The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1905-06-29


ticians, merchants, physicians, and
men in all professions were formerly
to be found among those who were
given to hard drinking than is now
the case. The frequency Of it made
it socially respectable. and one's
standing in his profession was not
seriously injured by the fact being
known that he drank to excess. But
now 1t is very different. Clergymen
given to drunkenness are not tolera-
ted IN any Church. A lawyer that Is
known to get drunk finds it difficult,
if not impossible, to retain his clients.
The politician who is known to get
DRINK, even though nominated by the
party in power, is likely to be de-
feated by sober and upright candid
ate belonging to the party in the mi
nority. The drinking merchant is
forsaken of his patrons; and as to a
drinking physician, people will not,
except under great stress and danger,
risk the health and life of themselves
and members of their families in any
such hands. Worldly wisdom is in
deed beginning to see, as never before,
that intempeIance does not pay, and
that drunkenness means defeat and
death, to every personal and profess
ional aspiration in life. Railroads
are finding by experience that if their
employees engineers, conductors,
train dispatchers, brakemen, are al
lowed to drink Intoxicating liquors,
accidents are frequent, and wrecks,
involving the loss of many lives and
millions of dollars, with interminable
lawsuits, are the inevitable conse-
quence. The result is that railroads
now demand total abstinence from all
intoxicating drinks on the part of all
employees. Banks and other moneyed
corporations have found it necessary
to adopt the same rule. To protect
its own interests and to hold the con-
fidence of the public in the manage
ment Of it's business so that men Of
large means shall be willing to de-
posit their money in 1t, every bank
finds it necessary to demand total alb
stinence of all it's officers and employ
ees. This phase of the prohibition
movement has spread rapidly into all
lines of business. 1t is primarily a
matter of business pure and simple.
1t is policy dictated by worldly
wisdom. and in many cases has no
higher inspiration. But it should be
considered very fortunate circum-
stance that worldly wisdom and the
commercial and financial interests of
men OF business are coming to aid the
advocates Of temperance and prohibi-
tioL in accomplishing the results for
which they are working. AS long as
the cause of temperance and prohibit
tion is championed only by preachers
and ecclesiastics and Churchmen on
purely moral and religious grounds,
its progress will be slow, no matter
how righteous the cause may be. The
world is coming to see that in the
matter of temperance Christian NOR
ality is, otter all, the best and highest
worldly wisdom; and sooner or later,
as civilization advances, the world is
bound to discover that not in tenn
perance alone, but in all the wide
realm Of conduct and character,
Christian morality is necessary to Sc
cure the highest commercial success.
The two great political parties are fal
from favoring prohibition, as a purely
moral question; but whenever either
one Of them finds it necessary to its
success at the polls that it commit
itself against the open saloon and ir
favor of prohibition, it is quite ready
to do so. The sentiment in favor o1
total abstinence for the individual
and prohibition for the state and
nation is growing SO rapidly that il
is not at all conformity to actual facts
to say that temperance people are
coming to hold in their hands the
balance Of power at the polls; an6
this sentiment no political party darel
seriously and openly to offend, except
at the peril of it's own defeat. Fol
many years past, the presidential
office in the Uuited States has been
filled by men whose character and
conduct have strengthened greatly the
growing Christian sentiment in favor
Of temperance and prohibition, and
this we say in spite of the fact that
they may not all have been total alb.
stainers and none Of them personal
advocates Of prohibition. Compare,
in this matter Of temperance, the
personal and official life of the lasl
half dozen Presidents with some whe
filled this high Office in our earlier
history, and there is much to en-
courage the friends and advocates o1
temperance and prohibition. There