Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-11-13

party. lt bids openly and above board
for the support of the criminal classes,
but whichever party of the two mounts
the peoples throne the double faced
bawd of modern Babylon, the liquor
traffic, dons the civic purple, too, and
carries Oh her damnable commerce in
the very sittings of the courts of law.
IApplause.
Prophets Of God have come and gone
and lain in the horrid limbo of public
obloquy and gone to political and social
death for meddling with the hideous
concubinage of crime and power. Upon
election days the saloon, eldest born
daughter of the scarlet consort, dances
before the sovereign. who, blazing with
lust and the delights of power, calls the
dancer and says, Ask of me whatso
ever thou wilt, and will give it,, and
she replies. instructed by her mother,
Bring me the head of Clinton B.
Fisk upon charger And the voting
church, except handful of despised
fanatics, attend the executioner and do
his bidding and cry, Long live He
rodiasl" [Great applause.
Do you resent my saying that? 1t is
easy to settle. Look at this state. You
have hero Republicanism and Metho-
dism, both at their best, and the top
notch of your progress makes the state
accessory both before and after the fact
to every saloon in Ohio.
The events of your last legislature are
very pertinent and perfectly familiar to
you all. The governor was Republican
and a Methodist. The church was prac-
ticably unanimous in presenting the
Haskell bill. 1t was very modest re-
quest 1t could, in fact, scarcely be call
ed temperance legislation, but slight
reform, i'll the interest of local liberty
and peace and order. What was it that
was asked of the legislature? Only this
that in localities where public sentiment
had arisen to the level of the Methodist
doctrine on this subject the people, in
the exercise of local self government,
might prohibit saloons.
Who asked that? Christian Ohio asked
that of Republican Ohio Ohio women
and children asked that of Ohio men.
The face of Jesus Christ in the haggard
and hopeless features of Ohio drunkards
asked that of Ohio's strong men. The
hands of the Son of God were ready
raised to speak a benediction ON the
statute.
Who opposed it? Every saloon keeper,
every brewer, every distiller, every
gambler, every brothel keeper, every
criminal of low and high degree.
What came of it? Nothing! Crowded
out by press of public business? No! 1t
was strangled By Democrats? No! By
the party and for the sake of the party
to which Methodist Ohio pins its utter
faith.
There must have been powerful rea-
sons? Yes; one. Representative Locke
of Madison made it so plain that way
faring man, though member of the
legislature, need make DO mistake He
said, cit will be suicide to the Repub-
lican party" and l am free to say that,
when party like that shrinks from or
postpones suicide, the Methodist vote
ought to kill it. [Great applause
The bill was right and just, and the
people wanted it, but to pass it meant
that the saloon vote of Ohio would be
lost to the party in power. Gentlemen,
saloon cannot serve the Methodist
church without sin. Applause.
The answer to that is that this section
was temporary, and that the subject
will be treated differently when condi-
tions are less strained. When will they
be less strained? Do you expect to i'll
crease the majority in the legislature?
What increase over 'three to one"
should you say would make it safe to do
right in the Ohio legislature?
Dear friends, party that denies the
right, even temporarily, is generally
unreliable. The politics that musters
the Methodist vote must have something
more than brave or honest qualms at in
tervals. Applause
Let no one say l malign the Repub-
lican party. do not. 1 think it has
been honester and Drawer than the vot-
ing Methodist church in proportion to
its professions. 1t has never claimed to
be in sympathy with the church's reso-
lutions and has simply gone its way
using nothing more than the fnesse that
was necessary to its end-office-and
not contrary to political morality upon
its lowest planes
1t is humiliating thought that the
parties who require to keep the saloon
and the church together with them have
to bait the saloon, but the church fol-
lows, and that, while we put prohibi-
tion at the front of our political creed,
we intrust it to party that will not
touch it. make no charge against the
Republican parity. If say a woman is
no gentleman, 1 make no criticism, but
state fact. Laughter.
Your Republican leaders are not pro-
hibitionists. Senator Sherman certainly
is not. Governor Foraker is frankly op-
posed to it and has declared in favor of
''eternal regulation. Governor McKin-