The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1903-01-20
Big Meeting Last Night
to Begin a
Fight
WHISKEY TRAFFIC
Addresses Made by the Rev. Dr.
tor j. a. Oates, of F~ayettevIli.,
Against the Liquor business in
Wilmington An A~nti-SaIoon
League organized

The forces in Wilmington opposed to
the liquor traffce a few days ago in
yited the Rev. A. ]. Mckelway. D. D.,
editor OF the Presbyterian Standard. Of
Charlotte. and Editor j. A. Oates. of
the North Carolina Baptist, of Fayette-
Vile, to come here to address n mass
meeting of citizens with a view to or
ganizing a chaptr of the Anti-SaloOn
League of North Carolina. DR.. Nc
kelWay is chairman of the executive
committee of the league and Mr.. Oates
IS its corresponding secretary.
The gentlemen named accepted the
invitation to speak here and in the
past few days newspaper notices have
been published and hundreds of postal
cards have been sent out inviting the
citizens of Wilmington to a mass
meeting at the Y. NJ. c. A. auditorium
last night at S o'clock. In response TO
the notice. at least four hundred men
assembled at the auditorium, me the
meeting was one of the largest that
eve gathered here on any question.
La VI liz SdlOOIl IlIch dIICilOCu. III
no doubt many citizens attended out
of curiosity to see what was TO be done,
but there were man, there in dead
earnest for a fight against the liquor
saloon.
The Rev. John n. Cole. who was Sc
lected by the movers IN the matter
several days ago, presided. and on the
rostrum with him were the Rev. Calvin
S. Blackwell, D.. D., and the two speak
erS.
The meeting opened with an earnest
prayer by DR.. Blackwell, after which
the Rev. Mr.. Cole announced that DR..
Mckelway and Mr.. Oates were present
to make speeches. He then introduced
DR.. NcKelway.
DIR. McKELWAY'S ADDRESS.
Dr. Mckelway arose amid hearty APP
pIauSe, and announced that he would
take for his subject, Government bv
the People or Government by the Sa-
loom After a few words of introduc-
ton, DR.. McKelWay said:
Il am not enirely ignorant of your
history and in its perspective three
notable events stand out in bold relief.
Ihey all have to do with government,
with government by the people. and
SO IL seems to me hat l cOuld not dis
cuss the saloon and its evils in anv
way that would more appeal TO you
than its relation to overnmen
come to you tonight with a question.
How long halt ye between two opin-
ions? | can not call down fire from
HEAVIER as did the prophet of old. But
we have come also to the parting of
the ways. This is our Mount Carmel
from which We a see two rival king
doms. And | put this question to YOU
men Of the Cape Fear. vii you choose
government by the people or govern
ment by the saloon? For that is the
issue hencefOrth. 1t will have TO be
settled some time. Government by the
people or government by the saloon.
Control of the saloon by the people or
control of the people by the saloon.
i say there are three episodes of
your honorable history tina have
strongly appealed TO every one who
loves liberty n hates license. wheth-
er the license be that taken by tyranny
or assumed by those unfit for liberty.
In January 1856 Colonel John Ashe Of
New Hanover and Colonel Hugh Wad-
dell of Brunswick notified the cOmman-
der Of the slOOp of war Diligence that
he could not land the packages of
stamps for the enforcement of the obi
Gus stamp act. Let us remember that
they diG not nave to disguise them
selves as Indians as our Boston friends
did when they celebrated the Boston
tCd- VII IIlc IpliO"l llS udN IleN IildGtI-
ed with a great of the-min
YOU to the residence of Governor
TryOn, himself Il brave man, and the
demonstration resulted in the govern
or'S assent, through his stamp-maSter.
tina the duties of the Stamp-maSter's
office would never be performed.
L shsll never forget the thrill which
1 heard Of the Wilmington revolution.
I thought that I saw then VIVA it
would moon tho DnCar1n ~ Tho Crnfo
from the threat OF African rule over
An~E!o-SaxOn, the sudden awakening
of the south to the impOssibility OF
that thing. l even hoped that the
northern mOulders of public opinion
would see that im~possibilitv. In trust
that ! may say without unbeComing
egotism that I tried to help some in
that last direction. One letter mons
Others setting forth the facts Of the
case what you have endured and
what You have achieved. gave rise to
an epigram from one of our metropoli-
tan editors There is a race of rulers
on this continent and it did not come
from Africa"
And 1 am here to tell you of anoth-
er conflict for which these others have
prepared the way
DR.. Mckelway then went on to say
that the issue lac been raised in Will
mington against the saloon. He said
the first time an attempt was made to
buy the people of Wilmington by
liquor. was q month after the stamp
act incident when Governor TryOn.
seeking 20 plaCate the people. gave a
barbecue and invited the people. He
roasted an OK. knocked in the heads of
beer casks and invited the people to
the feast. They went but they took
the OK by the horns n threw ii into
the river and emptied the beer on the
sand. (Applause.) He then went on
30 speak of the evils of the saloon and
said:
but the issue has been raised. The
Eubicon he's been crossed. The at
tempt has been made and it failed. TO
ar1 9 little to the ridiculously low
l.cav~p tax here. That called atten-
tiCI % the fact that Wilmington is
hlo~~.' with come three-score or More
sIi-.,r-. That does not look Well.
Wair ton as represented by It's
brains and conscience and morality is
2 littIa ashamed of the record. When