The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-09-07
lNGERSOLL ON THE LIQUOR EVIL.
It is "the Devils Best Friend and
Gods Worst Enemy"

1t is "the DeviPS Best rrlend ana
Gods Worst Enemy"
The following Is taken from a
speech delivered before jury by the
late Col. Robt. Ingersoll:
II am aware that there is a pre-
iudice against any man who manu-
features alcohol. believe that from
the time 1T issues from the coiled and
POISONOUS worm in the distillery
until it enters the jaws Of death, dis
honor and crime, it demoralizes
rybody that touches it, from its
source to where it ends. do not be-
lieve anybody can contemplate the
object without being prejudiceo
against the liquor crime.
"All we have to do, gentlemen, IL
to think of the wrecks on either
bank of the stream of death, of sui
cides, of the insanity, Of the ignor-
ance, of the restitution, OF the little
children Juggling at the faded and
withered breasts of weeping and
despairing mothers, of wives asking
for bread, of the men of genius it has
wrecked, the men struggling with
the imaginary serpents, produced by
this devllish thing; end when you
think of the jails, of the aims houses,
Of the asylums, of the prisoners, of
the scaffold upon either bank, L do
not wonder that every thoughtful
man is prejudiced against this
damning stuff called alcohol. In
temperance cuts down youth in its
strength, old age in its weakness.
1t breaks the fathers heart, bereaves
the doting mother, extinguishes
natural affection, grasses conjugal
love, blots out filial attachment,
blights parental hopes, brings down
mourning age in sorrow to the grave.
1t produces weakness, not strength ;
sickness, not health; death, not life.
1t makes wives widows; children
orphans; fathers fiends; and all of
them paupers and beggars. 1t feeds
rheumatism, invites cholera, imports
pestilence and embraces consump-
ton. 1t covers the land with idle
ness, misery and crime. 1t fills
your jails, supplies aims houses and
overruns your asylums. 1t engen-
ders controversies, fosters quarrels
and cherishes riots. It crowds your
penitentiaries and furnishes victims
for your scaffolds. 1t is the fire
blood Of the gambler, the element OF
the burglar, the prop of the high
wayman and support of the midnight
incendiary. 1t countenances the
liar, respects the thief, es:eems the
blasphemer. It violates obligations
reverences fraud aud honors intamy
1t defames benevolence, hates love
scorns virtue and ISLANDERS innocence
Ii incites the father to butcher his
helpless offspring, helps the husband
to massacre his wife and child and
grinds the paracidal ak. 1t burns
up men, consumes women, detests
life, curses God, desplses heaven. Ii
suborns witnesses, nurses perjury
defiles the jury box and stains Judi
cial ermine. 1t degrades the citizen
debases the legislator, dishonors the
statesmen and disarms the patriot
1t brings shame, not honor; misery
not safety despair, not hope misery
not happiness; with the malevolenc'
of fiend it calmly surveys its fright
full desolation aud unsatiated havoc
1t poisons felicity, kills peace, ruin
morals, blights confidence, slayi
reputation and wipes out nationa
honor, then curses the world ant
laughs at its ruin. Ii does all tina
ana more. 1t murders the soul. /
Is the sum of all villianies, tn,
father Of all crimes, the mother o
all denominations, the DEVILS hes
friend and Gods WORT enemy"
DOnt Tobseeo sou sss s--sks iosT IIfs Au.y.
To ouit tofareo easffv "A forever n. =.