The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1908-12-30
The TEMPERANCE PROPAGANDA
CONCERTED ATTACK ON DRINK
WINNING ALL ALONG LINE.
United States Senator Clay Gives
Best Method to Use in Acquaint-
ing the Younger Generation
With the Dangers of the Saloon.

hC "a ahS eAOoA
In speaking Of the best methods to
employ to mako the younger gener-
alton fully acquainted with the dan
gers of the saloon, Senator Clay, of
Georgia, recently said:
1.-THE schools and the churches have
a great responsibility in this matter.
I regret that the Church is so open
to criticism on this question. The.
saloon influence is so destructive, uni
versal and insistent, it undoes 30
much of what the Church tries to do
that it is little short of marvellous
to me that she is not more outspoken
against the saloon, The schools are
doing far more than in the past, but
not so much as they might. The -pu-
pills should be drilled necessarily in
the knowledge of the effects Of az
cohol on the human system.
Another important and sadly ne-
elected work of the churches and our
schools is the teaching Of the power
of a clean ballot. The people andstbee
youth should be taught that the ballot
Is put into the hands of the. Citizen
for the making Of clean, honest!A State,
city and national government; that
bad government, corruption in poll
tics, is an impossibility, if the clean
citizens Of this country will use their
ballots as they should. I
Viewed in the light of this ne
glect, the corruption Of our body pgI-;
itic to-day lies at the door Of good
church-going citizens, because, being'
in the majority, by the proper use 0f;
the ballot, they could remove the
guilty, grating politicians.
"Any minister or teacher who fails
to teach this continually Is lament
ably derelict in his duty.
EST Is a de%plorable fact that the in
situations of higher education in this
country, the universities particularly,
are criminally, wilfulIyA negligent in
pointing out the dangers of drink
and the power Of a clean ballot. So
much so is this, that it is nothing but
the strictest truth when I assert that
our great universities are to-day moth
ing but institutions for the manufac-
ture of drunkards and sports. Not
so much by the evil they teach, but
by the good they do not teach"
The Senator then related a story
VI iuUW q yOuuS Aloh VI HIS dSquqlhl-
ance, gifted, especially brilliant had
been sent to a great university, with
glorious prospects, came back. in lit
tie more than a year, physically, men,
tally and morally ruined through
drink. LII.
LET the Church." exclaimed SEN
ator Clay, pacing the floor with true
Senatorial strides, "let the Church
and our educational institutions but
teach the curse of drink, but point
out the power of a clean ballot. and
the future of this country would be
glorious.
"And mind you can't teach one
without the other. The saloon tnfiu-
ence Is so interviewer in our political
fabric that'anything that means death
to political corruption means the Grip
ping Of the saloon so that its recov-
cry is impossible. The saloon fs the
mother Of all our morel ulcers, is the
father of practically all existing polit-
ical corruption, the hermaphrodite Of
sin. Without the miasma from the
saloon swamp, the disease germs in
politics would die. On 1t they exist.
I "Do you know that the liquor lobby
in every State is responsible for the
meagre amount Of reform legislation
we usually get. lowers the whole
moral tone Of the States legislators,
in a word. makes political 'corruption-
lists? I
"You'W have to excuse me furth-
err" the Senator said, good-natured-
ly. "If some Of my folks down in my
State read what I've given you, l ex-
pect it will throw up some dust" ,