The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-08-15
PUBLICANs AT MUNCIE.
Elect Officers and Their President As
sails the Nicholson LAW.

Special to the indianapolis Journal.
MUNCIE, Ind, Aug. 1.-THE first annual
meeting OF the knights of Fidelity closed
this afternoon with the selection of Logans-
port as the next place of meeting and the
election of the following officers: Grand
valiant commander, Stephen H~annigan,
Lafayette; lieutenant commander. John
GoodaI, Seymour: recorder, John Agnew,
Indianapolis; grand treasurer, Philip Zaff,
Indianapolis; grand orator. James Kelley,
Evansville; master of ceremonies, II. F.
Vice, Anderson: captain of the guard, w.
II. Blessemier, Laporte; grand tyler, Erhart
Kettner. Muncie: trustees. Sherman Crol-
ley. Muncie: II. K. Wortz, Alexandria; p. j.
Farr, Logansport. This afternoon there was
a trolley car ride over the city, and the
delegates were given an excursion 10 An
derson this evening. The order is a new
one, organized from the ruins of the
knights of the Royal Arch, which was re-
Gently di~sorganized in Cincinnati. In his
address to-day before the convention Com
mander Joseph III. Schaub said in part:
Civilization has taught that 1t is no
crime TO sell wine. beer or whisky. The
law holds 1t a legal traffic. Yet we are
branded by a large class or the community
as lawbreakers and desperadoes. Our
children are scorned at the public schools.
Our wives are ostraciZed from society, and
we are looked upon as a set or thieves ana
knaves. What has caused this uneven state
of affairs in the social world, relating TO
the saloon man, the largest taxpayer In
the country?
my brother knights, the saloon man
himself Is largely to blame. 1t Is not an
impossibility as you have seen and know;
TO take a brave, high-spirited child and
punish it until it is cowed. Such is largely
the case with the liquor man. He has been
cowed by malicious prosecutors, brought
about by the temperance agitatcr. who,
under the guise of religion and for the al
legged good and welfare or the community,
has stepped into the forum of public opin-
ion, aided by the legislative crank. the
feminine ~lunatic, the hypocritical citizen,
the bieamist preacher and the subsidized
press. To such an extent has the onslaught
been successful that to-day the saloon man
is afraid to say, In many places, that his
life is his own or that he is In the bust
ness. In the face of these palpable and
appalling facts, gentlemen, what is the
remedy? How and when can you place
your children upon equal footing with your
neighbor bankers children? When can
your wife meet in the social circle with the
dry-goods mans wife? When and how can
you. as a saloon man, stand on equal foot
I'm the eyes OF the business world?
There is but one remedy: break down
these false and damnable barriers against
yourself and your families. Come out in
your petty jealousies, band yourselves to-
gether as Intelligent men, patronize your
friends and boycott your enemies, support
the newspapers that support you, stand by
your brother knights as one man; organ
lie. solicit your friends to join your To-
Gals; elevate your business and hold your
head up. In fine. be a man. and don't be
afraid to assert your manhood.
There are in Indiana In round numbers
about 100 licensed saloons. Imagine, for
one minute. what a power this army of
business men could be. were they united
In all interests, as We are united here to-
day. They are all voters, necessarily must
be so, before they are permitted to pay
their money for the privilege OF retailing
liquor, and there are not less than 20.Ob
other business men In the State who are
directly interested in selling the licensed
saloon man his goods. Add these together
and you have 1880 voters. who six years
ago lay supine and permitted the passage
OF the Infamous Nicholson bill, through the
provisions OF which the retail saloon man
has been robbed Of millions of dollars, at
the behest of solicitation of a few black
mailers and rogues, under the guise of
temperance reform"