The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-06-10
1NGERsoLL ON ALCOHOL.
A Beautiful Piece of Oratorical Word
Painting.


but we reprint it at the request OF
several readers, who desire a COM
plete copy. Col. Robert G.. Inger-
soil in addressing jury in case
which involved the manufacture Of
alchohol, made the following terri
BILE arraignment of the demon:
81 am aware that there is a pre-
judice against any man who manu-
factures alcohol. l believe that
from the time it issues from the
coiled and poisonous worm in the
distillery until it empties into the
Jaws of death, dishonor and crime
1T demoralizes everybody that
touches it, from it's source to where
it ends lido not believe anybody
can contemplate the object without
being prejudlced against the liquor
crime. All we have TO do, gentle
men, is to think of the wrecks on
either bank of the stream of death;
of the suicides, OF the insanity, of
the ignorance, Of the destitution,
of the little children tugging at the
fading and withered breast of weep
ing and despairing mothers, of
wives asking for bread, of men of
genius it has wrecked, the men
struggling with imaginary serpents,
produced by this devilish thing, and
when you think of the iails, or the
almshouses, OF the prisons, of the
scaffolds upon either bank, / do not
wonder that every thoughtful man
is prejudiced against this damned
stuff called alcohol. 1ntemperance
cuts down youth in it's strength,
old age in its weakness. 1t breaks
the fathers heart, bereaves the
doting mother, extingulshes natural
affection, etases conjugal love, blots
out filial attachment, blights pa
rental hopes, brings down mourn
ing age in sorrow TO the grave; 1t
produces weakness, not strength;
sickness not health; death, not life,
1t makes wives widows, children
orphans, fathers fiends and all of
them paupers and beggars. 1t
feeds rheumatism, invites cholera,
imports pestilence and embraces
consumption. 1t covers the land
with idleness, misery and crime.
1t fills your jails, supplies yoor alms-
houses and demands your asylums.
1t eugenders controversies, fosters
quarrels and cherishes riots. 1t
crowds your peuitentiaries and fur
mis- hes victims for your scaffolds.
1t is the life blood of the gambler
the element of the burglar, the
prop of the highwaymau and sup
port Of the midnight incendiary,
1t counteuances the liar, respects
the thief, esteems the blasphemer.
1t violates obligation, reverences
fraud and honors intamy. 1t de-
flames beuevolence, hates love,
scorns vittue and SANDERS iuno-
cepce. 1t lncites the father to
butcher his helpless offspring, helps
the husband to massacre his wife
and the child to grind the paricidal
axe. 1t burns up men, consumes
women, detests life, curses God,
despises Heaven 1t subborns wit
nesses, nurses perjury, defiles the
jury box and stains judicial ermine.
1t degrades the citizen, debases the
legislator, dishonors the statesman
and disarms the patriot, 1t brings
shame, not honor; danger, not
safety; despair, not hope; misery,
not happiness, and with the malevo-
lence of a lend it calmly surveys It's
frightful desolation and unsatiated
havoc. 1t poisons felicity, kills
peace, ruins morals, blights conf
dence, slays regulations, and wipes
out national honor, then curses the
world aud laughs at It's ruin. 1t
does all that and more. 1t murders
the soul, Is Is The sum of all abom-
nations, the devils best friend and
Gods worst enemy"