The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-16
THELIQUOR PROBLEM
COMPIICATES ALL OTHERS, SAYS
REV. A. VI. WILLIAMS.
ARRESTS FOR DRUNKENNESS,
NO GROUNDS ON WHICH TO BASE
OPINION AS TO ITS PREVALENCE.

says MIR. Williams - POl1cemen
Turn Drunken Men Loose Many
Times-LOcaI Option in Many COun-
tries Is Not Observed, Contrary to
the Wish of VOters-SOuthern EN-
press Company Characterized As
One of Largest Liquor Dealers in
Country.
From the text, wine is a mocker,
strong drink is raging, and whosoever
is deceived thereby is not wise" Rev.
A. NJ. Williams preached a sermon last
night on intemperance and the ways
in which he says it complexities all the
questions of the day. Most of the great
questions which are at present occupy
ing the public were touched upon and
the effect of liquor on them was traced.
After calling attention to the fact
that the liquor problem is great be-
cause of it's intrenchment and its be-
bauchment of society, Rev. Mr.. Will
liams characterized it as the greatest
because it effects for evil all other prob
lens. In speaking of the question he
said.
1.-THE problem of individual success
has already been touched upon. How
many brilliant careers has it drown
ed! In the problem of the family, di-
vorce is the great and growing evil.
Read the grounds on which the plea
is based. large proportion of them
are for intemperance or laid at its
door. Abate intemperance and you de-
crease divorce.
Factor in Race Problem.
I'm the race problem there is no
more dangerous factor than drink. Re-
strain the liquor drinking propensities
of these people and you greatly clear
the whole question. While 1 do not
say that it would solve it, yet it would
greatly simplify it.
Its effect it also seen in the labor
problem. The greatest fear of serious
outbreak in a labor dispute is the open
saloon. In the great anthracite coal
the dangerous factor The danger to
just strikes is the wide-open saloon.
In the good government problem we
are going to do very little in perma-
nent municipal improvement until we
have eliminated the saloon. So it APP
pears in all the questions of the day,
dodge it as you will"
Plea for Total Abstinence.
In speaking of it's remedies Rev. Mr..
| Williams made an earnest plea for to-
toll abstinence on the part of all.
There must be personal total alb
stinence," he said. There can be no
/ II 1l,G, =
! man claims that any one is worse off
physically, mentally, morally, because
he has let liquor alone. Total alb
stinence is necessary. There is no
doubt that the moderate drinker is in
! danger of intemperance. l stand for
total abstinence everywhere.
'Of all the vices liquor drinking is
the most social. So society has a
| necessary place in overcoming this
evil. l use society here to mean man
in the aggregate. In two ways must
! this influence be exerted: In social
customs and in governmental admins
| tration.
Relative Drunkenness of Cities.
I'm recent discussions some asser-
tiOns have been made about the tenn
! perance value of open saloons One
grew out of the Augusta movement
for high license and other out of Tam
| many NAClOIy III new OIk- DUH
| statements made a strike at Atlanta.
They declared there was more drunken
ness in Atlanta than in Savannah.
Il am sorry that any such assertion
has been made for it puts a man in
the attitude of attacking his own town.
But there is no logic in the claim.
It's authors know it if they under
stand debate. 1t is merely an assertion
made to please the saloon element
and mislead the thoughtless. I ask for
proof, but it cannot be proven. There
are no reliable facts on which to base
d decision.
Our assertors base their claim on
the number of arrests for drunken
ness in the two cities Let us look
at the facts. They claim that there
are two and one-half as many arrests
for drunkenness in Atlanta as in Sa-
Vannah. Taking that as correct, we
must remember that Atlanta has twice
the permanent and at least five times
the transient population that Savan-
nah has.
Again, which city is the more rigid
in making arrests. 1 do not know how
they manage in Atlanta but 1 do know
the policy here is to allow the drunk
ard great freedom. Drunkards are not
arrested here as long as they can stand
up or sleep sound. | live in q square
where l see much of this evil. / have
known men TO De drunk, policemen
to talk with them, to turn them loose,
to do even indecent things. So ar
rests for, drunkenness furnish no
ground for opinion.
Hit at Express Company.
In treating of the local option and
its misuse in many places, Mr. Williams
said:
The Council of Moultrie passes an
ordinance prohibiting the Southern Ex-
press Company to deliver jugs there.
And by the way, the Southern Ex-
press Company is one of the largest
liquor dealers in the land How do
the local option papers treat the sub
ject? l will give a quarter, the size of
my pile, for any editorial in a whisky
country that makes the point. The
express company ignores the will of
the voters and our ardent local on
ton papers stand by the express COM
panY."
In closing, Rev. Mr.. Williams said
the question will finally be taken up
by one of the great national parties.
that it will be tested and tried. and
the fight will be pushed until right
prevails.
Burnetts Vanilla Extract has ont