People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1896-10-02

uoWn Ihau cheering. AGAIN, onS "Oo
that stares us in the face is the poverty
of our poor, common people. Never
since the time when that little vessel
landed on the American shore, has
there been such poverty stricken con-
dition as is found among the poor, com
mon people OF today, possibly. You
will find ninety per cent of the causes
of poverty in our country arising from
the liquor traffic. Another great Ameri-
can sorrow, woe, coming up before us,
is our divorce law, and its process, and
ninety per cent of the divorces of the
United States, you can trace them back
in the city of Atlanta and elsewhere
are directly traceable back to the liquor
barrel. (Applause.) Surely, God AL
mighty was right, when way back
yonder, He said; "Woe unto the nation
that shall build her towns with blood,
and give drink to her neighbor. There
was never such an age in American
history as this when the whole OF the
United States could have had better
times-the whole country so full of
harvest-mental power, Drawn and
muscle; and, yet, think of the poverty
l walk up to Colonel Politics, and say:
"Col. Politics. what is the matter with
us?" (Haven't been to the Bible.) II
can tell YOU" WHAT" SIT is the
ogitation OF this silver question that is
running the country" Listen! do you
know how much silver there is in the
United States? A little over six hun
dred million dollars. II had every
slick dime and quarter and dollar in
the United States, there would a little
over six hundred million dollars. How
much gold? If you had every dollar
dug up out of the banks and taken out
of the hands of the monopolists, and
put into a pile, there would be little
over six hundred million. Put all your
gold and silver in one big pile, and how
much would you have? About twelve
hundred million. How much do You
spend IN year for liquor? We spend
twelve hundred millions of dollars every
year for liquor. We can pick the whole
business, gold and silver both up and
perously for ten years. Some old poll
ticians say "Shake the financial ques-
ton a little, and the whole country is
gone to destruction" l say to Col
Politicians: "What's the matter with
the country" Tariff question squalled
from one end OF the country to the
other" go to the Eastern shores, and
and ! stand there, and put down every
ad valorem dollar for goods imported
to the United States, we spend it all
for liquor and it won't pay the bill. l
go to Col. Politics. and ask him what is
the matter with the country, and he
says National banks, National banks!'
l 20 to New Orleans, and get every
national bank, and go to New York
and get every national bank, and go to
Chicago and get every national bank.
I willethrow my arms around every
bank in thesU United States. l will put
every dollar of national bank stock
down here on this table, and stack her
up, aud the whole business won't pay
the liquor bill for one year We burn
up in this Internal traffic every national
bank in the United States every twelve
months. Stewart, is that sop Listen.
If New Orleans bank breaks-every-
body listen! In the panic of 1898, when
world shook. We can put every ma
tional bank in hole, and still live.
How? One fellow says, "Well
Stewart, money is money, and when
YOU spend it for liquor, you don't burn
it up" Now, I am going to show you.
Keep up with me. I don't ask that
you have good sense, but half sense to
understand me tonight. G.aughter.) l
viii show you that you do burn it up
VIII somebody loan me silver dollar?
am about out. (Sam Jones handed
a little while at the business of this
proposition, and l say don't get scared.
lest l should go out of the Gospel. Do
you know what the pure, indebted
religion, before God, is: "Io visit the
widow and the orphan in their attic
ton, and keep yourself unspotted from
the world Suppose, d man should
come up to me, and Brother Jones was
standing by nay side. and the man
should stab me with his keen bladed
knife three or four times, and Brother
Jones runs up ana says-there bleed on
my handkerchief anything I can do
for you? l will give you anything you
want Nothing, nothing! You didn't
come quick enough. When the
blade of that knife glistened, you ought
70 hava been there to stay the hand
that stabbed me. Listen, through that
Internal traffic there are hundreds of
widows and orphans made in the
United States. When the knife
and dagger are raised to strike the
death-bow. you ought to walk up and
stop it before it reaches the hearts and
homes of the people Great applause
We have mad theory long enough.
Preachers OF the country have been 60
ing down on record that they are, so
and so" God help them to get up of,
of record. and go to work. (Applause.)
Dr.. John i. McFcrrin, the great