Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1892-11-12
Cochran on Temperance

The central figure at the Chicago
convention was Bourke Cochran. Mapr
things have been written of this man
His personality challenges the admira.
ton of many people. Said Lawyes A.
H. Purdy, Of the Stuart Building
saw gentleman recently prom.
inent politician, who has known him
for many years but desires that his
name should not be mentioned in this
interview.
"Do you know Mr.. Cochran ?" l
said.
Indeed I do. I regard him as the
ablest all-round politician and orator
that New York has ever produced. He
is an Irishman, and not yet very Old,
and he has never yet made any mis-
takes"
What about his personal clarac
ter 2"
Ills personal character is strong
Give me some illustrations.
Il recall Cochran when he was poor
when he had not dollar in this world.
1t was in 1879. He met me down on
Park row. and this is what he said 4
understand that Ed. Kearney and Jim
Mooney are going out to Leadyille.
You are friend of Mooney. Can you
arrange so that they can take me down
there and drop me in some western
country. have no money and Iwant
to begin again
begin again ? HIM"
II walked into q large beer saloon
with him and we sat down at table
and the following colloquy occurred:
Cochran, have known you for some
time. The mistakes that we make are
in lying to ourselves. 1t is a prudent
thing to deceive everybody else but our
selves. Here you are without dollar
or friend in the world-a discredited
man. Can you really say to me that all
the evils and troubles that have reduced
you now here TO poverty are not direct
" or indirectly due to the influence of
King Alcohol? 1t was but few
months ago that Judge Dyckman told
me that YOU were one ofthe most prom
ising lawyers of WeStchester county.
Now look into your own heart and say
is it SOP Cochran was silent.
"Then l said to him: Your silence
convinces me that your heart tells you
that you have been deceiving yourself
If you must drink you don't want TO 20
to the West with Jim Mooney and Ed.
Kearney. New York is the paradise Of
drunkenness. Here it is, we can get
rum when we can't get loaf of bread,
and the station houses are open to Us
to sleep in, and when men of our me-
talic constitution find that the fight
against alcohol is too strong forus, look
at the two rivers that are waiting for lis
to float out to dishonored graves. But
if you can possibly resist the assaults of
King Alcohol. New York is the great
place for us to be. A man of your in
telligence, man of your positive ge-
MUS. can stay here. Those men 20 to
the West and stand for many long years
waist deep in water, getting gold and
silver out of the mines, to come back
here for us to beat them out of it. So,
drunk or sober, you don't want to so
West.
''The glass of liquor stood before him.
He raised it on high, and smashing it
down on the table, he said: My friend,
you don't know how the scales have
fallen from my eyes. 1t is rs you say
have been deceiving myself. From
this day forth | will never touch an
other drop Of liquor
81 said "Oh, this is q swell head re-
pentance. Guage it small. A few
drinks here or there might not inhu-
ence the talent that is in YOU
He said: My friend you do not
know me. never will touch another
drop of liquor
"And he never has from that day to
this"
L.,