The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-10-31

denounce all the ministers who are on
the dry side and he picked out Rev.
George Rourke as the special object
of his attack. He said that Rev.
.Rourke had read newspaper article
TO his congregation denouncing him
as an unworthy minister of the
church.
He also attacked the editor of the
Mirror of whom he predicted there
v ould not be left Il greese spot on
election day. He denounced him as
man without principle. one who
would go to Columbus If elected and
serve his masters. Rev. Meeker SEEM
ed to think the masters of the editor
are the anti-saloon leaguers. He adj
vised all his hearers to vote for some
one else for delegate to the consti-
tutional convention. Thereupon some
OF his hearers applauded vociferously.
The Rev. Meeker read the ad of
the drys warning parents of the city
that their children had been given
tickets to the moving picture shows
10 keep them from a church meeting
To which some Of them had been sent.
Then he read an affidavit from Man
ager McDanel of the Royal show to
the effect that he had given the tick
cts away merely to advertise his busi-
ness He denounced the drys then as
trying by untruths to win votes.
Rev. Meeker said that any man who
Claims there has been n betterment of
conditions under prohibition laws Is
either an ignoramus or liar. He
wanted to know If the people would
stand for the claim of the ministers
who are leading the dry forces that
they have been called by the Lord to
treir present positions If the Lord
called all the ministry the speaker
felt that he owed humanity an apo
lCgy.
Then he took up Billy Sunday and
talked about him pro and con for some
minutes. 1t was evident ne didn't like
Sunday little bit. Rev. Meeker was
certain anyone could make one of the
Sunday speeches. indeed he admitted
one of the Sunday speeches was about
the easiest thing he did.
II Is well known. according to the
speaker. that drunkenness and crime
have increased under the dry regime.
He said he wanted his audience to
feel by the end of his speech that in
voting wet they would be voting les
sen drunkenness and crime.
The spread of the antl-saloon lea
que has gone to such an extent that
It is time for the people to get back
the control of the saloon business. The
| rrohibitionist is a paternalist and the
| -,
| and will never stand for a paterna'
| government. We stand for II religious
educational, industrial political and
social democracy. The control of the
saloon business locally in this country
las been to a large extent destroyed
IT is our business to get back thai
control.
There were four results expected by
the people in voting this territory dry
| Those results are these:
1-Reduction in the consumption OF
liquor.
| 2-Reduction Of crime.
3-Reduction of taxes.
4-Public schools filed and the Jail.
end poor houses emptied before now
If prohibit on is sound in principle
IT should be passed and enforced b!
the aid of the standing army If nee
ecsary. If 1t is not sound IL SHOULD
be opposed on principle. IT II is ap
piled To the liquor business it should
he applied to all other businesses. BE
cause there are some 1aw-breakers il
other businesses they should be clos
Ell also and then everything would b
| I,I u, 10,
tical and so ii is with the liquo
business.
The crime committed in the nam
OF the saloon cannot be compared I
; that committed in the name of tn
! church. Just go back to the dar
ages and the time of the 'nquistio
and wtch-burning. Would YOU blam
| the saloon for those things? Becaus
crimes are committed In the name {
the church no one would be so sill
as to get up and propose that tn
church be abolished. But II such
proposition is applied to the saloon
must be to the church also
Rev. Meeker admitted that he ha
; made a very, very deep study of III
[ saloon and social problem. While a
| lut olueI lnlHlsltIo WE'RE nuTTylH
. around saving the country he wa
t naking a very deep investigation
Therefore the result is that he no
/ Is thoroughly Informed of all thinl
$ as they are and ought to be.
p After which few entertaining an
e | Illuminating remarks the Rev. Meel
or read some statistics from the II
port of the revenue officers regardir
the increase in liquor dealers in di
.. territory. In Alabama there had bee
e a decrease of $40 retailers in FIVE yea
= there being about 1000 left. The
% was also a. decrease OF 60 wholesaler
20 Eut at the same time there was q
.. increase of 70 wholesalers IN Flori(
and the speaker was certain the Geo
gia dealers had Just moved over II
r line. He said that It would be in
d possible for the government to ev
: prohibit the carrying OF liquors In Il
ter-state commerce and in no 9th
= way can the traffic be stopped.