The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-10-30
Observation-Disclosures AND WAR.

MONDAY, Texas,--Dear Haphammer: II was
my intention not 10 take any stock IN the
debate and see II the rest OF you coulont hn'-
Ito It by yourselves. But II seems that You
can I, and as II IL growing more Interesting,
can no longer resist tho temptation 20 get into
the racket II would be next TO Impossible
Tor n,n to say that anything Is 9 greater eyil
than intenperancc. So II can be easily seen
that am on tho affirmative side. The main
arguments for the affirmative have already
been oloquently presented by my friend Cor
nellus Combs. Miss Daisy Oliphint and others,
SO can only make q few observations, and
possibly attempt 10 Impress some arguments
moro foreibly. I wns very much SURPRISED
and somewhat chasrined at ne l@nisi.ha
Girls" letter. The idea OF a girl making the
assertion that war was q greater eyli 10 man
than inttmpernpcc struck me MS being q new
aud strange idea, Has tho Louisiana orr
N brother? IL so would abe not much rather
know that he had been killed IN the ser Ico
uf his country than TO know that whisky had
dragged him down and down until ne han
Had she not rathor have tho consciousness ~
his dying in defense Of glorious Gauss thsn
TO have tho fact ever before her mind that
be had died 10 shame ana ai.graos' man aon,
want whisky he can let Il aionni he IT, MOI
forced to drink It." Oh. yot That viii do
very we'll TO say. But look At Tho many temp.
tations that arc thrown around the youth OF
our country today. a young man taxes
drink 10 SEQ "how he likes u, and he gencr-
nlv likes It, This calls for another drink.
until drinking becomes part OF Ms nature.
whisky becomes his master and he bccouna
lis slave l say that this Is so ~ general
rule or course, mon may ard do reform, nut
this IA seldom. And even II every one re-
formed. IL does not eliminate tho evil to any
irtsmperance IL an evil from any and al
ainrtt,oipts but 81 many cases wfr ~ not an
ell The Louisiana Girl presents some
very forcibie arguments. showing eonciusiseiy
tbai those In charge OF our war department
should DO dealt With aud punished Tor the
wocful neglect 81 trr bravo soldiers, many Ok
whom died for the want OF proper care Giln
ntlon.icr, And sHteo with her on that point
and think ID q shame on our great Nation.
still her arguments do not prove In the least
that war In itself pnd OF itself is an evil. As
general thing, evil brings about q war, hut
that does not make the war nm evil IL was
evil that brought about Tho revolutionary war.
hut In there one In whose heart there ~ a
single spark OF patfintisni who will say that
the revolutionary war was M cyil2 DID II not
give 10 the worli It's graatest Naiiony And
was that war an evil? Wa " mt all times
eGpiornbic, sometimes VARY ds,slr@az,> nut
not az all times az evil. Some very great evils
brought on the i.Gte Spanish- American war.
bu, fhls war (, u fought In tho interest Of
an evil. In ill things and At all times intem-
pofnare Is a greater foe 10 mankind than war.
The cruel and OF war has stricken down many
a young man, hut from how many more has
thr disr strous effects OF the bottle stolen the
,4ets,:,es OF life? War Is OF temporary durs-
i'm, Yi;d oftiimes necessary: intemperanee is
81 everlasting duration and at all times uu-
necessary. Which. then, 10 the greater eyily
Maurice Smith.