Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1911-03-25
GEORGIA ORATOR
THRILLS AUDIENCE
Two Powerful Temperance Speeches
Delivered in This City Sunday by
Hon. Sesborn Wright.

/ non. SedpoFH Wft9Hh.
Two temperance meetings OF extra
ordinary interest were held in this
| city Sunday, and both addressed by
| tie same noted speaker. Hon. Sea
! born Wright, OF Rome, Ga. So with
| Mr. Wright here yesterday and Capt
Hobson, of Alabama, coming next Su1.
day the temperance campaign in Mar
| tinsburg may be said to be closing
with a whirbwind of Southern oratory
The meeting in the afternoon was
for men only and Central Opera House
was packed with an intellig Mt and
deeply interested audience. Part OF
the overflow found seats On the stage
where sat members OF the No-License
League, the local clergy and some in
yited persons. In the absence OF Rev.
pr Gruver president OF the league,
Rev. w. F. Locke presided
The meeting opened at 3 o'clock
with a song by the audience, led by
Mr.. A. D. Darby. Then Rev. w. d.
McCurdy offered prayer followed by
a we'll sung solo by Mr.. Houghto1, Of
New York, who is conducting a series
cf evangelistic meetings at the Cos
pei Mission on North Queen street
When Mr.. Wright was introduced
he received a very cordial greeting
from the audience. He remarked that
having served as a member of the
Georgia legislature for twenty-five
years and having been mainly instru-
mental in making the Empire State OF
the South dry" he was prepared to
speak at first hand on the effects of
local option il that particular state,
at least, and would then apply the les
son to MartinsburG He said he was
not opposed to the saloon keeper as
a man but to his businessmen alone
because of its immoral tendency but
because it is CT no practical benefit
to a community; that the chief bene-
fciarios of the business. after all are
the Whiskey Trust and the Brewers
Combine. And he made the point
that the National Government. state
and municipality were a party to the
saloon aad shared in it's profits; but
that the amount of money received
from the saloons in the way of license
In Martinsburg, for example. was in
significant as compared WITH the
thousands of dollars that are sent out
)f\ tewn to the distillers and brewers.
never to come back again Ard the
.a.t1 ~ he 1yh
ne may think he doesn't while the
brewers and distilIers are piling up
millions in wealth. The speaker said
hat It was altogether a mistaken idea
hat the saloon makes business
town. but on the contrary it does not !
add a dollar to the wealth of town. |
Mr.. Wright spoke for an hour and |
a half and his address produced a pro |
K und impression on his hearers. I'll
was punctuated with frequent and |
oud applause and the consensus of
opinion was that II was one Of the
best temperance speeches ever deliv-
cred in Martinsburg. 1t was pract-
cal and to the point throughout,
After the address Messrs. A. d. Oar
by and Edward s. Reynolds sang a
pleasing and appropriate duet. The
meeting closed with the benediction
pronounced by Rev J. S. Douglas.
The Night Meeting.
II the theater was packed in the az
ternoon to hear the Hon. Seaborn
Wright, OF Rome, Ga, talk on tenn
perance the house was filled TO over
flowing last night with both men and
women. The meeting was called for
SIS o'clock ald by that time the the
atre was filed and afterwards when
people went there after church many
of them had to be turned away be
cause a rule of the theatre would not
allow them TO stand in the aisles.
Hon John J. Hetzel presided and Rev.
w A. Roush offered prayer. The great
est enthusiasm prevailed. The dis
Georgian was at his best
and spoke for nearly two hours. Some
who had the privilege OF hearing both
addresses think that Mr. Wright's ef-
fort at the night meeting surpassed
that of the afternoon. however able
the latter may have been.
There is no doubt that these two
meetings hav helped the temperance
cause in Martinsburg immensely, not
only by making votes but by strength
ening the faint-hearted and wavering-
-t1o.cu cnNECccEc r PIME