The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-10-19
THE PERSONAL LIBERTY ISSUE
Lower One Goes in Society
More Personal Liberty
He Finds.
Higher lie Goes Toward Perfection
the Less There is-Usc OF Liquor
Reduces Mans Ability and Charac-
tcr-Pctcr Youngdoll Speaks To-
night.

The first of the mass meetings which
lar, to be held nightly in the dry
tent on West Church street took place
Wednesday evening The audience
Numbered several hundred people VINO
were enthusiastic and full Of spirit
in their applause.
A prelude of prohibition songs set
to popular airs was very well sung
lby a chorus composed of members OF
the various church choirs, who were
led by Edward H. Hipsher Several
special numbers were rendered by
double mixed quartcttc.
Rev. G. NJ Rourke acted as chair
man for the evening, and made the
announcements for the coming week.
Thursday evening. the music viii be
reinforced by the aid or piano and
the Claridon band will also he pres
ont and play several selections. Peter
| y oungdull. the "Swede cyclone VIII
address the assembly this evening
Tomorrow night Lemuel Lillet VIII
speak and Saturday night Prof MIL
Ter, of Delaware, and II. c. Crist OF
| Delaware will deliver addresses.
/ At the beginning Of the Wednesday
evening meeting, Il. L. curtis. field
worker, for the Anti-Saloon League.
spoke for "A few minutes. eve are
lieady to meet the liquor people and
treat them courtcously," he said. 1.-THE
proposition before us. gentlemen, Is,
shall the saloons return to Marion
county? It's the only question that
We have to answer and In answer we
say "wo'rc going to put the liquor
mans hide on the barn door
Judge Covington, from Moultrie,
Georgia. was next introduced as the
speaker for the evening. The judge
began his address by speaking of the
conditions I'm Georgia at the present
time. as IT is now under the rule of
the "drys" and as it was before the
state prohibited the sale Of liquor.
a.. said 1--WE used 10 think Georgia
WAS the first prohibition state, but
when we began inquiry we found that
the hcathcn Greeks passed the first
prohibitory law. because of the drunk
cnness among their women. That was
the greatest evil in their use of
strong drink. Their women became
llewd, drunken and debauched That
c,il, i'm measure, was spared us. I'm
al the 1000 years In which our race
has been IA drinking one, 1t has been
the men who have greatly transgress-
ed and not the women. 1t is true that
there is some drunkenness among the
women of our race, but it cannot be
compared to the old Greek woman de-
hauchery. on the Fourth of July,
We stand up and boast or the strength
and prowess of our nation, but, be-
bind II all, behind all the brave deeds
and courageous daring of our men,
lies the virtue and strength of our
womanhood.
"When Oglcthorpc. accompanied by
John Wesley, founded Georgia, he
lpassed two statutes which are i'm
lportant for consideration. The first
was that the sale of slaves must for
ever be prohibited from the state. The
second, that there SHOULD he no sale
of liquor. The time came when the
~ siness men went to London and said
that the laws were Interfering with
commercial interests, so the statutes
ere abrogated and we became a
slave state until 1865, and We also
saves To rum until 1906, when We
|
fold more dreadful slavery of the
soul
"rhere Is "A good bit of talk going
on about this idea of personal liberty,
the right of "A man to cat and drink
, what when and where lhe pleases
+ There is no such thing as an ideal
. perfect personal liberty in well or.
ganlzed society. The lower one goes
To the brute level the more persona
liberty he has. Conversely, tn,
higher one climbs in the social scale
OF civilization, the less personal lib
| erty he has"
Judge Covington spoke or the evils
which grow out Of the exercise of per
sonal liberty at the expense of 9TH
crs. When man exercises his per
sonal liberty in getting drunk ant
shooting up town, killing and in
jurlng citizens. blighting homes anC
running lives, he Is carrying that per
: sonal liberty TO excess and must b'
. treated accordingly.
"As civilization becomes more com
. lplex, you can't help or hurt any ont
! Cn this earth without helping or hurt
a ing someone else. We've reached {
point in our civilization. when WI
realize the truth OF the statement M
man liveth or dieth TO himself"
Inspeaklng of the effect which tn,
, use Of the liquor has upon a work
, ing man. the speaker said
q "In the use of alcohol mans cap
, acity becomes greatly reduced. Test
or Insurance agencies show that |
shortens life, weakens the cOnstitu
tion, reduces the capacity to resls
: disease and weakens his very char
acter. Why then. should we encour
. age the sale of that which weaken
the strength Of our nation, the man
: hood, the bulwark Of our country? ]
Is nothing but suicide for com
imunity to encourage it. What Is
saloon? A menace TO every man
woman and child in the countr!
There is no one so strong as TO b.
immune TO its temptations and as
| lsaults.
"The most important thing TO asI
IabOut "A town is mot fha condition a