The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-08-17
4 TALK WITH Mr.. MURPHY
40 Says Only the Prohibitionists
Throw Obstacles in His Work
of Reform.
Love, Sympathy and Human AS
sistance Arc His Weapons
Of Warfare.
Mr.. Murphy Does Not Believe In Prohib-
itory Laws Because They Have
Failed Everywhere.

The last issue OF the Bozeman New Issue
contains the following:
"We promised in our last issue to give a
bit of Francis Murphy's experience in Hell
ena which came under our observation and
illustrates the weak side of his work. Here
1t Isl
zone night after listening to one of his
characteristic lectures, delivered to u
crowded house. we CHANGED to walk down
the street Immediately behind him and his
wife. who were accompanied by one of the
un~fortunates of that community in the per
son Of q tall, finely proportional, honest
appearing man who, although visibly under
the influence of liquor, had been touched by
Mr.. Murphy's appeal and was struggling for
help. The following conversation took
place: II want to quit drink; it ia running
my life. / want you to help me- To which
Mr.. Murphy responded, Well, just quit.
Say you will never touch another
drop, God being your helper. and
stick to it," Eyes, but l can't" You
can't, can't you'll" responded Murphy, jerk
ing his arm from his (they had been walk
ing arm il arm), "You, a great stalwart
man over six feet tall! You, who would
STRIP 10 Tue WHIbt aAu stnAu OoAoAO NAY
man, and who would not be afraid to be
shot at! You mean to say that you cannot
put your foot on a glass of whisky and
crush it2' Eyes, that sounds all right, and
may be true,'' answered the trembling one,
II know what ID right, and there is a will
up here (pointinQ to his head), but there is
an awful burning dow here pointing to
his stomach), and what shall l do?' DRINK
q cold glass of water or some hot Coffee"
suggested Murphy. his wife adding, "a cup
of buttermilk 10 good also to allay the
a GROSS street was reached and the COMPANY
party, Mr.. and Mrs. Murphy going to the
hotel, while their companion reeled
down the street. followed by
'God bless you" and II will see you to-
morrow from the oood-hearted couple.
and about two or three blocks from where
they separated we passed before a square
front with blue glass windows and screened
doors, bearing signs of various drinks, and
most conspicuous of all, FRESH COLD BUT
TERMILK."
After what we had been listening to we
could not help reasoning thus: Where
will that poor fellow 60 to for a drink of
buttermilk with which Gas was suRgested)
to quench those awful burnings? Saloons
first to make provisions accordingly,
knowing full we'll that if they can but keep
their victims in reach they are sure to COM
plete their work of death.
Again we reasoned: Why not ''crush the
CLASP before it reached the hands of the
trembling ones, instead of allowing it to be
placed there and then with words of flat
tory concerning their manhood and strength
ask them to crush it, when the awful burn
ings of appetite have dethroned their better
self and will power?
Will Francis Murphy and his coadjusters
add their weight to the tread of the law
that the rum glass may be crushed under
the iron heel of an outraged nation in de-
tense of her weakened sons and suffering
daughters and against the vampires who
1.-Two upon the blood and sorrow of their fell
lows? .
Moral suasion for the tempted; legal
suasion for the tempter."
After Mr.. Murphy had read the above
article yesterday afternoon, he laid the pa
per aside and said: "Ihis contribution il
illustrates the animus of a man who comes to
our meetings and never looks at the good
side, but endeavors to find all the flaws for
the purpose of attacking me. | have been
bounded by these fellows in every tow l
have visited. l do not believe in prohibit
ton because it has been a failure wherever
it has been tried. 1t has failed in Iowa, in
Kansas and in Maine, for the reason that
you cannot legislate men into giving ~
the liquor habit. When | went to Omaha
the ministers of that city held Il meeting to
siderable trouble, but they were sorry for ii
afterwards and said so. The same course
has been pursued in other towns. Now
then. l have said that this work could not
have it. Men like this Bozeman fellow
have attacked me before, and yet l do no
fight prohibition on the platform anG
neither do | argue for it. am hero to dt
this work in nv own way and all ask is &c
he left alone. / have no time to go into ex
<ny,loI ~, =, :, n, re- IN tho ay,Npaca nr fA IL ~,
of prohibition laws. The prime reason o.
their failure is because they are inquisitory
Why, in some places these .prohlbltlonist'
have gone into houses and destroyed prop
erty, and men have been killed because o
these outrages. The great work of temper
ance cannot progress when saloon keeper
are abused and their places called bel
holes. Ii legislation could have stopped
such business Moses would have been the
greatest being that ever lived, for Their
Instead no by 'pp pursuin from hi. ms meth iod
he made q failure. Finally Christ cam
along and he won men to his side by hi
love and sympathy for his fellow man ant
by lifting him up through kind treatment
He did not lay down q law to men tellin,
them that they must not sin. l tell yo'
these prohibitionists are fighting aeains
God in their blindness. II such method
are right why do not the preachers try t.
drive mel to Christianity instead of win
NlnR them over DIV teaCnlnI OF tne greh
love and help of Jesus Christ? Why d.
they not try to l~egislate men into becoming
Christians? Instead of this they persuad
men as l do to lead better lives. l am II
favor of any FOOD law for this purpose tina
comes about in a healthy way. BY this
mean through the cooperation of all goo
citizens regardless of party ties, a
other laws are made. There are law
against stealing and other crimes and the
are made because the people demand them
This starting of a third party to force in
quisitory laws is all a mistake and the pro
hibitionists themselves are beginning t
find it out. Why, they persuade men 4
first join their ranks and then try force il
the others. Because | use the first metho'
and not the last they go for me and thro'
stones in my way wheresoever ! go. Nov
then here comes n man to your town wher
no knows there are many men who need hi
love and sympathy and assistance. He try
10 help them and the result is that the poo
drinking man changes his habit,
His money goes home, his famil
are better cared for. he return
to work and becomes a useful citizen an
q good man. There are hundreds of mo-
who do this, and while this work is going 0
some one appears and trys to block me !
my work because l believe in tho exercis
of kindness ard live to reform my un
fortunate neiGhbor instead Of abusing til
saloon keeper and trying to leRislate liquo
out Of tho country. These ara the onl
NnD~IA NHh~ NINA ran anu rnNltI hAE