The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1899-02-17
w. C. U. COLUMN
CONDUCTED BY MRS. NJ. L. HOBBS.
A COWARDLY SURRENDER.
For Fear OF the Brewers Vote McKin.
ley Dared Not Act.


In his comments in the old Voice
John q. Wooley put some truths
very strongly and in his own orig
inal way. Writing on the evil OF
the beer canteen in the army, which
he styles "a great hairy-legged tar
antula appearing in camp to suck
the blood Of the boys in blue" Mr..
Woolley continues.
"a gallant lot the boys were WHO
went to war with Spain, but very
young. An army of lads, smooth
faced, clear eyed, clean.limbed, and
agile as red deer, and needless OF
danger as if they had never heard
of such a thing. Too young, too
brave; but they would not be re-
strained, and their mothers would
not say them nay, for there was
duty in it, and honor, and glory.
God help them,
Not all were strong; there were
weak ones-weak by their very
youth, and their affections and their
lack Of ballast; honesick, ardent,
free for the first time in strange
new world.
some, the canteen killed, out oi
hand. Some, it robbed OF vlrllity,
and handed over limp and unresist
ing to the yellow fever. Some, il
trepanned and sent away-empty
brain pans mounted on spine and
legs, destitute of everything but the
brute instinct to 90 home impotent
non compos, paranolc, revoi.lng,
monstrous.
The canteen represented the sa-
loon at its deadliest and at its trans
parentes'. And thus at last, and
for the first time in Temperance
history, the saloon was seen in full
light unscreened- untiowered -
unmusiced-bare and wide open !;
motive-working- product epito-
mized, shown ep, demonstrated an
accursed thing.
And for the first time was caught,
away from cover, alone, cut off fr I'm
party Businesses and Christian land
lords, and crooked" committees,
and timid bishops-untrenched at
last by any power or even prejudice.
Servile, crouching, bloody, hideous,
at bay-done for, all but the coup
de grace.
One quick blow now, and it would
die the death; one thrust now, and
il would bite the dust; no question
Of method" now! no meeting of
tn board of trustees! no caucus J
no weather cooking to get to lee
ward of public sentiment No.
even any Legislation was required.
One man, Christian, was com
mander-in-chief of the army, and
himself the law and method" and
the right hand Of the national pow
er. Omnipotent, by the conjunc-
ton Of great opportunities, great
perils, great entnusiasms, and all
the voted confidence of unanimous
Congress.
"The peoples President !" Nom
mated and elected by the masses
despite the bosses-when cloud
burst of patriotism strewed the cam
paign with disrupted parties, and
he people made a line and fought
,ut, nobly and honorably, differ
snce Of opinion. This man OF colos-
,al incentive was "in at the death. y
His own little boy lay snug and
luiet in the graveyard years ago;
but he had fathers heart and he
owed the people; and now he stood
over the peoples murderer, slob-I
,ering brains and blood, and ours
ng God and man.
Ave! Curse to the last, you foul
'raud, as you have always cursed
Drule, gnash your teeth, snarl,
,trikel But you are done. The
peoples President has you at his
lager point, and the whole civiliz-
ID world turns the thumb down. If
here is nothing worse you will be
n hell before "tattoo /"
But the great man hesitated. The
people were stupiied-even the sa-
oon seemed surprised. Petitions
by carloads began to pour in to the
White House, begging the good man
10 do right, begging the brave man
not to be coward. Mothers wrote
tear. stained letters, saying; 81
have given you my boy-my only
baby, for the sake of lib