The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1912-05-17
70 q n 70 = T-tTse* 49, p =
PLEA FOR B0OlELESS
TOWN BY 4. P. BAKER
His Temperance Address DeIiv-
cred Last Evening.
From Mondays Daily.

From Mondays Daily.
Rev. P. A. Baker, superintendent
of the National Anti-Sa!oon league,
held a large audience at close atten-
ton for two hours in the Presby-
terrain church last night. The doctor
spoke about the liquor traffic and
the attempts made at it's suppress
sion, using entirely different argu-
ments than the usual temperance
lecturer or speaker on county option.
Preceding the lecture, Mrs. J. NJ.
Edwards, who has recently returned
from Vienna where she has studied
music, sang most beautiful solo
The quartet also rendered several
selections. Rev. o. J. Arthur of the
Swedish Lutheran church said
prayer, while Rev. Jameson read
the text for the day.
Talked Along Original Lines.
Rev. Baker struck out along origi-
nal lines in his talk on temperance.
The first part of his lecture was
taken up with the rise and :,-cgress
of the anti-salOon movement. Pre-
vious to his becoming superintend-
ent of the league, he was a pastor
of a church in Ohio, where the
movement originated When the
movement was first started about
nineteen years ago, men were being
unChristened by temperance reform,
but now the movement is very
popular, and while then no minister
preached it, now all ministers worth
hearing, are preaching it, he said.
While many are not contributing
more than their voices and lungs,
others are satisfied to wait until the
primaries. That was too late, he
said; men should get into the fight
during the pre-primaries, as he ex-
pressed it. The fight was to get the
right men, elect them, and then
organize the Legislature and watch
the committees to see that no one
was loaded.
One Whipping Is Enough.
MANY good people can't stand
getting whipped moro than once
their spinal column goes out after
one good drubbing. And then there
are many good temperance people
up to the point where it does not
mean anything, but when they reach
the point where they will get
drubbing, they go down, splash OF
not much, cipher on the wrong
side of the figure"
Rev. Baker made statement that
will be doubted by many and en-
dorsed by others when he said that
the world is now receiving the best
preaching it ever had in it's history.
Men who talk and praise the past
do not inquire wisely for the best
preaching is really done today. The
past generation fostered the liquor
traffic; the present generation is
trying to overthrow it. The present
generation expresses its enthusiasm
in ito printing presses, its hospitals,
white wings upon the streets. driv-
ing the thieving public officials to
the penitentiaries."
Denounced Thievina Public Officials.
He had no time for the public Off
cial who used his office to further
his own ends, and said that one of
the most pious things that the peo-
pie of Ohio ever did was to send
several state senators to the peni-
tertiary for thieving upon the public
funds. 1--WE are learning now to be
real American citizens he said.
"God does not vote and he expects
us to do it for him, but he is the
issue at every election"
Highest intelligence Needed.
The standard of the highest In
telligence is needed in a republic
but this is not so with a monarchy,
for there the people do not rule. so
that even if the people are ignorant,
the kingdom will probably be eff
GENTLY governed through its kings.
But in a republic where the people
rule, the standard should be highest.
He spoke in this connection about
the cry of the children and child
ldDOT. III IulS hC ooiu, chSiS
were 2,250,O00 children under fifteen
years of age engaged in gainful en-
ployment, and sixty per cent OF
these were driven to work through
in the family. The
saloon fiourishes best where the
people are ignorant.
Timidity of Business Men.
But the weakest point in all this
land was the timidity Of the good
business men, who are in the
churches, but who are afraid OF
their shadows, and this is the great
est obstacle to the fight against the
liquor traffic.
"The test of civilization of any
nation is not it's commerce, litera-
ture, science, ETC.. but the ability OF
the people to obey and enforce the
laws The American peril is law
lessness through drunkenness. The
question which should be before
every American citizen. is not such
'daffy stuff as Taft, Roosevelt, ini-
i.