The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-11-30
DISCUSSED THE
LIQUOR PROBLEM
Rev. DR.. Ollie Takes Up
the Subject at the Cen
trail Church.
Work of the American Anti
Saloon League as a Factor
of Reform.
Rev. DR.. Adams Address Upcn the
Evils of Modern Civilization and
Their Remedy.

At the Central Methodist Church yes
terday DR.. Ebert K. Ollie discussed the
liquor problem. devoting particular atten-
ton TO the American Anti-Saloon League
as one OF the most important factors con-
tributing to reform.
He traced the history of this institution
since the date OF its inception at Washing
ton, d. c., a little less than year ago and
described the good work already accom-
plished through its fundamentally. The
great object of this league is to federate
and unity the scattered forces OF reform so
that they may present united front to
the organized ranks of the liquor-dealers.
''The Anti Saloon League" said the
speaker, "aftords common standing
ground for all shades of political and re-
ligious and temperance faith SO long as
they are opposed to the saloon. 1t does
not ask q man whether he is for high
license or prohibition; whether he is a
moderate drinker or total bstainer; it
does not concern itself whether he takes
glass of wine or glass of beer at his
meals; it says whatever your faith or
practice, if you believe that society and
the State would be better without the
saloon give US your hand"
Tine Anti-Saloon League takes the
saloon out of politics and deals with it
not as a political but O moral question.
The saloonkeeper has no politics but the
interests of his business. His voting
number is No. 1. When Jay Gould was
before the Senate Committee on Railroads
they asked him his politics. He said, In
| Democratic county am a Democrat in
| Repu blican county a Repu blican, in a
doubtful county l am doubtful; but
always and everywhere L am for the Erie
Railroad That is the way with the
| saloon"
The league proposes to work for and
| secure the passage of law that shall put
the question of saloon suppression upon
the ballot at every election. To the ques-
| ton how has the league worked so lar
DIR. Ollie replied:
ut has united the temperance forces as
| nothing else has ever done.
In its great conventions Catholic and
| Protestant Bishops and clergy, Republic.
, cans Democrats and Prohi btionists have
| sat side by side. In this Stale every re-
| llgious body to whom it has so far been
prese nted has adopted it with hearty
| unanimity, and so have all the temperance
| organizations. Already a provisional
State committee has been formed, and it
| is expected that q State convention will be
held IN the near future. 1t has aroused
| the enmity and alarm of the liquor power
| as has no other movement of the century
The Wine and Spirit News SAYS the Anti
| Saloon League will ca pture the church and
the church will capture the State, and then
God have mercy on us poor liquor men
who won't be allowed to live at all 1t has
won many victories in States North and
South"
The speaker then'by a series of charts
illustrated its work. They showed that
4o per cent OF the territory of this Nation
has driven out the saloon. In Georgia IS
out of 1877 counties have gone dry"-that'
is they have not single saloon. In Ar
kansas at the recent election A counties
went dry to 81 wet. and the State gave a
majority against the saloon. In Ohio. 81
counties dry, SO wet; in Mississippi, 81
dry to IA wet.
But" he asked, "how can local option
reach our cities, rum-ruled as many of
them are? Well, about one-fourth of the
territory of this State is now without
saloons under the operation of local
option; when all the interior counties are
freed from the saloon and they are all con-
verged in this City, then by local. option
we will drive it into the downtown wards
and into the lowest streets. Then when we
have it isolated and segregated into one
cesspool of CORFU ption whose stencil and
fumes shall appear to rise frem hell itself,
the people educated "a they will be by
that time will, with the surgery of the
law, cut out this cancer-this malignant
ulcer upon our civilization"