Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1909-11-26

business houses were emptied in one
day, and the owners driven out of &C.;
cupation and most of them out OF |
town. The business this party or Or
ganization has undertaken to destroy |
for MORAL reasons is recognized by the
N alton, and every progressive State in |
the Nation, and is licensed by them. Ii
Is licensed also by every Nation on
earth which has any claim to great
ness, and this is the only sensible and
way to deal with the prob
lem according to the Oldest and wlsest
The thing, alcohol,
these poor mortals would destroy, was
made by the Creator, and was put by
Him into almost every herb, plant, |
seed, fruit or substance which grows
from the ground. The juices Of apples
and of most any other fruit, the juices
from berries or grapes when extracted,
need only to be set aside and nature
Immediately converts them into the
substances these persons seek to des-
troy. Yet the subject of alcohol at
fords opportunity for designing, idle
and often worthless people to ensnare
their more ignorant and superstitious
fellows who are morally inclined to,
give them money and support to
'labor" as they call it in what they
term .'great field" at ''great work, !"
the work of destroying liking Alec
hol." They did not create this king,
and to destroy him they are as power.
less as they are to remove the salt
from the sea- The fakirs engaged
in this work have organized
themselves into A NATIONAL
ANTI-SALooN LEAGUE. This is sub
divided into States, and they are
"pressing forward" on their mission.
That mission is proclaimed to be the
prohibition" of alcoholic drinks and
the destruction of saloons, in the States
first, in the United States second, in
the WORLD third. But in fact, and
indeed this is not the realmissien. The
mission is Politics, which means any,
thing and everything incident to pow
er and control. They have seated a
governor in Virginia. They have pos
sibly elected a Legislature. They have
several State officers at the capital.
This much is already accomplished in
Virginia. Now the tocsin is being
sounded for Statewide Prohibition
which means State control in every
branch. The people generally are moi
awake to this movement. The scheme
is deep laid, the deepest since the foun
dation of the government, far exceed
ing that of the Antl-Slavery party, be
cause this one pretends to be based or
religion, and has for It's leaders mer
who have left the ministry to engage
in the more profitable and more enjoy
able work, deeper in worldly design and
more inviting to the temporal appe
| tite The National Congress of the
Anti-Saloon League is to meet in Chi
cago on Dec. 9Th. This meeting is te
be coincident with that of the N RATIONAL
Congress, and a campaign will be
mapped out secretly" in part tc
which every member win be pledged.
They will force all ministers where
possible to adopt their creeds. and
many church organizations are already
in league with the movement from the
s'head to the heel"
| One in authority says -
"While the Anti-Saloon League does
not represent the churches by virtue
of any ecclesiastical authority, it is
nevertheless true that the league is in
fact confederation of churches and
churchmen opposed to the saloon. Ii
is made up altogether of men promi-
nent in the pulpit and in the pews. In
it's political work it often allies itself
with political organizations which are
distinctly not of the church, and such
alliances invite the wholesale condcm-
nations of the opposing alliances be-
tween some other political organization
| ana Uue SdIOOuS.
1t is and has been always known
that power gained is never relinquish-
ed until the hold is broken. A party
great in numbers never surrenders be-
cause it's work is ended. 1t always
sees something more to do, somethi ng
further to grasp. The Anti-Slavery
party promised such ending in it's be-
ginning, But later it seized the gov
eminent. So will the Anti-Saloon
League when the psychic moment ar
riveS. ~
In the language of its general super
intendent, the Rev. Purley A. Baker
SIT is league of organizations. II
is the federated church in action
against the saloon. Its agents are of
the church, and under all circumstan-
ces loyal to the church. 1t has no in.
terest apart from the church. 1t goes
just as fast and just as far as the pub
lie sentiment of the church will per.
NIT. 1t has not come to the kingdom
simply to build a little local sentiment,
or to assure the passage of few laws,
nor yet to vote the saloons from a few
hundred towns. These are mere Incl
dents in its progress. -
Now that organization in Staunton
4 wishes us to be quiet as to its work
here. 1t cries disloyalty to Stauntor
when we show the destruction to bust
ness wrought. 1t has proclaimed its
responsibility, why does it vince wher
the shoe pinches? 1t is too soon they
say for conditions to right up. Only
one month has elapsed since the saloon!
were closed. Only one month Has
elapsed, but four months ago notice
was served that these business places
would be emptied. Why did not per
sons come forward then and make bus
mess arrangements What has beer