Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-10-23
W00LLEYS SPEECH
HIS ELOQUENCE ELECTRI.
FIES A GREAT AUDIENCE.

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Supporters-A Mastery Ad-
dress.
Cincinnati NJ. E. conference Sept. Q, 1894.
If my heart were the speaker today,
you should not want for eloquence. 1
was born into this church, in this con-
ference, as were also my father and my
mother. The bones Of my grandparents
lie in this soil. Here my schooldays be-
gan and ended. Here I found and mar.
ried the bravest woman in tho world.
From Collinsville, my birthplace, to
Wilmington has been long journey,
terrible in its wastes and losses, awful
in its disappointments and perils, un-
speakable in its heartaches, but have
come back-back from travelling in far
countries, back from riotous living,
back from husks and shame and swine.
Graves do not run to meet one, but
there are voices in your eyes that bid
me welcome. Doubtless some of you re-
member my parents and my sister who
lived at Seven Mile. They, too, have
gone long journey, and they will not
come back again, but shall go to them.
l did not offer myself to speak to you.
Your committee has invited me to come
and say something about the saloon. It
was not easy to come, but if it had been
much more difficult should have nc
cepted the invitation, for, with respect
to the cause for which am so glad and
proud to stand, or any noble labor, al
most the nearest thing to victory is the
Methodist church, and, as touching my
self personally, know Of nothing more
like fame than being counted fit to di-
rect for space the thought and prayer
of the Cincinnati conference upon this
greatest reform of these greatest days.
Applause.
will get about my errand directly
If 1 speak with unconventional plain
ness, you will be patient with me, for
my heart hurts, and you will not Won
der if were to tell you all. will not;
it is long story, pitiful, sinful, but it
ends well-a great point in a story.
I have the advantage, or disadvan-
tage, of not knowing how single man
in the conference votes. But the matter
is political, and for one am very glad
of it and hope and expect that it will
perplex, derange and engross politics
until the right wins, for of the future
peace, prosperity and perpetuity of this
country "other political foundation can
no man lay than is laid in Jesus
Christ" the infinite victim and enemy
of the liquor traffic. (Applause.]
The time seems inauspicious for a
calm survey of the subject. The country
is feverish, the great parties are on tip
toe-one of expectancy of victory, the
other of apprehension Of defeat-and the
saloon has votes to let, and the candi-
date or party that gets them must in
sure or ignore the life Of the saloon.
The drink devil has taken the Repub-
lican Christian up into a very high
mountain and shown him the electoral
vote Of all the northern states of the
Union and said, "All these things will
I give you if you will simply ignore me
in politics. "
And he has appeared to the Demo-
cratic Christian in the wilderness, faint,
hungry and confused, and said, AL you
have to do is to say the word, and the
saloon vote, the rocks and shards and
wreckage of the blackest wilderness and
woe of life, shall be loaves and fishes
and spoils and power for you"
And he has taken labor to the brink
of ruin and said, "Cast thyself down
and tempt capital to play the angel and
fly to succor you.
This happens at time when con-
science is politically voiceless, except IN
the dwarfsh and sharp tongued Prohi'
bition party, which makes it difficult
for me to speak frankly and yet avoid
the charge of being a promoter OF par
ty propaganda I am not that, as you
shall see, but intend to speak the plain'
unvarnished truth, without fear or favor
of any man or any party.
The naked truth is an awesome thing
IL one is unaccustomed to it or OF
prudish turn, and there is something in
our political atmosphere that makes
many excellent people SO skittish that II
is well nigh impossible to get them to
stand while it passes, and others get
Ssed to it SO easily that they seem scarce
ly to see it at all. On this account am
constrained to be as plain as poverty as
bipartisan as alcohol and as unseotarian
as sin.
There ia great confusion as to what Is