The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-11

inventions, and during the last hundred
years more inventions have been made
than during all the previous history Of
the world. Wherever a small degree OF
civilization appears. American engineers,
| American surveyors and American mate
rial have gone. II was 10 our country that
the lightning was chained and sent across
mountains and under seas and IL was
here that the machine which preserves tho
human voice after the speaker has mould
cred to dust was evolved from the brain
OF the wizard Edison, and this same Edi-
son tells us that we are only beginning to
learn the uses and capabilities of cleo
tricty. Within~the last few years we
have shown our pruwess on the land and
| on the sea. but when all is considered this
Is not strange. We have had better op-
portunities than any other nation on
earth. We have been left to work out
our salvation without fear and trembling,
while other nations were harassed by op-
posing powers. Naturally, we have ac-
CURED touch OF the big head"
We have always mad the liquor traffic
with u.s. II Is as old as man Is and its eff
Feet is the same nov as Il was when Noah
took too much and became drunk--it takes
away manhood and womanhood and de-
priVes US OF our capabilities. We can re-
member when this traffic was regarded
only as great social evil. but we are
beginning to learn that all social cues
tons are moral questions, and that all
moral questions must become political
questions, and with our education on these
questions We have reached the point where
T. is not necessary tor one to be states
man TO discover that the most arrogant,
the most dominating and the most poton-
iial thir- in our National life Is thir
same liquor traffic.
Ours is a Nation of great municipalities
under misruie-with the possible cxcep-
ton of Houston. Chicago, for instance Is
representative city. II is sometimes re-
publican, sometimes democratic, hut al
ways "saloonocratic" The liduor traffic
is the dominating factor in primaries and
conventions, and IL has crept into the
courts Of justice We are not vet
great Nation of drunkards when compared
with some other nations, but time will
put MS in the lead in this respect unless
a change Is made. We did not develop
SLOWLY and we will not retrograde slowly;
1t is not our nature to do things slowly.
While we are not a Nation of drunkards
yet we are a Nation OF lawbreakers and
drunkard- makers. Almost the only laws
that are absolutely enforced are the prop
erty laws and laws concerning the safety
of society In certain respects. While the
man who kills his br,lher man will hardly
escape, yet we are constantly permitting
murder by the wholesaic-to be committed
by unsanitary conditions and the accuInu
lation of filth in our cities. The Sunday
law is dead letter. 1t is not strange
that we have an organization OF retail
clerks that is appealing 10 the employer
for one days rest out OF seven, when the
49, government encourages and enforces
violations of the Sunday law by compell
las postal clerks railroads and many
other persons and agencies to break the
Sabbath.
What is government, anyway? Lincoln
said ours was q government OF the peo-
pie, by the people and for tho people, but
1t is in reality government of the men
people, by the med people aud for the
men people. What is the ballot? 1t is ths
registering OF an opinion. l caner one
an opinion, but can not registertbe,r
IN our government thUn1rec, tho reyistrv
opinions while oIisners who can not even
. inuusnnus Hgue are allowed to thus reg
go p9rN .aeir OPT ions. These things show
% y We profane and desecrate the ballot.
We are all citizens but only the aduli
mal0 is sovereign, and the good bad aad
indifferent in legislation must COME bagk
10 him and lie at his door. The govern
ment is not in Washington, but it is
wherever the sovereign citizen stands with
the ballot in his hand.
do not admire saloons or saloon Keep
ers. but the saloon is always us good as
the local authorities that give 1t license;
these authorities are as good as the law
that maEes the license possible; that law is
as good as the Legislature. and tie leg.
islaturs j. ss good as the msl Mpo elect
its u.slnieia
For sixty years Sunday has been desc
eraiod by the government Il holding or
sessions of congress on that day Great
iritain Is ahead Of us ii this respect she
observes the Sunday law 1e 4. strlngs
thl; tn people follow the lead o! ths
eCNtrnn,ent fl the violation >, nc sun
lay law In Canada the SullaS avs arc
obeyed hui here no one exoers them TO
be kept Everybody knows tnet The a
100 arc kept oncn on Sunday; nobody
oNpeois them to close
Other nations are more drupkea thar wa
ara, Int ours Is the only natiUl tAlt hus
So, tie II aclinery of government 4. work
10 make diunkards
Mrs. Hoffman hare referred to the re-
peal oI the prohibition laws NJ Alaska
which We're n force when the United STATES
acquired that Territory when, as she said
all knew Il was almost equivalent to MUIR
denng the Indians of that country to al.
low the sale Of liquor among them This
repeal she said, was due to nothing else
but the power of the liquor traffic brought
10 bear on congress; the people mad rot
asked it--only the liquor dealers.
The speaker roundly So urd the United .
States government in reference TO the ran-
teen law, or rather for thu nullfcatlnl Of
the law passed by congress At the earnest
petition that went up from thousands OF
homes all over the land at the outbreak OF
the SpanishAmerican war Sne gave
history of the present cant-en law. stating
that under President fIarrison's admin
istration IL had been amended so thar Al
prchls derived from The sale OF liuuor TO
soldiers should go towards rfocuiing deli /
cacies for the mess cot fJ.;lish9d by thu
government. thus placing a 1ecmdn On
the drinking OF liquor by 'he soldiers This
was the law which was repealed on the
petition OF thousands Of mothers-and the
one intended to take its place WAS nulH-
fed by the decision OF A,to~ney General
Grggs
Mrs Hoffman ted a pathetic s DRY OF a
young soldier who had never tasted liquor.
lie came from Wisconsin, aull was sent 10
enc the coast camps No e was 30 be
iSund here eNcep IN he post ranleen and
thcte Eas no,A.ng cool 10 drink EXCEPT
beer. The Young man, who had always
been Of mild disposition, while under he
influence OF beer became engaged n
quarrl and Killed comrade He was sent
TO military prison for the remainder OF
10 h. :