Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1913-11-26
(By w. G.. Calderwood)


convention ever. held by the Anti-sa-
loon league, and it made more really
important history in the fight for the
total and final overthrow of the
liquor traffic in four days than it has
made in the proceeding twenty years
of it's history. Nor is that statement
intended to suggest that the past
twenty years of it's activity have
been Of no historic Importance. Now
read slowly-The Anti-saloon league
held four days convention, and
there was hardly a speaker that did
not go on record fairly, squarely, en-
phatically for immediate and total
national prohibition. ~
The convention was not large
that is when the expectations of the
promoters of the great Jubilee con-
vention are considered. In attend
ance it was but little larger at any
time, and no larger most of the time
than the Prohibition National Con-
vention held in the same hall in 1908.
The hall seats 5000 people, and was
never more than four-ffths full-a
maximum attendance of 1000. This
is but fifth of the expected attend
ance. And this attendance came
largely from Ohio. Minnesota had
ten representatives at the meeting.
This recent meeting raised $30,048,
covering period Of five years, $4,000
per year, and over 1900 cash. The
convention was notable for it's per-
sonell. There were governors, con-
gressmen, senators, bishops, big bust
ness men and notables of all walks
of life. It's rank and file were the
finest of the earth-clean, hopeful,
cultured, purposeful. The strength
and beauty of character, and the bear
ing of the aristrocracy common folk
was the character of the crowd. The
speeches were delightful but disap-
.ointing. Not man of mean or even
mediocre platform ability faced the
crowd, and the majority were speak
ers of the first magnitude, and some
were glazing meteors in the forensic
sky. David said 'Thou contest to
me with sword, and with a spear,
and with shield: but come to thee
in the name of the Lord of hosts, the
God of the armies of Israel whom
thou hast defied. This day will the
Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and
will smite thee, and take thine head
from thee; and I will give the car
casses of the hosts of the Philistines
this day unto the fowls of the air, and
the beasts of the earth; that all the
earth may know that there is God
in Israel"-AND THEN HE SLUNG!
The orators of this occasion un.
corked the walls of their vitriolic
wrath and unlimbered the thunder.
bolts of their ponderous anathemas
| and by their side David's timorous
teasing of Goliath seemed the whis.
| pered twitter of sucking peewee.
AND THAT WAS ALL!
God forgive me if I am so small
and mean, and narrow as to indulge
mere captious criticism of company
| of brave and true people whose abili
ties so far transcend my own that q
juster appreciation of it might teach
me silence But l shall be false tC
my heart if speak at all and fail to
draw, for our own instruction at least
the lesson of what to me was a tragic
failure. Four days of time with q
determined, enthusiastic, and pur
poseful host, who were confronted by
a problem so large as to make al
previous public issues seem trivial
and hardly a speaker who so much
as limited how the eager hands there
gathered at vast expense, could GRASP
weapons to smite the Shiny monste,
who, even as they sat there was bath
ing it's greedy teeth in the blood anG
Cutting its capacious NAV on thu
hearts of the Sons of Man. Mostly
they We'd with each other making
faces at him. r. 81 >4
Let us, the Prohibition party profit
While I think we have not so grievi
| ously erred, mayhap we have. TIL,
purposes of our conventions wOull
cover the failure, which in this gath
ering stood forth naked and repulsive
Our conventions transact business
elect committees, nominate tickets
discuss and adopt platforms, and a
least make the motions Of workinl
program that sends each individual
home with some use for the enthus