The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-23
THE MORNING NEWS: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2a 1896

/ temperance legislation, was quoted, as
! follows:
| Il am. as some Of you know, keenly,
| deeply interested in politics, and some
| what actively take part in them; but l
/ declare before this meeting, and not for
the first time, that I believe there is no
/ political question which in half as great
a degree as this question of control Of
/ the liquor traffic and the attendant bene-
! hts in Increased temperance In the coun-
/ try-there is no political question that, in
my opinion, is half as important as this.
/ There is no question that touches so deep
! ly and so closely the moral, the physical,
/ aye, and even the political well-being Of
the people of this country; and 1 believe
that, given a thrifty, temperate, we'll
ordered community, 40 demands that that
community requires for its protection can
be in any phase of legislation, long with
held"
Mr.. Hill denied that he was crank. He
did not believe. he said, that every man,
who agree with him, was a saint and
every man opposed TO him a knave or
fool The worst man he ever knew, he
said, was a prohibitionist. The best man
he knew, he said, was not a prohibition
list, which might be due to the fact that
he lived in Savannah. He claimed for
himself that he was the sweetest temper
ed and loveliest crank they could find.
Mr.. Hin defined the prohibition move
by law of the public evils growing out of
the sale of intoxicants as a beverage.
IL dld not propose to legislate what
man should do in his own home The foun-
dalton of the prohibition idea, he denied
rests upon the proposition that 1t. is
wrong FOR a man TO take a drink. He
illustrated this idea by three circles, each
bordering upon the street. Society legs-
lates against some things not because of
any immortality in the offense, but
because those things are dangerous
TO the public welfare. The basis
of the campaign against the saloon he
said, is the idea that the open saloon is
a public evil. Some view this from the
standpoint Of the taxpayer, some from the
political standpoint, that the saloon has
too much influence in politics; some are
impressed by the moral view of the situa-
ton, that the saloon not only ministers to
a normal demand for strong drink, but
by its influences that 1t propagates and
tntensihes the evil of strong drink. II it
were true, he said, that should the bar
rooms be abolished there would be just as
much drinking as at present, then he
was ready to give up his case. He in
stanced gambling, which is known to be
carried on in spite of the law against it,
and yet If II were not prohibited, how
much greater would the evil be.
Some one in the audience asked Mr.. Hill
if he advocated the dispensary idea.
Il do not he replied. Il will never
help to 1illmanize Georgia."
This statement was received with ap-
plause.
Moral suasion, Mr.. Hill said, which had
been looked to to accomplish so much had
been found very weak. He instanced the
wonderful work of Father Mathew and
quoted him as saying late in life that
there was no hope without the combined
effects of moral suasion and prohibitory
| legislation.
John b. Cough, another great champion
of temperance also came to the same
conclusion, he said.
Mr. Hill presented the strength of the
prohibition movement for the benefit of
the liquor dealers. The churches of the
| country had taken their stand in support
| of It, he said The Methodist the Baptist
and the Presbyterian churches have in
| their public conventions declared them
| selves strongly in support of it. Cardinal
| Manning was quoted as saying that the
| chief bar to the working Of the holy spir-
it of God in the souls Of men and women
! isJintoxicating drink" Cardinal Ireland
and Bishop Watterson were also referred
to- If nobody were lighting this fight but
the churches, he said, he would have very
! little hope for 1t.
A great many of the members of the
churches regard the proclamations of
their churches, he said, very much in the
same way the politicians regard their
/ platforms.
The Young Peoples Society of Christian
Endeavor, the Epworth League and the
Baptist Young Peoples Union, he said
are strong factors in this struggle. The
| young people, he declared, mean what
they say and will vote as they pray.
The benevolent orders were referred to.
The Odd Fellows grand lodge has declared
that no saloonkeeper can be ad-
/ 70 -, nj u,
other benevolent orders are following suit
in their state grand lodges.
The political outlook is not a favorable
one for the saloonkeepers, he said. Nc
Kinley and Bryan are both members in
good standing of their respective churches.
which have declared strongly against the
liuqor traffic. In this state the outlook is
bad, he said Atkinson has declared him
self to be a sort of a prohibitonist and
| Wright is pledged to sign the anti-bar-
room bill, if he should get the opportunity
to do So Chairman Steve Clay was quoted
as saying that the hope of the prohibit
tionists is in the democratic party" This
was very encouraging to the liquor deal
ers, he said.
The railroads have forbidden their en-
| ployes from the use of drink while engaged
in their occupation. The business men
Of the world are against it. They have
! declared that a man cannot drink and
make a success. The courts are against it.
The supreme court Of the United States
was quoted against the liquor traffic.
Mr.. Hill said the people of Savannah
! had never been bothered with temperance
speeches and they could afford to listen
to a long speech. 1t had just struck 10
! o'clock when he said this.
Mr.. Hill denied that the anti-barroom
bill had anything of the South
Carolina dispensary sytem in IT,
The lying newspapers" are re-
| sponsible for this impression, he
said 1t is said that there would be
blind tigers if such a bill were passed,
he said. There are already blind tigers
here, he said, and he read the following
figures: The number who have paid both
state and federal licenses is 269 while the
number of federal license is 4O2, leaving
1872 blind tigers in operation. The result
| of the anti-borroom BILL he said, would
be to abolish the saloons and greatly re-
duce the number of blind tigers. The
| liquor dealers are now restricted to less