The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-09-17
USE CONFUSION
SAYS ORATOR
Urges Germans to Compel Right to
Drink When They Choose.
PERSONAL LIBERTY ARGUMENT

Sonal Liberty League orators are In
genuous if not convincing. They vary
with the audiences to which they are
addressed. Figures telling the disas-
trous effects local option would have
on the farmers crop are submitted to
gatherings where the farmers pre-
dominate. To the average audience,
tax reports purpOrting to show how
taxes increase in dry territories are
thrown on the screen, and distributed
as literature. But it is to the audi
ence in which the foreign-born ele-
nent predominates that the real
cream Of argument is presented.
George Sylvester Viereck is one Of
the star orators for the league He
devotes most of his time to meetings
of the German-American Alliance,
which has formally endorsed Judson
Harmon for governor. Viereck is
great advocate of personal liberty.
Here is an excerpt from a speech he
made in Columbus recently at a Ger
man outing:
"Neither Shakespeare's England
nor the Germany of today could con.
ceiVe of hero who had never sacri-
feed to the great God Booze. Bis
mark would not have been the Iron
Chancellor if he had not appreciated
the flower Of the wne.. Goethe would
not be the greatest German poet if he
had not also written conViVial songs.
Strong natures need the stimulation
which alcohol alone affords, without
becoming it's slave. And the German
once and for all, needs his personal
freedom. His indignation would be
no less intense il his right to smoke
cigar or to drink coffee at leisure,
or the freedom of expression, were to
be taken from him. We are fighting
for principle, not for beer.
A Temperance Man.
II personally, am in a position to
take this stand because in a sense
beverages are no more pleasant to my
palate than drinks of a different dis
Bcription. l don't think in my whole
life | have drunk more than ONE
BARREL of beer, nor, to avoid mis-
understandings, more than a QUAR-
TER OF A GALLON OF WHISKEY." j."
Here are a few more gems from
this same oratorical effort:
I'VE have no interest in the drunk
ard; we are sorry for him, but we
are not concerned in him in questions
relating to personal freedom"
Spirits stimulate us; they dig up,
as somebody has said, the song and
laughter that lies buried by crust
of sorrow in the depths of our souls.
Alcohol, like hope and joy, sup
presses certain undesirable emotions
and emphasizes in their stead, others
that are pleasant and inspiring"
This and other truths we German.
Americans must demonstrate to our
fellow citizens, and If they will not
give us a chance we must use com
pulsion. The seventh day of the week
is peculiarly adapted to that uprpose
1t is a day of recreation and Of joy
| Every temple of art should throw
open its doors on that day, every
theater should be open, to furnish
those who starve with intellectual
food. And those temples, too, should
be open where Gambrinus and Bac
chus receive libations. Only in a hap
py body happy spirit dwells. Oul
Puritans have degraded Sunday into
a day of penitence and rue. Sunday
is a day when we should be thankful
to our creator for the joy of living;
but with the typical American, Sun
day Is a day when we want to quar-
rel with the Almighty for having ere
ated us at ALL"
"A wise man once remarked: The
Germans have given America three
great gifts; Music, the Christmas
tree, and the great temperance drink
Beer"
| Harmon's Endorsements.
Sum up all the pleas made by the
Personal Liberty League, or any o
its subsidiary organizations and thu
result is a demand for a wide opeI
Sunday and the unlimited sale of in
enthusiastically indorsed by tn,
league and all the societies that sym
pathize with it. A fund of S1,000,00
has been raised among the brewer
and salOonists of the state to defea
Governor Harris and elect Harmon
and a legislature that will do the bid
ding of the contributors to this fund
Governor Harris has expressed hi
confidence in the integrity of tn
people of Ohio. He has given assul
ance of his sincere belief that thi
great fund will not be able to buy tn
conscience of the voters and the re
peal of the Rose county local optic
law or any of the other temperanc
laws on the statute books. He cor
siders that the circulation of the a.
suments made by the spell binders G
the brewing interests will be one 6
the most important factors contrlbu
ing to his reelection. 1t is on tn
theory "give a dog plenty of rop
and he will hang himself"
From a non-partisan viewpoint
will be interesting to learn how muc
progress an argument for licentuou'
ness, immortality, ungoverned sale {
liQuor on Sunday and kindred d
mands by the brewery people wi
make among the serious minded Vo
ers of the state,
Thus far all of Bryan's flnancis
reform" propositions have lacked tn
vital principle of true and lasting r,