The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1890-06-06
TEMPERANCE COLUMN.
KrNsLxv VIC. T. U.
BY GEORGE R. SCOTT.


At the Illinois Republican State Con-
vention, held June Is, 1855, Mr.. Lin
coin was declared to be .'OurSiTst and
At that convention MIR. Lincoln gave
utterance to the following memorable
sentences:
ga house divided against itself
cannot stand 1 believe this govern
ment cannot endure permanently, half
slave and half free
When Fort Sumter was fred into
Lincoln's prophetic words were full
filled-the nation could no longer hold
together in divided condition. Boom
ing cannons announced the fact. and
the people looked On with -amaZement
and wondered why.
Once again this country is undergo
ing an agitation that is dividing and
will divide it more and more. until
Gods way in the matter is adopted
The churches and schools are teach
ing one thing and the saloons another.
Nothing that can be conceived of can
be more different. One proposes to
elevate the morals TO a higher plane of
civilization, while the other is only cal
culated to disgrace and ruin the in
habitantS.
AT present these antagonistic forces
are somewhat mixed. The rum-sellers
and the Christians in many cases vote
together-but do not mix socially.
The social drinking line is becoming
more marked every day. The church
cannot stand the liquor traffic and the
liquor traffic cannot stand the church.
All over this land the saloon power
has entered the political arena and
proposes to flight itEout on that line.
And the better portion Of the Ameai-
can people viii have to accept the
challenge of the saloon to fight it out
of the country on the ground Of its
own selection. The same old conflict
between good and evil which created
such comotiOn in anti-slavery times
is once more III full blast, only concen-
trated on new issue. The people
must not be allowed to rest while
wrong-doers triumph. There is but
one remedy: Agitation! Agitation!!
Agitation!il
hear the question discussed every
where. In public halls, in the church,
in railroad cars, in hotels, in ferry
boats, and in almost every house where
l visit. 1 sometimes grow tired of it;
but what can do for the people are
divided. The saloons won't down,
and neither will their opponents. When
ask for cessation for short time
the reply is Never"
A family divided against itself can
have no peace until righteous settle-
ment is effected. Why should nation
which is nothing more or less than a
family on Ii larger scale, expect peace
without purity?
This nation is divided into two
camps-those that drink and those
that don't drink. The non-drinkers
want to make the best of things, but
the drinkers won't let them. The bet
ter class of citizens seek to promote
peace and plenty; but the other kind
are never so happy as when they are
engaged i'll wasteful and ruinous induT-
gence. The sober, Christian portion
of the community say, "Let lis pray
but the men and women filed with
''ire-water" reply, ''Let us curse!''
The good are i'll favor OF law and order:
the other kind want full swing to do
what they please, whether the law
permits them or not. One class repre-
sentS the upward tendencies which are
at work in society, while the other
class represents the influences which
tend downward.
America is diyided-not geographic
ally, but in more serious sense. One
class OF its citizens acknowledge God
as their King, while another class bow
down to King Alcohol. And it is
necessary to urge upon the people the
old challenge, Choose this day whom
you will servei'
There is an army of sober men and
an army of drinkers. They don't ike
one another's habit of life. Their int
erests are not identical. They cannot
hitch together, and there is no use cry
/ ing peace, for there can be no peace
between them. You might as well try
| to mix oil and water.
This nation is groaning-and the
present hard times will make it groalf
still worse. The sober have to sup
port the inebriate, and they are get
ting tired of it. The taxed -to-death
industrious and sober portion of com
munity win not much longer continue
to keep house with the lazy and pro-
figate. There will have to be q change
| of some kind