The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-21
CRUSADE WILL FOLLOW THE Lee
TURE OF JOHN G. WOOLLEY
LAST NIGHT.
THOUSANDS WERE PRESENT,
AND THE MOVEMENT WILL BE
FURTHERED AT a MEETING
TONIGHT.
To Relegate the Saloon to Place
where 1t Will Do No More
Harm.

people at the Auditorium last evening
10 hear John G. Woolley in his speech
against the liquor traffic. The meeting
was held under the auspices of the
temperance and young peoples So
cieties of St Paul and seated ~Qn the
platform where the presidents of va.
rious temperance organizations-WOm
ems societies, Catholic women's So
cieties, w. c. T. u, temperance and
young peoples societies of the city
together with the pastors of the several
city churches j. d. O'Brien occupied
the chair.
The meeting opened with the singing
Of America" by the entire congrega-
ton, and prayer by Rev. j. w. Conley,
D. d, after which Prof. COngdOn led
the singing of the hymn, Throw Out
the Life Line"
Chairman O'Brien in introducing the
speaker of the evening said that every
person would admit the potency Of the
arguments on behalf of temperance; no
person pretended to dispute that the
use of Intoxicating liquors was a dan
gerOus and useless custom, and one
that was not only prejudical to the in
dividual, but Of the most potent evil
to society and State. But there were
some people who yet believed that this
question was entirely a personal ques-
ton, and a matter Of option with the
individual as to whether he would ad-
VOcate the cause of temperance in his
social or political relations. There
were some people who saw no incon-
slstency in praying to God to let his
kingdom come on earth as it is in heav-
en-, and still remaining passive to an
organization Of society which allowed
the liquor traffic to run rampant and
control the cities and their best in
terests. The influence of a barrel of
whiskey in politics was more powerful
than that of 500 voters, and it was time
to awaken to the fact that something
must be done to discontinue the pres
ent state Of affairs.
John G. Woolley was introduced and
received with tremendous applause.
He spoke in part as follows:
Mr.. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
want to commence my discourse this evening
by referring to the responsibility Of the
Christian people, and Christian government
tor the weak and helpless of our citizen
SLIP l rejoice that l am to speak to so
wish to impress upon you the Importance
CT keeping the hands clean from contaminat-
ing influences. The cause Of the shame and
sorrow under which the Christian church
tGday lives is that too many Of our judges
priests and elders have relinquished their in
tereSt in this work, without obtaining any
Scequate meaSurement Of the ruin that has
been effected by the liquor traffic. They are
praying NIGHTLY but their hands are not
clean. 1t is useless for US to pray for FIGS
when we sow thisties, or pray for clean
Iyir
we SOW along all the cty's by-ways tempta-
tons to allure them from the paths of right
eousness 1t is nonsense for men to pray
to God to work upon the liquor traffic of their
own town, when in the rest of the country
they are consenting that hell shall be glor-
ned at so much every quarter of the year
(Appiause)
1t is nonsense to suppose that God will
close up the saloons, when we go to the
ballot box every general election day and
deposit our ballots in favor of the party or
parties who directly opposed to the
temperance cause. 1t is necessary that we
take a practical view of these matters It
seems to me that there is a great deal too
much dealing and traffcking in theoretical
stocks, and not enough huStling done when
the time comes around to deposit our bal
let's. There is far too little of the far-reach-
ing salvation of Jesus Christ
A great deal is heard of the liquor traffic
and other similar vices being a necessary
evil IN a community, but 1 say unto you
there Is not such a thing as A necessary evil
and there should not be. If there was to
be such necessity for these evil things, why
the life, death and sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
The saloon is the DEVILS principal handiwork
in st. Paul and elsewhere, and it stands
upon conquered territory if the word of God
can be believed.
The overthrow of the liquor traffic can
be brought about, and must needs be brought
about by sacrifice 1t will certainly take time
and cannot be done in one two three ten
or twenty years, but it must be done The
cause of education will bring along it's quota
I and
young peoples societies. together with other
kindred church organizations will all do
great work in the fight against the influences
now so active against the best interests of
the young people of the country Some
BODY will undoubtedly get hurt in the opera
ton, but it be done if God is alive and
His word not false.
Glance at the spectacle; see the gilt-edged
signs hung behind the bars in your CITY
and al over this country. and decorated with
the United States coat of arms-the license
to Kill your boy and mine, for that is what
IT amounts to in the end. The whole ambi-
ton OF my life is to bring the temperance
cause. as 1T is called. back to the Christian
church, where it belongs. When 7 saw that
! | DO not mean the church steepIe, nor the
building, nor the accoutrements but that
great intellectual power of this earth. which
is geared up by guard wheel of simple faith
IN Jesus Christ For the building of the
temple for the King of humanity. pending
the coming of the King
1t appears to me that for a generation or
more, and especially in these latter days
when the temperance question has com
menced to embrace national politics. it has
become the habit of the church to allot the
temperance cause to the minor church So
cietles proceeding by which the cause has
not been able to make itself felt but tho
church has not even kept up with the tenn
perance societies. These societies appear to
! have done what they could, but with society
and everything against them, and the church
always eng-oSsed in other matters II is mot
surprising that they could do but little else
than keep the matter at a dead level
must say that the temperance reformer who
sticks to the cd line stubbornly and re-
J fuses to grow up with this splendid movement
in these latter days VIII gbbet his power or
! become dOtard in this great reform The
great blear-eyed, dull-faced public drunkard
Is not so much freak as he is crop. An
ounce OF prevention is worth ten tons of cure
in this matter. If we work the cure end of
the case we give the SaloOnkeepers all The
best of the argument, and we have done this
pretty we'll here In Minnesota. The solution
/ of the problem which | bring to YOU is not so
much to get the children of drunkards and
! drunkards themselves to sign the pledge
| while that is an important part Of the work
! but to get members of the churches to keen
! their promises to that organization. 1t must
| be in direct opposition to the church rules
! that you members should go to the polls on
a general election day and vote for a party
! which you know to be welded to the inter-
! ests of the liquor traffic and yet it has been
! done time after time Whatever dishonors a
| girl. ruins boy, breaks a womans heart
! whatever it be that helps or harms humanity
must be fit subjects for gospel pronunciators
| and fit for any pulpit in the land. And any
! church that cannot stand this kind of argu-
| ment preaching should dSband We mood
more Of the dusty foot kind of religion-those
| who worship God where they are-on the 90
! in the railroad trains on the way to the iurv
| box, to the Legislature or to the city council
! and when get that sort of religion moro