The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1899-03-09
INGERSOL ON ALCOHOL.

INGERSOL ON ALCOHOL.
Col. Robert e.. Ingersol, in ad-
dressing a jury in n case which IN
yolved the manufacture of alcohol,
made the. following terrible arraign-
mept of the demon:
IL am aware that there is q preju.
dice against any man who manu-
features alcohol. / believe that
from the time it issues from the
coiled and poisonous worm in the
disrillery until it empties into the
Jaws OF death, dishonor and crime,
That it demorallzes everybody that
touches it, from its source to where
it ends. | do not believe anybody
can contemplate the Object without
being prejudced against the liquor
crime. All we have to do, gentle-
men, is to think of the wrecks on
either bank of death, Of the suicides,
of the insanity, of the 'ltlle chill
dren Juggling AT the jaded and with
cred breasts OF weeping and DIS
pairing mothers, Of wives asking
for bread, of the men Of genus II
has wrecked, of the men s,rugg ling
with the Imaginary serpents pro-
ducpd by the devilish thing; and
when you think of the jails, the
almshouses, OF the asvlums, Of the
scaffolds upon either bank, do not
wonder tina. every thoughtful man
ia prejudiced against this b'iehting
stuff called aicohol. Intemperance
cuts down youth 10 its vigor, man"
hood in its strength, old age IN its
weakness. |, breaks the fathers
hearts, bereaves the dotinG morLers,
extinguishes natural affection,
grasses conjugal love, blots out fill
ial attachment, bl;ghts parental
hope, brings down mourning age in
sorrow to the grave. 1t produces
weakness. not strength, sickness,
not health, death. not life. ] makes
wives widows, children orphans,
fathers fiends, and all OF them pau
pers and beegars. 1t feeds Theu-
rnatism, ihvitps cholera, imports
pestilence and embraces consump-
ton. 1t covers the land with idle-
ness, misery, crime, Ii fills your
jails, supplies your alm>housrs and
Grams your asylums. Il engeDders
controversies, fosters quarrrls and
cherishes riots. It crowds Your
penit-ntiarIes aud furnishes victims
for your sc4ffolds, II Is the life
blood of the gambler, the incentive
Vt the burglar, the prop Of the
high way the support OF the
midnight inceudiary. 1t counte-
nauces the liar, respects the thief,
esteems the biasphemer. II vio-
lates obligations. reverences fraud
and honors ihfamy. 1t defames
benevolence, hates love. scOrns
virtue and SANDERS Innocence. II
incites the father to butcher his
helpless offspring, helps the hnse
band to mas acre his wife and the
child to grind the paracidal axe. 1t
burns men consumes women, de.
tests lie, curses God. despises
heaven. 1t suhorns witnesses,
nurses perjury. defiles the jury box
and stains the Judicial ermine. 1t
degrades the citizen, debsses the
legislator, dishonors the statesman
and disarms the patriot. 1t brings
shame, not honor; terror, not safety;
dispair, not hope; misery. not hap
pness, and with the malevolence of
fend it calmly surveys its fright.
ful desolation and unsatiated havoc.
1t poisons felicity, kills peace, ruins
morals, blights confidence, slays
reputation and wipes out national
honor, then curses the world and
laughs at its ruin. 1t does all that
and more. 1t murders the soul.
1t is the sum of all vlanies, the
the father of all crimes, the mother
of all denominations, the devils best
friend and Gods worst enemy.