Middletown transcript., 1894-05-12
TEMPERANCE ALLIANCE,
A Nou-Partisan Movement to d own
the Saloon


the Saloon
A temperance convention composed of Il
delegates, representing 25 protestan
churches IN Wilmington met in Contra
Presbyterian church Thursday evening.
Rev. DR.. Kynett, chairman of the Per
manent Committee on Temperance of the
NJ E. General Conference addressed the
convention, and he appeals to the church
for concertive action.
| The speaker declared that the motives
behind the liquor traffic were mercenary to
| the extent of cruelty. Those engaged in il
had apparently no care for the suffering it
| cansed-no care about the families that
| were broken up, for the wives and children
that were hungry and naked, or for the
| men that are pauperized by its success-but
were orga nized to perpetuate its power.
The Christian Church, upon which de-
volved the duty of opposing and if possible
destroying the traffic. is not organized, is
not acting In harmony, but its members
are scattered like sheep on u mountain.
The question is how shall the churches
get together2 Not by arguing one with
another for and against the various plans.
He was not hopeful of any good results
from separately organized political party.
The difficulty is too great to be overcome
by such course of action He illustrated
his idea of the proper course by saying that
a wise engineer would not attempt to build
a railroad over a mountain, but would
follow the course of the valleys. So it is
necessary to attempt to change Republicans
and Democrats into Prohibitionists or Pro-
hibitionists into high-license advocates,
but for each temperance worker to have no
principles in opposition to other temper
ance workers. They might be, and would
be, that is teaching of experience, full of
these principles as Presbyterians, Metho-
dists and Baptists or other denominations,
or asRepublicansa and Democrats but as tenn
perance workers they should agree in their
opposition to the liquor interest
The speaker gave several illustrations of
the success Of this idea, naming Cambridge,
Mass, and Oxford, Pa, as remarkable in
stances of the banishment of the saloons
under the united efforts of Christian tenn
perance people acting through church
leagues and alliances, representing all de-
The church has declared war on the
saloon and must organize to drive it from
It's legal defences. Speaking of how the |
liquor traffic is intrenched in politics, the |
speaker said thai in Philadelphia twenty
hree of the thirty seven select councilmen. |
Xix out of eight state senators from that |
'ity, majority of the members of the
over house of the Legislature, and twenty
,ut of twenty weight magistrates of the city
we're signers of petitions for liquor license.
This state of things had come to pass be-
ause the circuit of political influence
which controls nominations is in the hands
# the saloon-keeper; because the church
las kept out Of politics. The church has
ttempted to put the press to the front and
ttemped TO hold the politicians accounta-
lie for evil legislation, while it has left the
ems Of political control in the hands Of
he friends Of the liquor traffic The remedy
Or this evil is TO be found in the determi-
alton of Christian people to vote against
be candidates of all parties who favor the
quor traffic
'r. Kynett urged the formation Of an ALI
nee of the Christian Church for active and
work against the saloon.
At the close of the address a resolution
} form Christian alliance, representing
Il the churches, to work for the suppression
the liquor traffic was adopted and Of
GERS of the convention were elected as Off
RS Of the Provisional Alliance, and execu-
We committee. consisting of the Rev. ]. B.
uigg, the Rev. C. F. Hendricks, the Rev.
!. N. Keigwin, w. H. Gregg, Charles Baird
B. Jones and Charles s. Howland, was 7
opoinred
The convention adjourned to meet at the
meet the chairman,