Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1894-03-20
PRETTY GOOD STORY.
HOW A LICENSE PREACHER MET HIS
MATCH.

BY TALLIE MORGAN, SCRANTON, PA.
1t was the morning after election.
The Lehigh Valley day coach between
New York and Buffalo was pretty well
crowded, and naturally the general dis
cussion was the election.
The attention of the passengers was
attracted to clerical looking individ-
ual who sat about the center of the car
and was talking in q rather excitedly
loud tone of voice to a man in the seat
just ahead.
The reverend gentleman was saying:
mo, sir; did not throw away my
vote, but you and every other man who
voted the Prohibition ticket did l be-
lieve the liquor traffic to be a curse. /
believe in prohibition, preach for prohi-
bition and pray for prohibition"
"But vote for whisky" quietly inter-
rupted the man in the front seat.
You insult me, sirv' replied the
preacher in voice that startled every
body in the car, and at once all the pas
sengers ceased their conversation and
gave their attention to the preacher.
mo man shall tell me in my face
without being rebuked that l vote for
whisky. have preached for 20 years,
and my voice has always been for prohi-
bition, but do not believe in bringing
the matter into politics. have voted
with my party for over 20 years and
don't propose to throw away my vote on
a party that never can elect its candi-
date"
Just then man sitting in a rear seat,
who had been an interested listener to
the discussion, came forward, and fas-
tening two bright, black eyes, which
looked out through pair Of gold eye
glasses, on the preacher, said:
pardon me, sir; did understand you
to say you are preacher
Eyes, sir"
THAT you believe in prohibitions"
"Yes, sir. 1 have preached it for 20
years, and believe the liquor traffic to
be the curse of this nation, and that ev-
cry rumseller ought to be behind prison
bars"
you also said you voted yesterday
for the candidates of one of the old par
ties?'
eyes, sir; the party have always sup
ported"
"Is your party in favor of license or
prohibition?"
II don't think the question has any
thing to do with political parties"
Probably not, but did any rumseller
vote the same ticket as your
"Oh, yes; probably many thousands of
them"
"Do you think that single rumseller
in the United States voted the prohibi-
ton ticket yesterday.
Certainly not"
"Why?"
"Why? Why, because they would be
fools to support political party that
would, if it got into power, sweep away
their business into everlasting oblivion"
"Oh, thought you said the question
of prohibition was not a political one.
The rumsellers evidently think it is.
Now, sir, if liquor man who believes
in license, defends license, spends money
for it, talks it and votes it, would be a
fool to vote the Prohibition ticket, l
would like to know what you are, who
believe in prohibition, preach it and
pray for it, but vote the same ticket as
the rumseller."
There was pause. The sharp, black
eyes of the questioner were fixed on the
reverend gentleman, who evidently was
not prepared for such direct thrust.
Finally he managed to say: 81 refuse
to answer such an insulting question,
sir. Ivote according to the dictates of
my conscience and"-
81 beg your pardon, sir, but you do
nothing of the kind. Every time you
cast your ballot for your rum ruled liq-
uor law party you vote in direct opposi-
ton to your conscience, and you know
it. You also know that the liquor busi-
ness of this nation is licensed every year
by law. You know that political parties
make and maintain the law. You know
that your political party could not, if it
would, pass or enforce prohibitory laws.
You know that fully one-half of the sa-
loonists and brewers and distillers of this
land vote the same ticket as you do.
"You know that your vote yesterday
will be counted as being in favor of the
saloon. You know that the only way
you can inform the government that you
believe in prohibition is through Pro-
hibition ballot. You know that there
are 100000 Christian voters in this ma
ton who profess, like yourself, to favor
prohibition, but the most Of whom vote
every year with you for whisky. You
know that the angel Gabriel could not
pick out your vote from that of a rum.
seller as it lay in the box yesterday.
"You know all this, I say, and yet you
raise your hands in a holy protest when
this gentleman here ventured to remark
that you voted for whisky. Let me tell
you, sir, that the rumseller who votes
with his license party for the protection
and perpetuation of his business is
thousand times more deserving of re-
spect for honesty and consistency than
you, who profess to favor prohibition,
but vote directly for whisky. Your pro-
fessions in that line, sir, are lie, your
preaching farce, your prayers mock
cry and your vote protest against your
own conscience, your church and your
Godt"
This calm, firm, logical and deliberate
arraignment of the bombastic preacher
drew forth hearty burst of applause