The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1899-11-30
Intemperate Temperance.

young men being particularly notice
able, in response to the announcement
of temperance meeting to be held.
The pastor, Rev. G. B. Brecount, had
expended time and energy to make the
meeting a success, and so it was in
point of numbers. A splendid oppor-
tunity was offered for doing effective
work in cause of.the most vital i'm
portance. The fact that the meeting
was so largely attended would indi-
cate receptive condition on the part
of the community. And this appor-
tunity was worse than thrown away
and that through no fault of Mr..
Brecount. A travelling man named
| Wilton, representing a furniture
house in Minneapolis, had been invit-
ed, in good faith, to present the cause
of temperance from the stand point OF
TIE business man and he succeeded in
so completely disgusting his audience
that many entered their protest by
leaving the church. He opened his
TRADE by drawing a word picture OF
young man just engaging in business.
ruined financially, morally and eternal
ly by a travelling salesman who, in his
eagerness to sell him goods he did not
want, persuaded him to smoke cigar
which enevitably led him to a saloon
where glass of drugged liquor did
the work. In his stupor the man pur-
chased. goods which proved his ruin,
and he went from bad to worse bee ON
ing successfully liar. a thief and a
murderer. To strengthen this lurid
picture, he remarked, "and this is not
an imaginary case-it is the truth"
He then took occasion to say that he
would not abuse the saloon keepers
they were men destitute of brains, liars,
thieves and murderers, and cited a
number of the vilest of the vile in the
depths of the slums of Minneapolis,
calling them by name. He thencharged
that the president of the United States,
Mr.. Mckinley was viler than the vilest
of them, for at the Auditorium in
Chicago he had drank from the same
bottle with promoters of the liquor in
terest.
At this point number Of ladies and
gentlemen left the church. They would
not sit by and hear the president in
suited and maligned. Nor did he stop
with the president. The governors of
the several states, members of con-
gress, members of the legislature,
mayors and city councils were all
Jumped into bunch as enemies of So
ciety because they did not agree with
the speakers ideas, or lack of them, as
to the best method of suppressing
the drink evil. Members of all the
churches who voted anything but the
prohibition ticket are denounced as
hypocrites, and SO on to the evil.
He admitted that he was a foreigner,
but his wife was American born, and
everything would gofrom bad to worse
until the women were permitted to vote,
when their ballots would offset those
of the degraded foreigners and ignor-
ant Americans, who did not know
enough to mark ticket, but were
voted by designing schemers, who
marked their tickets for them. How
this could be drove under the Austral-
ian system he did not explain.
Be that as it may, this man Wilton
did the cause of temperance more harm
in Sank Centre in one half-hour than
he will be able to make amends for in
ten years. He violated more SCRIPTURE
al injunctions, and displayed more in
temperance in his talk than any man
who ever addressed a Sank Centre
audience. He not only insulted the
intelligence of his audience, but was
abusive of them collectively and indi-
vidually.
Prof. Webster of the Academy fol-
olwed him in a temperate, well-consid
cred address, in sharp contrast with
the preceding speaker.
Mr.. Brecount intended to follow Mr..
Webster, but it was evident his sense
Of propriety had been SO seriously
shaken that he decided to await more
suspicious occasion.
Let it be distinctly understood that
he is in no way responsible for the
utterance of Mr.. Wilton, nor is the
church of which he has charge. He
made an unfortunate selection, and the
HERALD knows that he feels it keenly.
J. G.. Lovaas has reftted his shop
and made it bright and attractive, and
made arrangement for shoeing horses.
Not being in the combine he has ar
ranged his own schedule OF prices, as
follows: for q new shoe, and setting,
forty cents: for resettinp an old shoe.