Evening star., 1908-01-15
DEMAND PROHIBITION
Citizens Unite Against Saloon
in the District.
MASS MEETING LAST NIGHT
Senators Tillman and Clay Among
the Speakers.
PREDICTION OF SUCCESS MADE
Senator Tillman Speaks of the Dis
pensary System and Urges
United Effort.

AT a mass meeting and demonstration
TOT prohloition for the District of CO.
iumola heid last night i'm the First Con-
sfegational Church, 10th and G streets
northWest,a Senators Tillman of South
Carolina and Clay of Georgia and several
prominent local temperance workers spoke
on the prospect of putting the saloons
out OF the District. If Standing room
only sign had been available it would
nave been hung at the door of the church
even before the meeting was called to
order Applause from the large audience
was generous at every prediction of future
success of the movement to further which
the meeting was held. and the gathering
was regarded as significant of the devel-
opment of public sentiment in the city
senator Tfllman was the principal speak
er, and ne struck straight from sthe shoul-
der in his discussion of the prospect of
obtaining prohibition for the District.
Al the beginning he remarked: II think
you know what you want. but the trouble
Is TO Know how to get it, In the course
of his remarks he reminded the District
residents that to get prohibition they must
get 1t from Congress: that they have no
votes; that they are regarded by the leg
islators on Capitol Hill like ''gnats on
an OK horn." and therefore must adopt
gressmen that unless favorable action be
obtained they can bring influences to bear
in the home districts that will tend to
force the retirement of the incumbents
He talked some time of the "dispensary
system" in vogue in South Carolina and
of the benefits which he thinks will re-
suit from Its adoption in the District.
H1oxy
The meeting was held under the aus
pices of the Federation of Christian and
Temperance Forces of the District, an or
ganfzation which proposes to be very ac-
tive until prohibition Is obtained here and
to die the minute it is secured. Zed H.
Copp, temporary chairman of the organi-
cation. called the meeting to order and ex-
planned its object and that of the fedora
ton Then ne introduced Senator Clay of
Georgia.
4 am happy to be here declared the
senator During the eleven years I have
been in the Senate / have met many of
the people Of the District and / believe no
city in the country can claim a higher
standard of civilization or of citizenship
than can Washington The senator
turned next to consideration of the pro-
hibition movement in Georgia. In twenty
three years. he stated. whisky was run
out OF all except fourteen counties of the
state. and not county which had put 1t
out. he declared has since voted to put 1t
back At the last session of the legis-
lature of the state. he continued. 1t
was voted to prohibit the sale of liquor in
every county of Georgia. three-fourths of
the members of the legislature voting In
favor of the measure.
"And prohibition Is there to stay for all
time" he continued. And as look over
this large audience thought that came
to me ten years ago Is recalled. that a city
of $4,000 people with culture and refine
and representatives from other states; it
ought to have its own representative in
Congress- This sentiment was loudly
applauded
Mile-Limit Law.
Mrs Clinton Smith of the w C. T. U.
was next introduced. She said that Con-
gress in 1892 passed the mile-limit law.
prohibiting the sale of liquor within one
mile of the Soldiers Home. In 1901 it
passed a law putting beer and other
liquors out of all the army posts in the
country, and 1t put drinks out of the
Capitol. These things. she said. are en-
couraging for the District. because If pro-
hib!tion is obtained for it the law must
come from Congress.
"The time has now come when the men
can vote conscientiously for the things
they think are right and still hold their
Jobs" declared Rev. r. NJ. Hare, local
superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League.
After declaring that the league he repre-
sents stands for prohibition he turned to
the Capitol representatives present and re-
marked: You have passed law requir-
ing the soldiers to walk a. nile for their
drinks. You have regarded us in the Dis
trict either SO crazy or so foolish as to
deny US representation. Therefore you
ought to treat us like the other wards of
the nation
This point brought generous response
from the audience.
DIR. +. d. Power pastor of the Vermont
Avenue Christian Church. who was the
next speaker. declared that he regarded
the saloon as nuisance. an institution
that is an enemy of God. of man, of the
home. OF the laboring classes; that 1t
possesses all the elements of savagery
and none of civilization.
Representative Hale of Tennessee was
called upon, but he was absent
Practical Prohibitionist.' -.
Senator Tillman was next introduced.
After some Introductory pleasantries he
declared that he was not going to talk
about prohibition. II do not lay any
claim to being a prohibitonist.'' he de-
clared. II consider myself practical pro-
hibitionist" He then discussed the con-
sderation of the law for the "dspensary
system" in South Carolina, which was
passed during his second administration
as governor OF the state. and which he
was largely instrumental i'm framing
After his second election. he said. the
legislature of the state passed what 1t
thought to be a rock-ribbed prohibition
bill. Before that time. however. the state
had local option law, and he had seen
it's workings in places which had voted
for no license.
Il had seen so much hypocrisy, so much
pandering by physicians in giving liquor
that 1 did not have much patience with
law that would breed such things" he
declared. After study. he said, he amend
ed the bill. establishing the ''dispensary
SYSTEM" placing the sale of liquor en-
tirely in the hands of state bonded Off
cers and providing that all the profits of
sales should go back into the pockets OF
the taxpayers of the state instead of into
the pockets of private owners of saloons.
He told the members of the state legis-
larure. he said, that if they would accept
the compromise bill he would promise to
close every saloon in South Carolina and
keep 1t closed. The law was passed and
went into effect in July. 1894.
From tat day until the close Of my
term as governor / had the devils own