Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-01-22
THE SAME OLD STORY.
"DRINK BROUGHT ME TO THE GAL
LOWS"

Yes. Yes, but Where Shall We Place the
Responsibility For the Crime?-where
Will 1t Rest?
Says the Canada Templar:
People have become so accustomed to
read the old story of criminals on the
eve Of execution blaming drink for their
downfall that they seldom stop to real
ize the awful import Of the message
from the condemned men. Truskey, who
was hanged at Windsor last week, few
minutes before he went to the scaffold
asked the clergyman with him to warn
the people against drink. Drink has
brought me to the gallows. he said.
"Ask the people to take lesson from
my awful fate"
But his dying voice will fall on deaf
ears.
Drunkards will say it comes too late.
Moderate drinkers will say they can
drink and let it alone.
Moderate thinkers will say: There is
no use in being fanatical. There are 9TH
er sins than drinking.
Moral suasionists will say, You can
not make men sober by act of parlia.
ment.
The selfish blind man will say, 1t
will let you alone if you let 1t alone.
The Darwinian philosopher will say,
1t is the survival Of the fittest.
The Derbyite will say, They'll be good
when they get to heaven.
The politician will say, You must not
hurt the party.
The comfortable man will sit before
his fireplace in his dressing gown and
say, It's too dreadful for anything, but
I guess my boys are all right.
The brewer will say, It's too bad, but
there's money in it.
The distiller will say, Ditto.
The saloon keeper will say, How else
could I make livingr
The business man will say, If I make
fuss about it, will lose customers.
The landlord will say, 1t would not
pay to do anything that would reduce
rents.
The professional preacher will say, It
would be un- Christian to hurt the feel
ings of the big subscribers.
The lawyer will say, To stop drink
would kill our profession, because it
would SO reduce litigation and crime.
The doctor will say, Without drink
the people would be so disgustingly
healthy I would have no practice.
The gambler will say, Itwould utter
ly destroy my business to prohibit drink.
The hagnio keeper will say, Custom
ers and victims would vanish without
the tempting bowl.
The attorney general will say, I was
right when I said three-fourths of the
crime, poverty, insanity and disorder
came from the liquor traffic.
The provincial treasurer will say,
And nearly $500, 900 of license fees.
The finance minister will say, And
81, 900, 900 of revenue.
The taxpayer will say, These murder
trials come high.
Two lonely widows in Essex county
will say: Oh, that this cup might have
passed. Why should our homes be Sc
lected for destruction upon the altar of
Bacchus? Why should we be over
whelmed with grief and want and dis
grace that others may have the privilege
of drinking? The penalty is more than
we can bear. Oh, if the people will not
hear the voice of the blood of our hus-
bands, will they listen to our pleading
and stay the blows that will fall on
other homes tomorrow?
The complacent Christian says, Oh,
Lord, remove the curse; be a husband
to the widow. and a father to the IA
therless, and when am through with
this wicked world take me to glory.
The patriotic Christian, who has
caught the spirit Of Emmanuel. says,
will lay down my life for my fellow.
The people must be saved at any sacri-
fee.
One voice has been missed from this
list; it is too mean to include: it is the
voice of the man who knows what he
ought to do, but never gets any further
than this: am just as good temper
ance man as you.