Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-07-02
ENEMY OF A NATION.
What This Government Suffers
from tho Whisky Traffic
Politicians Dominated by the Rnm Power
--American People Making Ready for
Gigantic "spring Cieaning''-
Scenes In Congress.
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enemy to the human race, has SO de-
bauched moral, social and civil life, has
so trampled upon the 2eace and pros
perity OF the home, so demoralized
every good institution that 1t hes lost
every friend except two. To-day the
only two friends that the whisky traffic
can boast of are the devil and the poll
tician, and II retains the friendship of
these two because It gives to one an
Office and to the other an officer. The
politician rides into Office on the shoul-
ders of whisky and then rides through
his office into hell on the same shoul-
ders.
Every business interest Of the coun.
try Is at heart an enemy to the traffic.
| No banker or merchant or manufac-
turer or farmer wants as an employe a
drunken man, and in his business he is
lighting the saloon off of his employees
and out of his business. Every sue
cessful railroad company In the United
States has its law against the saloon,
so far as its employees are concerned.
Every profession in it's best manhood
has secret enmity against the saloon.
First-class lawyers and doctors, and, in
fact, every worthy professional man,
regrets the hour when the saloon
touches any companion of his profess
sion. There Is a growing hatred in the
bosom of every business man and every
professional mar against the liquor
traffic. 1t has trampled upon women
until every thoughtful woman in
America who Is not an old wine bibber
or beer swigger herself Is an enemy to
the traffic.
| In all my rounds | have found on
this earth but one friend to the liquor
traffic and that is the poor old politi-
clan, and the only reason that he is
friend is because it rides the old red
nosed devil into office; but many of the
politicians have been bossed and
dominated and driven by the
whisky traffic until they are get
ting sore. The people have seen
their representatives bossed by the
traffic until they are getting sore. Not
withstanding the whisky traffic has
more power over legislation to-day
than any day in the history of this
great country of ours, yet 1t Is fact
| that the fires Of enmity to this traffic
are being kindled in every quarter, and
| in my humble judgment it is but
| question of short time when the good
people of America, representing every
class and every question, will rise up in
Indignation and consign the old red
nosed politicians to the back streets OF
life and bury the internal whisky traffic
face foremost SO deep that the more it
/ n A. L. I'LL
The protection of the liquor traffic
by the government Of the United
States is not only a gross violation OF
the very spirit of our constitution,
which provides for the life, peace and
prosperity of it's citizens, but thu fos-
tering of the liquor traffic is the great
est financial folly our government ever
| went into. The revenues collected by
| our corporations, state and federal gov
ernment have never paid and never
will pay the expenses incurred In the
| destruction of our manhood, our busi-
| ness and our homes to say nothing OF
the expense of taking care Of the drink
| er. Calculations have been made time
and again, showing that it costs this
| government in dollars and cents more
| money to take care of the ravages OF
| the whisky traffic than 1t gets out OF
| the whisky traffic, to say nothing OF
| the sorrow and debauch that It brings
| to our race.
In these perilous times the minds of
she common people are being awakened
| to our governmental affairs as never
before. We are beginning to find out
l xlcx Z 1o 70 mt est
| over completely to the old red-nosed
| politicians of this age. More men are
| studying the financial questions and
the great questions of political econ
omy to-day than ever before in the his
| tory of our country, and the old poll
| ticians may look out to hear it thun-
der. It never rains but it pours, and
when the American people set into
spring cleaning, every old piece OF fur
niture will be moved around, every old
carpet taken up, and the ants and
| cockroaches and chinches will have to
hide. All we have needed in the last
| half century has been for the common
| people to stop and think. There is not
a level-headed citizen In the United
States who will investigate the way
things are going that will not turn the
| business end of O mule to the old poll
| itician.
The internal whisky traffic walks up
to every legislature In this country,
shows its gold bag and shakes It's fist;
the legislature throws up its hands and
says: eyes, gentlemen, anything you
want you can get" 1t walks up to the
| capital Of the United States and puts
| the whole thing in its pocket and walks
of with It. There isn't man who has
ever been to Washington or to q state
capital and examined into the case that
does not know that the average poll
tician belongs to the breweries and the
distillers of this country just like .
southern niger belonged to his master
| in the days of slavery.
The humanitarian, the patriot and the
philanthropist, the true American citi-
| zen who loves his country and loves his
people, will prove to the politician by
| mathematical demonstration As clear
and simple as twice two Is four, that
| the whisky trafic is she biggest ques-
ton now before the American people.
and the question that Is doing more to
| demoralize labor, undermine our gov
/ ernment. destroy our home life, dehasc
the American citizen and pauperfze the
/ - - Icp rant nth.