Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-04-07

irodnced the speakers in well chosen
words.
Mr.. Darrow spoke for an hour and
a half, saying in part:
/ Really | would rather not speak
upon this subject if for some reason
IL did not feel that a man who has
ideas upon IL, Or thinks he has. which
is the same thing, ought not to keep
silent at this time. | had rather not
speak. because l know there are so
many earnest, honest, jealous people
who believe in prohibition. | know
they believe i'm it almost as they be-
iieve in their God. almost as they be-
lieve in themselves and their families.
aud they cannot understand how il
Is that any one who processes TO have
any regard for the welfare of man
Ishould not join with them in what
they call holy crusade l have felt
sorry to oppose some of my good
friends who stand for prohibition |
want TO say that in the main I be-
lieve that they are honest. sincere.
lhigh-mnded people. | am inclined to
| think that they are more unselfish
than the majority of those VINO are
managing the campaign in favor OF
| license. There are, no doubt MANY
| people who are fighting prohibition
i'll the stare of Illinois and throughout
the United States because they want
to take care of their own business:
because they are making money out
OF the liqucr traffic. Whereas upon
the other side nearly all of the prohi-
bitionists are honest and sincere and
lacting from high motives.
"A great deal of the evil i'm this
world. however. is done by good peo-
pie. more than is done by bad people.
Any Place May Go Dry.
Most any place is liable to vote
flor prohibition at this time | do not
know as any one can tell where il
lcame from, how this great wave has
swept up from the south and is now
engulfing the north; this great wave
of goodness which is bound to trans
form and change the hearts of men
in the twinkling of an eye They pro-
pose TO make men good by statutes;
to legislate out of them the devil that
has been in the human race ever since
man got up ON his hind legs and be-
gan to look the world in the face.
sympathiZe with anyone who thinks
it can be done. If the job is so simple
as that, we surely ought to turn in
. and help them accomplish it. Let
me say this, the measles AMI the
whooping cough and the scarlet fever
are not the only things that are catch
ing. Ideas are catching just as catch
ing as any other disease. Fads are
catching.
To-day lot of busy people who
haven't anything else to do have
caught the disease of prohibition.
They have caught the disease and
they are trying to force it down the
Hpeople whether they want it or not.
But you people who believe in making
beer because you make money out OF
it, don't get alarmed. This disease
will run its course. and if Rock Island
should vote for prohibition this week.
you won't find corporals guard in
favor of it two years from now. You
will get over il just as soon as you
get over any sort of distemper that
affects the community. And then
Ilagain want TO say this for | general
1 lily say what | think upon a question
of this sort, there are some equities
on the side of the prohibitionists
There has been great deal OF non
sense talked both by the saloon keep
ers and the prohibitionists. And
there are some reasons why earnest
honest. liberty-loving people, have
I said, we will take prohibition, and
propose TO talk of some of those
things, too.
Brewers Are Responsible.
1.-THE brewers have largely brought
i this down upon their own heads. II
E 1.-THE saloons had been little more de
cent. if they had observed such laws
as were made little more closely, il
the brewers had not been So avari
Z cious and bought up al > the corners
on our streets in the city and rented
IIthem to irresponsible n IN for more
money than they could /, ssibiy make
without selling to drunk Ids and t6
minors and people who would squan
der their last penny for drink: il
they hadn't done this, they wouldnt
have caused this wave of intolerance
that is sweeping over the land today
More than this. if every corner saloor
and inside saloon had not kept theil
back rooms busy fixing up politica
Estates until there wasn't an alderman
or member of the legislature ora
constable who could be elected unles:
he was the hanger-on 4 Ithe saloon
you wouldn't have met this wav'
which you are meeting today.
Il for one am glad of this great wav,
Iof prohibition. If it >es not do any
Thing for any otlssr human being, i
will help cleanse the saloon, and i
\ will put the fear of God into the hearts
of some men who have been so bus.
getting dollars that they haven
thought of anything lse except do
Sjlars. NV | know nat am talkip;
about for have fen it myself. Ihav
felt it personally Their are thous