The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-10-17

falser statement of great misrepre-
sentation never was made. The people |
that it would hurt and whose bust |
ness would languish would be the dis |
tillers and brewers. What was the re- |
suit. Why when 10 counties in Miehi- |
gan out Of 20 abolished the saloon, the |
Cincinnati Inquirer said the city of |
Cincinnati lost two million dollars by |
that election. Oh, yes. the abolition of |
the saloon is death on business; the !
people are the Lazaruses: they get the |
crumbs from the table of the whisky |
trust. when they embark in the sa-
loon business. Oh, they tell you pro-
hibition is a farce and it doesn't pro-
hibit. Yes, there are few places in
Georgia the whiskyites have nullified
the law: in time we will dry the spots.
He told good one on the Times
Union of Jacksonville. Everything
was lovely there. No violations Of the
law: no blind tigers But in comes the
Z. s. grand jury and brings up stand
| ing whole lot Of violators of the
U. S. internal revenue law and the
blind tigers. Did the TT. say a word
about it. Nary a whisper.
| Talk about liberty; why, don't you
know for 60 years all your liberty has
gone to the whisky trust. He told in
| a humorous way how the people who
drank were robbed-unmercifully rob-
bed Good old corn whisky made in a
family coffee pot cost 25 cents; the
fusil oil you get under federal taxa
ton costs 81 Who made this rob-
berry, why federal. state, county and
town taxation. You say the liquor
lpays the taxes. Foolish, deluded man.
lyou pay them who drink it. Nothing
palmer and truer than that. If the
principle Of direct instead Of indirect
taxation could be applied to the con-
sumner of whisky. it would not take
!long to create a revolution. Oh, the
Iinsinuating and speciOus pleadings OF
the maker. He pays the taxes; he
supports the government. He does,
does he. That 40 million in the whis-
ky trust makes is all assessed to the
distributor and he to the consumer.
lOf course the ultimate consumer pays
levery tax. He said it was bad enough
to rob your boy. but when he taxed
you 1900 per cent. to damn you and
ruin your life forever, revolution was
InOne too good
He said this same damning whisky
TRUST tells you in your face the law IS
not, cannot be enforced in Georgia. /
tell you it is in 95 counties and is In
Atlanta. I'll give $50 for every glass
of whisky you can buy in a near beer
saloon in Atlanta; yes, 500. Now. why
do I say this, because the courts have
decided any drink containing less
than three per cent alcohol is not in
(tOXicating and hence it can be sold,
but you can't catch them selling whis-
ky. They know better, but the whis-
ky men will tell you it is whisky sold
all over Atlanta. They know they lie
He poked fun at Savannah. He said
Ithey were stepped in alcoholic bev-
era ges were IS years behind the times
and the only thing it led in was
gambling, whisky drinking and it's as
ISOLATED virtues, and in this particular
was almost on a par with Jackson
Vile.
He closed his eloquent and convinc-
ing talk by picturing the harvest OF
: the saloon He said the life of the
drinking man was II years; these had
to be recruited if the consumption of
the article made by the whisky trust
was to be continued to be consumed
l and where were those recruits to come
2 from, but from your boys and my
2 babys. He appealed to all to stamp
out the ubiquitous saloon, a standing
t temptation to those youths 1t was a
I great talk. He held the attention Of
$ his audience from beginning to finish.
1t is doubtful if a more impressive
t and convincing exposition of the sa-
r loon ever spoken in Oca1a. The
s audience by it's frequent applause
showed it's appreciation Of the speak
i er's argument.
e Mr.. Wright. like all great speakers
= has mannerism. He takes a chair,
puts it near the footlights and sits on
= lit and says there is no hurry in this
e thing; that he will take his time. But
!. Inc doesn't sit long. Inspired by some
e !stirring thought he rises to give en-
t phasis to his utterance. When this IS
n Expressed he will leisurely return to
the chair, take hold of the back OF
e it and put one foot on the seat. An
d other surging idea comes to his mind
e He will drop the chair and hur1 the
d idea at his hearers. In Mr. Wright's
/. case these activities do not seem un-
h calmly. or ungraceful. They are a.
e natural to him his pet express
e sions, one of which is: ''Brother listen
d want to tell you something" and a,
times he makes this very impressive.
t Mr.. Wright has won great promi-
Il nence in Georgia by his devotion t6
K the temperance cause. His activity, his
= ideas, his zeal for the same, made the
a Empire State of the South go for pro-
e hibition. He said in his young man
: hood he witnessed the wrong a drunk
= en- mother had done her child and the
n revolving. inhuman conduct i'm
8 pressed him that he took vow that
|; he would combat the evil of intemper-
Y ance all the days of his life. He saiG
It for years it seemed a hopeless task
r but the cause gained ground and now
It it was firmly imbedded in the minds
t. and hearts Of the people, that he be.