Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1893-03-23

"ked-nosGd y yelled the little man,
springing up. "By gosh, that's not so.
DIR. Rainsford, and audience, leave it
to you all, is my nose red -
at certainly is not,h answered DR..
Rainsford, who was plainly annoyed at
the turn affairs were taking.
We'll, don't interrupt me again then"
said the tall prohibitionist grimly.
"But you're away OF, !" said the little
man.
Say, do either of you fellows ever
drink" began the gentleman with the
jag Before he could get any further
about fourteen of the church brother
hood who were acting as ushers jumped
on his neck, and he was led TO scat in
u more secluded part of the room.
MAY / go on now" asked the
speaker who didn't agree with Dr.
Rainstord There was chorus of
misses and groans, but Chairman Sill
said that he might, and he resumed:
u have four sons, and | would sooner
see them all buried than have anything
to do with DR.. Rainsford's infamous
church saloon. A young man in another
part Of the room whom saw applaud
ing Dr. Rainsford's idea might have to
write a letter to his home some day
something like this:
Dear Mamma: have always kept my
promise to you about not touching liquor,
but our beloved pastor has started saloon
in connection with the church, and we
have lovely times drinking whisky and
other things have grown to like liquor
immensely and feel that our church saloon
IS doing great work. The other dav was
Gown town and wanted a drink very bad
There were none Of our beloved church
saloons around, SO went into place, and
TO my great surprise found a German in
his shirt sleeves behind the bar instead Of
one OF our ministers of the gospel.
This" said the speaker, twill be the
result of the church saloon. 1t will
make drunkards. Prohibition forever |!
Now hiss all you want"
The audience did hiss.
1t was learned later that the speaker
was the Rev. John A. b. Wilson. The
gentleman he had accused of having a
red nose was Mr.. W Thornton Parker
Birtwistle.
Scarcely had Mr.. Wilson sat down
when half dozen men sprang to the
floor, among them the gentleman with
the jag. He was speedily squelched Mr.
Birtwistle finally secured the floor He
said
"Dr. Rainsford has been shamefully
abused,' and would have said more,
but the audience rose and cheered,
until they threatened to bring the roof
down.
When they stopped Mr. Birtwistle
was in his seat and an old man was
shaking his fist at DR. Rainsford and
yelling something at the top of his
voice, One of the brotherhood, who
stood beside The Sun reporter, said in a
hoarse whisper, "EIoly smoke how did
he get in 7"
who is hc?" asked the reporter.
"Old Prof Bloom. If the crowd know
anything, they'll get out"
But the crowd didn't seem to know
anything. The. old gentleman wan
dered from the subject in hand, and
seemed to be denouncing ministers in
general.
None of your Rainsford type gentle
men ministers for mer he cried. None
OF your ministers who live in brown
stone houses four stories high and
who
"Sit down. !" yelled half dozen
voices.
" wont, I've got the floor, and l."
sit down J! went up the cry from a
hundred throats.
II won't" shrieked the old man SO
that his voice was plainly heard above
the racket in the room. "The rest had
their say, and I'll have mine if | have
to yell all night"
Professor Bloom was right. He did
haVn hia WhnK, - H..
was a storm of Kisses. He smiled in
scorn.
Say, you may not believe I'm Jagged,
but l am, came in a solemn voice from
the corner.
There was sound as if a number of
bodies were moving rapidly toward The
back door. Then a few groans arose
and the gentleman with the jag was no
more heard Of.
A man who refused to tell his name
made forcible speech.
81 have been in this country Just four
years." he said, land when l first landed
my one idea Of solving the liquor cues.
ton was by prohibition. l soon had
that knocked out of me. In the matter
Of liquor ! agree with DR.. Rainsford.
Fight it with fire, say. There are
evils, though. which cannot be fought
in this way. DIR. Parkhnrst, for instance,
could not become one of the degraded
creatures he sought to eXterminate in
order to bring about the result he dc.
sired"
a tall man, who said he was AXel
Gustafsen, addressed his remarks to DR..
Rainsford. He told the latter that his
statements about the liquor traffic in
Norway were away off Drunkenness
flourished'as much as ever in Norway.
he said, and no attempt was being made
TO check it by the authorities.
"Why, in Gothenberg, only a short
time ago." he said, 81 myself saw a
crowd OF five men frightfully drunk,
and also saw policeman turn his
back on them and refuse to arrest or
interfere with them in any way. tell
you that that officer knew that he would
lose his place if he interfered with those
men,
No more speakers were allowed to
take the floor after Mr. Gustafsen. Dr.
Rainsford, looking very weary, rose
and made brief speech, in which he
said that he was very sorry that SO few
people in the room agreed with him in
the matter of church saloons. He had
net expected to raise SO much dis
cussion, but was not sorry that he had.
He still believed that his was the
only true solution of the saloon question
in this city, and he hoped in the future
to turn the opponents OF the scheme into
its stanchest supporters. He then
thanked the audience for their attention
and the meeting broke up. DR.. Rains.
ford was heartily checred by everybody.
Black Diamonds.