The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-04-08

ment of the words of God Almighty
in my text Woe unto the nation
that buildeth her towns with blood,
and that giveth her neighbor drink.
The American people have never
looked upon such period in her
history. Nothing but this monu-
mental crime and the curse of God
Almighty could bring us into such
condition, amid our fertile fields
and waving harvests. Think of the
wonderful resources of America;
think of her brain and her Drawn,
and then think of her poverty.
There seems to be no Moses to lead
US forth.
walk up to Col Politics, whose
blatant voice is heard throughout
the land, and / ask him what Is the
matter with our country. Without
looking up to his God or consulting
his Bible he answers: 1T is the
agitation of the silver question that
Is running this country" THAT"
says he, "is the momentous question
of the age. That settled satisfac-
torily, prosperity will smile upon
u.s." Let US see If that is the ques-
tion. Do you know how much sill
yer there is in the United States?
IT had on this platform every slick
dime and quarter and half-dollar
and dollar in the United States, do
you know what it would make? A
little over six hundred million dol
lars. How much gold coin have we?
If you had every dollar dug up out
of the banks and taken out of the
hands of mOnopolists, and put into
pile, there would be little over six
hundred million dollars. Put all
the silver money in the United
States and all the gold money in the
United States here in onespile, and
what would it all make? A little
over twelve hundred million dollars.
Our drink bill for 1895 was more
than twelve hundred million dollars.
We can pick up the whole bulk of
our gold and silver coin, and chug
it into hole, and still the country
moves on, and Col Politics would
have us believe that If we shake the
financial question little the whole
country will go to pieces Yet, l
say, we can throw away every dol
lar of coin in the United States
every year for liquor, and Col.
Politics doesn't consider the ques-
tiOn worth discussing. Do you
know why? Because the brewers
and distillers of this country, into
whose hands this twelve hundred
million dollars go, have bought our
politicians like hogs are sold in the
market, and have stopped their
mouths, aud hushed their voices
but thank God there are some
mouths not yet on the market'
Applause.
Again, say, what is the matter
with the country, Col. Politics?
The answer comes back: 1.-THE
tariff question properly settled will
bring prosperity" Come with me
to the custom houses of America
and write down every import into
the United States at its ad valorem
value, to say nothing of tax
and the whole business will
not pay our liquor bill for one year
What is the matter with the coun
try, Col. Politics? The answer
comes back: "Settle the nationa
bank question properly, and we
shall have prosperity" l will go tt
the city of New Orleans and ge
every national bank in the city;
will go to New York and get every
national bank; to Boston and ge
every national bank; to Chicago
and get every national bank; to Sar
Francisco and get every nationa
bank; and will take every national
bank in the United States, not leav
ing out one, and pile them down il
one pile, every dollar of nationa
bank stock in the United States
and the whole business will not pay
our liquor bill for Que year. All tn,
national banks in the United State,
do not aggregate twelve hundred
millions of dollars. When few
banks break in New York and few
in Chicago and a few in New
Orleans, the whole country becomes
alarmed; /; yet we can throw our arm
around every national bank in the
> United States, and chug them int
the whisky hole, and still the couu
try lives. How can we live? Moth
ing but the almost infinite resour
ces of America could. have kept u
from starvation during the past
But at last drink has blocked up tn,
channels through which our resour
ces flow, and our wheat and flour ro
in the warehouses for want of mar
ket, and the women crying for bread
Applause. | make no apology TO
dealing in the economics of thi
question tonight. When my Saw
: iour, touched by the needs of tn
people, wrought miracles to ellevi
ate the pain and the suffering, ant
multiplied g loaves and fishes t,
feed the hungry, | make no apolog!
! for discussing the bread question
1 believe in practical ChristianitV
that carries Bible in one hand ant
a bread basket in the other.
What is pure and undefiled re
ligion? "Pure religion and unde
filed before God and the Father j
this, to visit the fatherless and wild
ows in their affliction, and to keel
himself unspoted from the world.
The way to visit the widow and tn
orphan is to come in time to help
Suppose as | pass down the stree
TO night, Brother Jones walking b,
my side, man should rush up AM
draw a keen-bladed knife and sta
me three or four times. After see
ing me fall on the street, Brothe
Jones runs up and says to me