The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-15
DUTIES OF GOOD CITIZENS
C. E. LEADEn DELIVERS TEN
PERANCE ADDRESS.
Rev. o. w. Stewart of Illinois the
Speaker at the Endeavor Mass
meeting-Saloon Evil Denounced.

large audience assembled in the First
| Congregational church last evening. the
occasion being a mass-meeting of the
Christian Endeavor societies of the citv
After a few appropriate remarks by
Harry n. Tolles, president of the Utah
Christian Endeavor union. PRAYER bV
Rev. William Fl. Bagley and a beautiful
solo, Come TO the Land of Rest" by
Mrs. e. ]. Jolly. Rev. o. w. Stewart of
Illinois was introduced and delivered a
radical address on Good Citizenship
The speaker jumped at once into the
subject by saying that national sins are
punished by national calamity. The pun
ishment cannot be escaped There is no
future life for a nation. and history is
but the cemetery of nations. This nation
is not responsible for the liar the thief
or the murderer, because they sin in vio-
lation of the law. 1t is responsible for
the saloon. because ii legalizes il and Is
in completely with it. 1t was in compli-
city with slavery and suffered for it. 1t
will suffer for its partnership in the sa-
loon business
The saloon Mr.. Stewart considered an
evil. because each year s.. 900. 900 600 is
drawn from industry to pass over the
bar. There are 100000 saloonkeepers. and
merchants are cheated that the saloon
keeper may be paid The tails aims
houses and asylums are filed that the
farmer may find market for ! per cent
of his corn TO be made into whisky Last
ing prosperity can never come to this
nation till this curse is abated Ii is
condemned at the bar of public opinion.
1t has many defenders but no defense.
The saloon exists only by the consent
of the government. and the people are
the government. Therefore. this Chris
tan nation stands before God condemned
for this evil. There is but one connect
ing link between the church and the sa-
loon-the politician who has faith in ore
and serves the other. If the Christian
points to our churches and schools as evil
dence that this is a Christian nation. the
infiGel can point to the saloons breWeries
and distilleries to support his argument.
The speaker then ridiculed the restric
lions placed about the saloons. To close
them at II o'clock means that a drunk
before that hour Is right; after il. wrong
Sunday closing means no other drunk
will hurt man but a Sunday drunk. 1t
would be far better to sell to habitual
drunkards and send them TO perdition as
quickly as possible than to sell to young
men who have not yet started. The sa-
loon is tolerated because We get revenue
from it. 1t is on the throne of power;
it bosses the boss. and the church is in
the political ash heap.
The speaker then fastened the re-
sponsibility on the individual. Better to
than one sanctioned by the government
Prayer meetings are all right. but their
records are not kept by the government
The remedy is in the ballot-boX. Vote
right. You may. lose the election but
you'll save your soul. He was looking for
a fight He would use any party, or
build a new party. and if ne had no
party he would fight alone. He had been
fighting for thirteen years; he did not
know that he had closed a saloon in all
that time: he had won no victories. but
he proposed to fight to the end. "They
never fail who die in noble cause
Mr.: Stewart is an earnest pleasant |
speaker and held his audience as in a |
grip of steel. The meeting closed with |
the singing OF America by the large |