and fire into their
own ranks But it is calamity not to be
endured that some of the advocates of
temperance are never so happy rs when
abusing the liquor seller because he de-
tends his business. This is wrong SO long
as the state gives him the privilege to
deil ont distilled damnation. The liquor
;aier is not the responsible party. The
accusation is simply false. Intelligent
and fair minded men and woman know:
ing how unjust such abuse is are often
sOrely tempted TO trIn away altogether
from Il cause near to their hearts but in
whose support such means are so often
employed. The great sin of our nation
and one OF our weaknesses is intemper
ance in the use of alcoholic drinks. This
sin is preying upon the very life OF the
nation, turning happy homes into abodes
of Indebtedness and woe, and sending
annually many thousands of the hope of
| our country tn premature grave. The
voters of this nation alone are respons-
lble for this curse Let us rot be mistak-
en- in fixing the responsibility.
Temper .:icc is the bread and wisdom
of the body. To be a truly good and
| wise man one must be temperate. Not
withstanding the fact that drunkenness is
the curse and worst enemy of man him
self yet We must admit that this sin of
drunkenness is the growing sin of our
nation.
There are but few families perhaps in
our land that it has not disgraced more
or less. There is no sanctuary it has not
invaded. There is no race, no portion of
our fair land that has not been tainted
by it. 1t is the incubus that weighs
down the la5oring man.
| lntemperance is the origin of every
evil. 1t is the parent of every vice, the
shipwreck of purity and chastity. In
short it is the root Of all evil Look wher-
ever you will. be it among the sacred
scriptures works of the writers of an
tiquiiy. pagans and christians. and you
will find intemperance alike condemned.
Consumpsives never admit that they aie
going to die but on the contrary will tell
you that thev are going to recover. My
experience among the sick has taught
ard. He will never admit that he takes
more than he can stand, never more than
he can conveniently carry. He can leave
off when he wants to. There is no place
in the next world for the drunkard but
he'll for intemperance is the pit of hell
The drunkard is the disgrace of this free
Country. Yet multitudes of professed
christians are undecide as how to deal
with it. As the matter presents itself TO
me it seems that Icould show you who
are democrats and you who are republic
the IesaliZed rum traffic out of exislance
First the prohibition question is worthy
of national action. Second the question
needs the endorsement of Il political
party Third the old parties will not en-
dorse it. Fourth there is no great ISSUE
between the old parties. Any political
student knows that our political questions
have been moral, social aud fiuancial'
Now if we car forget the moral and So
cial side OF this gu stion how il brushes
homes, we must still admit that it is the
| STcdttSt III uueStiOu tut Jay .
We talk about the burden of our great
national debt. If every revenue of the
nation was stopped and every dollar in
the treasury thrown away we could in
two years pay The national debt from the
money our people squander in the Amer
lean saloon How is that for political
ECONOMY. Does the question heed the
endorSem mt of any political party? A
brother in Christ who believes in pro-
hibilion but is not believer in IL third
party recently said to me: Stealing
horses is wrong Selling whisky is wrong
Ought not party to be organized 10 put
down horse stealing?' / replied to HIM
If the time ever comes when horse
thieves form protective association,
wnen an attorney is kept in Washington
and the horse thieves send their Commit
te to the national conventions of he two
great political parties-if that time ever
comes then think We will have party
to put down horse stealing Its because
tae whisky dealers have done and are
doing ali these things that the prohibi-