The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-29


he said when he came i'll, late in the
evening: Il have never seen such "a
day. We thought we were celebrat-
ing Il temperance victory in our town,
but the liquor sellers have turned the
tables upon us and are gloating over
our failure
"Failure!" said l with sureprise, for
/ thought ! had surely made first
class Fourth of July temperance
speech, which had been applauded
most Justify Failure! Brother,
what do YOU mean
II mean,'' said he, that nearly
everybody is drunk, church members
many fights. | have been trying all
this evening TO auell the tumult ana
restore order, and hope l have at last
succeeded"
How came everybody to get
drunk ?" / asked.
THAT lemonade-that free treat
those liquor sellers gave, was about
half whiskey. That lemonade was the
cause of all their noise while you were
speaking. and the ugly conduct at the
table. We have had terrible day..
And / suppose said !. those IL
quor men have had their revenge
Yes: that's about the size of it." he
answered.
thought then, and still think, those
their spite was against Jackson. who
was mainly instrumental in stopping
them from selling. it was coWardly IN
them to try to injure the unoffendinS
by making fathers. husbands and sons
and even women drunk But. the IL
QuOr traffic never cared who were
made to suffer by it. There may DE,
and doubtless are, men engaged in
the business who are big-hearted. AND
who. deep down in their hearts, de-
spise the business: but. for the sake
of the money they hope to get out OF
| il. they quiet the appeals which con-
science, ever, and anon, makes III
behalf of those unfortunate ones who
are made to suffer by their methods Of
gaining riches. They know it is wrong
to make men drunk, to make homes
wretched, children orphans. and men
murderers and fit souls for hell. and
| they shudder at the thought of dying
| in that business. They intend to get
! ont of the business before they die;
no man wants to go to judgment from
/ Il distillery or a bar-room.
/ Many years ago, a bar-keeper OF
| this city made profession of religion.
and to the preacher he said Il will
give up my business for unless | do
| it will ruin me- The preacher ap-
plauded his good intention, and eX-
! pected TO find the bar closed at once.
But, the unfortunate man was per
suaded by some of his liquor friends
| not to give up his business: quit drink
| ing himself and go on selling to others
as usual; that would be doing enough
| to be Il Christian. The preacher adj
vised him to close out at once-that r
he continued to deal in liquor. know
/ ing his own weakness. it would be
at the peril of his soul. He SAID u
the preacher: Il will decide the mat
ter and let you hear from me next
sunday at church. But he peVeP
went TO church any more. During that
! week he began to drink again. and
| from then on for several weeks. he
continued to sell and to drink. One
night he did not go home. His family
We're alarmed yet had no doubt but
what he would come to breakfast. He
! did not; and when some one went to
! look for him he was lying dead near
! whiskey barrel. The preachers pro-
J phecy was true. 1t was at the peril
of his soul. That man had made
! money. and could have poured out
every dron of liquor and not have felt
Il loss: but. in trying TO sell out ana
save his liquor he lost his soul:
Nobody has come in and given me
those ten bales OF cotton, although. as
/ / see it, that's about the only way
| to raise the prce-giYe all of us who
/
| bales, which we will agree to hide out.
and keep out of sight. That will re-
duce the crop to the point of restoring
! the price To nine or ten cents. After
the bulk lis sold for n good price,
| why then we could bring out our two
millions of bales and take what we
could get for il,
! No, no one has come to deliver any
cotton. but ex-senator +. y. Whitaker
came in the other day and took dinner
/ with us. as the soldiers used to do
| in camp. when the boys would call
cut to each other: Say. felers,
bring your rations over and take din
ner with us That's what the ex
Senator dd-brought the rations
along, and they were just the kind OF
Nations we town folks can't get. /
don't know how or why 1t was he
happened to think of us, and happen
ed to bring us the very things we all
| love. | can understand why he filled
, his basket He knows that it runs i'll
the family to be hearty. and. so re-
membering. while he was packing that
basket with sausage. souse, liver-pud-
ding, gatherings and cracklings. / e>
pect he said to himself: 81 guess q
better put in a little more" And 50
he did, and filled the basket; conse-
qucntly for several days we lived just
like other country folks. Had sausage
and cracking bread for breakfast this
morning, and souse for dinner. and
could shut my eyes and imagine IsWas
in the country With a smoke house
full of meat. corn in the crib and
hogs enough for next year, and j felt
just as good while the vision lasted as
if il had been real.
After so long a time / am assured
by the printers that they are ready to
print my book, and SO. before the
spring flowers have all bloomed.
"Whitaker's "reminiscences book
the author never Intended to write
will be out looking as fresh as the
other flowers of the season. II any
body else wishes a copy let him write
lat once and say so and he shall have il.
II. H. WHITAKER.
Its good thing to have high ideals
but there's no sense IN Keeping your
bread in balloon.
IT -