Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1891-03-21

and good men deceived, not knowing there
is any thralldom of alcoholism coming from
that source, are going down, and some DAY
a man sits with the bottle of black bitters on
his table. and the cork flies out, and after 10
flies a fend and clutches the man by his
throat and says: Aha. / have been after
you for ten years. / have got you now:
Down with you, down with you*' Bltters.
All, yes. They make a mans family bitter
and his home bitter and his disposition bitter
and his death bitter and his hell bitter. Bit
tiers. A vast army all the time lncreas-
ing.
It seeths to ne it is about time for the L.
Coz. Cos professors Of religion in America to
take sides. 1t is going to be an out and out
battle with drunkenness and soDrlety. De-
tween heaven and he'll, between God and the
devil. AXE sides before there is any further
national decadence, a sides before your
, IONS are sacrificed and the home Of your
daughter goes down under the alcoholism OF
an i,nbruted husband. Take sides while
your voice, your pen. your prayer, your
vote may have any influence in arresting the
despo!iation of this nation. If the Il, ~ VO
professors Of religion should take sides on
this subject it would not be very long before
the destiny Of this nation would be decided
i'll the right direction
Is drunkenness a state or national evil:
Does it belong TO the North, or does il belong
10 the South Does it belong to the East, or
does it belong to the West, All, trere is not
an American river into which It's tears have
| not fallen and into which its suicides have
not plunged. What ruined that Southern
plantation>-every field a fortune, the pro
prietor and his family once the most afl1uent
supporters Of summer watering places. What
threw that New England farm into decayand
turned the roseate cheeks that bloonei at
the foot Of the Green Mountains into the
pallor Of despair, What has smitten every
street of every village. town and city OF this
continent with a moral pestilence? Strong
drink.
To prove that this is a national evil | call
up two States in opposite dlrectlons-Mahe
and Georgia. Let them testify In regard to
this. State Of Maine says: 1T is SO great
an evil up here we have mathematical 1t as
Il State" State of Georgia says: 1T is SO
great an evil down here that ninety counties
of this State have made the sale of intoxica-
ting drink a criminality.' So the word comes
up from all parts of the land. Either drunk
enness will be destroyed in this country or
the American Government will be destroyed.
Drunkenness and free institutions are com
ing into a death grapple.
Gather up the money that the working
| classes have spent for rum during the last
{ thirty years, and I will buildfOr every work
ingman a house, and lay out for him a gar
den, and clothe his sons in broadcloth
and his daughters in silks, and stand at his
front door a prancing spa OF sorrels or
bays, and secure him a policy Of life insur-
ance SO that the present home may be
well maintained after he is dead. The most
persistent, most OverpOwerlng enemy of the
working classes is Intoxicating liquor. 1t is
The anarchist Of the centuries, and has boy
cotted n is now boyeotting the body and
mind and soul of American labor. It an
nually swindles industry out of a large per-
centage of its earnings. 1t holds out its
blasting solicitations to the mechanic or
operative On his wal to work, and at the
noou spell and an his way home at even
tide. On Saturday. when the wages are
paid, IL snatches a large part OF the money
that might come to the family and sacrifices
it among the saloon keepers. Stand the
saloons Of this country side by side, and it is
carefully estimated that they would reach
from New York to Chicago.
This evil is pouring it's ~vitriolic and dam
nable liquors down the threats of hundreds
of thousands Of laborers, and while the
ordinary strikes are r%uinous, both to en-
ployers and employees, / proclaim a universal
strike against strong drink, which strike, if
kept up, will be the relief Of the working
classes and the salvation of the nation. l
will undertake to say that there is not a
healthy laborer in the United States who,
within the next twenty years, If he will re-
fuse all intoxicating beverages and be saw
ing, may not become a capitalist on a small
scale.
Oh, how many are waiting to see if some
thing cannot be done for the stopping of in
temperance! Thousands Of drunkards wait
ing who cannot go ten minutes in any direc,
ton without having the temptation glaring
before their eyes OF appealing to their nos
trils, they fighting against it with enfeebled
will and diseased appetite, conquering, then
surrendering,~ conquering again and sur
,.nn6arinO aOaln and nrVInO SHON
long, 0 Lord! how long before these
Infamous solicitations shall be gomez
And how many mothers are waiting to see
if this national curse cannot lift? Oh, is
that the boy who had the honest breath who
comes home with breath vitiated or dis
guised? What a change! How quickly those
habits Of early coming home have been ex-
changed for the rafting of the night key In
the door long after the last Waterman has
gone by and tried to see hat everything was
closed up for the night.
Oh! whata change for that young man
who we had hoped would do something il
merchandise or in craftsmanship or in a profes
sion that would do honor to the family name
long after mothers wrinkled hands are folded
from the last toll! All that exchanged 70
startled look when the door bell rings, les
something has happened; and the wish tina
the scarlet fever twenty years ago had beer
fatal, for then he would have gone directly
to the bosom of his Saviour. But alas
poor old soul, she has lived to experience
what Solomon said, "a foolish son is
heaviness to his mother"
Oh! what a funeral it will be when tha
boy is brought home dead. And how moth
er will sit there and say: rs this my DO,
that / used to fondle, and that | walked tn
floor with in the night when he was sick? !
this the boy that l held to the baptisma
Ton for baptism? Is this the boy for WHOM
] tOiled until the blood burst from the tips O
my fingers, that he might have a good star
and a good home? Lord, why hast Thou lie
me live to see this? Can it be that thes
swollen hands are the ones that used to wal
der over my face when rocking him to SLEEP
Can it be that this swollen brow is that
once so rapturously kissed? Poor boy. hoy
tired he does look. l wonder who struc
him that blow across the temple? l wonde
If he uttered a dying prayer? Wake up. N