Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-05-22
THE MAYOR OF SAVANNAH.
Sam Jones Gives That Official a Six-
zling Roast.


cling Roast.
In opening q recent sermon at Sa-
yannah Sam Jones delivered himself
as follows:
my purpose tonight is to show that
He that pursueth evil pursueth 1t to
his own DEATH Sin Is not only a
wrong, it is a disease. If one persists
in drinking one becomes drunkard; If
one continues to lie, liar and every
where I've been, except Savannah, to
be a liar is a terrible thing. The trou-
BILE is men look on the act itself and
never see the reflex action on charac-
ter"
Mr.. Jones compared the effect Of sin,
persisted in, to the slow, but deadly
poison Of a serpent. IT don't need any
preacher or Bible" he said, "to con-
vince me that sin is the ruin Of men.
municipalities. Of states and Of coun-
tries. Right here in this town I can
horrible ravages Of sin. Whether 1t be
the millionaire or the bum he that sits
in the chief seat Of the synagogue. or
that grovels in a den. the ravages OF
sin will tell on him. Like the virus Of
the cancer which kills at last, the VI
rus Of sin is deadly.
"Again, he that pursueth evil not on
ly pursueth death, but pursueth death
to his conscience. but there are a
thousand men in Savannah tonight as
conscienceless as If dead and damned.
The trouble in this country today Is
that you have stabbed to death the
conscience of the individual, the num-
cipality, the state and the country.
You know that as a nation we have no
conscience. The national government
Is in league and co-partnership with
the Infamous liquor traffic, and both
the Republicans and the Democrats, If
they can but win by 1t are willing to
continue so. What do the damnable,
dirty politicians Of this town care If
every mothers son Is debauched, II
they can get into office and run their
little mills. If Savannah had as much
conscience as she has pride I'd have
some respect for her. And this want
Of conscience has crept into the city
churches, affecting deacons, and stew
ards and vestrymen, aye, In some cases
the very ministers Of God.
"The state Of Georgia as an organiz-
ed political and economic body has no
conscience; we levy blackmail from ev-
cry saloonkeeper to get money to send
our children to school. Why, I'd rath-
er my boy go to heaven sober, know
ing only his a, b, c's, than to go drunk
to hell and be able to read Greek.
Why, II ignorance barred men from
preferment you've got aldermen in this
town that couldn't be elected dog-pelt-
ers.
"I was born and raised Democrat
I lived and moved among Democrats;
but I've got to that point when think
that the highest demands Of patriotism
and loyalty are those that shield the
wife, protect the mother and send the
boys home sober. Yes, I've been with
the damned dirty, whisky-soaked, red
nosed Democrats. I've made speech
es for them and I've toted the torch
light in the procession till it burned my
fingers, and I've gone home drunk on
their Democratic liquor. And all the
time was making speeches, and they
were cheering me there was my sad
eyed wife at home. But bless God I've
quit it, and now they call me noun
tebank, a blackguard and a fool, but
thank God I'm sober and happy fool.
"You, in this town can have your po-
litical elections and buy your voters
as we buy mules in our country. But
If 1 were here and loved my home I'd
sooner commit suicide than see it. And
look at your preachers. When these pol
iticians want office they turn from
your preachers with contempt and say,
give us the gamblers and the saloon
keepers and We'll go into office You
know it. I'd as soon go to Alaska for
pineapples or to hell for water as to
Savannah for an honest politician.
They can send your children to hell
and yet say that If they had known Of
my work out here to save them they'd
refused me the use Of the place. Lis
ten! If were running soap factory
in hell and they hauled me the ca, cass