Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-05-07
TEMPERANCE TALK.
The Rev. j. A. d. Wilson on the Local
Option Bill.

| Ihe heV. d. A. II. wilson on the Loca
| Option Bill.
| Staf Correspondence OF Gazette and Journa
Dover, May 5.-The Rev. J. A. b
| Wilson. addressed the members Of the
| General Assembly and others in Repre-.
sentativcs' hall this evening in an earnest
and eloquent address in advocacy of tine
pending Local Option bill. Mr.. Wilson
said, In part:
| No. Speaker and Gentlemen of The SENATE
and House Of Representatives. | thank you
for the courtesy extended to great cause
through me, its representative, on this
occasion. That courtesy shall not be
| abused.
can claim nothing from either side Of
| the House as party man. When
| became Of voting age, in 1868, though
| reared Democrat of the strictest sect,
was compelled TO recognize the temperance
| question as the great issue before the State
and the nation.
Following my convictions, | was com
PEELED sorrowfully to diyerge as voter
from my father In 1879, when | cast my
| first ballot and sought party which made
the interest Of humanity and the home Its
supreme issue.
This, through all these years, has made
me Il political pariah TO many, but it has
appeared to me that have been member
OF Gods party all the time.
Permit mo to say that shall treat with
the utmost Difference the differences which
separate you from each other and me from
both of you. | am glad to have learned,
after many mistakes on this line, to dis
tinguish between q mans opinions and his
personal character. | number on my list
of dearest friends gentlemen of both par
ties, | shall carry with me through the
future years this profound respect and
friendship for members here, both Demo.
ID l.ls l..
these halls during the past few months.
The truth is gentlemen, would almost
rather be taxed to keep you here than to
have you go. For when you go | fear we
shall never see your like again, or
at least not until we get here. It is
a matter of common remark that no one
remembers to have seen as a whole the
equal, as to personal, of these two houses.
Men 80 free from vices of all kinds and of
such unquestioned personal integrity. Yet
gentlemen, | did not help elect you. |
like the attitude of the Republican party
OIL education and its theories with refer
ence TO the common rights of manhood,
yet, / am not one of YOU. / like the
economic positions of the party of my
fathers, yet for nine years have not been
able to vote for one Of your nominees. |
have never yet failed to vote for every
nominee of my own ticket when one was
in the field, because they represent what
pray for. Agreeing with each In some
things and preferring always to talk about
our agreements rather than differences
when we meet for conversation. Yet,
ever and always in my choices or recon-
mendations, feeling compelled to act with
perfect consistency as a temperance man,
have done nothing else at any time.
You can see, therefore, gentlemen, that
can claim nothing on party grounds |
have, however, made 1t a rule for some
time to denounce lies against the personal
character of candidates of both parties,
preferring to take no advantage of methods
so unworthy, but to repuke them and CON
fine myself to the principles involved
have found in this that my Demo-
cratic friends have been grateful Perhaps
my Republican friends would have been
equally SO had the defences Of personal
character done them any good.
With this explanation of my position |
come before you gentlemen to plead the
interests of the homes and people of our
commonwealth.