The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1907-09-18


had not / had this engagement TO
speak to you, here tonight. The very
| idea of you gOSd people thinking Tor
a moment that you can induce capt.
! talists and others To come! to your city
and help build it up when you have
three of the dirtiest saloons to greet
the eye the first thing. You are crazy
if you think you can induce capital
! to come here under these conditions.
The Opportunity.
! You surely have a most marvellous
city here. l stood on the wharves this
afternoon and gazed out on your beau
| tiful harbor, with its busy shipping,
and thought of the great opportunity
| lying before yo1 to make this the
most important trading port on the
coast, and of the wonderful develop
ment which will be possible when your
share of the Panama canal trade shall
come in. Now what is lacking to bring
! this increase in trade? Nothing on
earth but the abolition of the open sa-
loon.
Gentlemen, would sooner suffer
my right arm to be cut off than to
! bring my beloved wife and dear chil-
dren Il have four boyS) to your city
to live under conditions as they ak
list today. l would never permit them
to walk down Palafox street through
such scenes as occur every day in the
week on that thoroughfare. You talk
of your progressive city and the pow
err of the saloon to make it so. The
average man looks to the happiness
of his wife and home with infinite
greater power than he does to the SIM
pie welfare of a city. How the vision
of man can ever become so distorted
as to believe that men of wealth will
come to a town that has more mean,
dirty liquor shops in il than any other
town of like size in the United States
is more than can see.
Clean the City.
q tell you, men, if you would only
clean the city-clean it, 1 say-you
would have an influx of wealth and
desirable citizens that would surprise
you. A wealthy man of your city
told me this morning that if prohibi-
ton did not carry in Pensacola next
month he would remove his family and
business interests from the city, as
he loves his home and family too
much to endaRger them in a wet COM
munity.
cat this point Mr. Wright pardoned
himself to the ladies of the audience,
as he removed his coat and got down
to action. His act was greeted with
long applause of approval)
You all know that Chicago is
known as the city of crime. There are
more liquor shops in that city than
in the entire south today, and what is
the result? Three wards of that city
are in such a state of terror that no
woman or strange man can travel
through them with impunity There
are 5000 saloons in Chicago, and the
profit of these saloons in one year
amounts to one hundred million dol
lars.
You probably know that a few
years ago graft was rampant in San
Francisco No honest man could go
into business there, for the liquor ele-
ment predominated and interests OPP
posed to them were quickly uue1led
Watch Alabama.
Il hear that some of the liquor men
of the town are saying that you can
get all the liquors you want by send
ing to Alabama for il. No you won't. |
Governor Conner has practically de-
cided to call a special session of the
legislature in December, and at that
time the saloon will be driven from
the state. Tennessee will soon vote
get your liquor from Chattanooga.
Two-thirds of the parishes in Louisi- |
ana have voted for prohibition, and
the time is coming when that state |
will be dry.
But the Beginning.
Men and women, declare that I |
never fought for anything as I did for |
prohibition in Georgia. And that night !
On which our victory was declared, as !
L stood in front of the Grady nonu- |
ment in Atlanta before 10000 people, |
1 declared then that the entering
wedge had just been driven, and that |
the prohibition wave would continue |
TO sweep over the south. And it has |
Some of you liquor men think that the
law is goinkg to be evaded in Georgia. |
by the club license clause. If YOU |
think so, just come over and try it. !
and the courts will have you cracking |
rocks for change. The false report !
OF the club license phase of the cues /
ton was falsely started by the LIQUOR
dealers of the state, and I am conf
dent no liquor will be sold in saloon
or club or anywhere else after the |
first OF January
"Pittsburg, New York, Atlanta and
practically every large city has at
'oAC LILLY III It's AISLOTy gone through
a carnival of crime as the result of |
the liquor curse. And let me tell you
that If you don't take whiskey out of |
Pensacola you will some day have T
some such trouble in your city. Bust
ness men, during these caruivals of
crime, frequently have their property
confiscated, entailing great financial
loss. How many of the business men
OF your city, many of whom declare
they are for the open saloon, would
care to have their property ruined and
homes bhghted by a riot or other evil
eence Of the results Of infiamed minds
caused by over indulgence in drink?
How many of the business men who
are against prohibition, will employ a
clerk who comes to work with the
odor of whiskey about his person? No
good business man will monkey with