The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1914-08-01
POVERTY IS CAUSE
OF SALOON SMITH
PHI. D.. BRICKLAYER. crT1xEF OF
WORLD AND RANK SOCIAL
IsT 10 SMITH.
INTERRUPTS MEETING
$4,000 GODS AND IL CONCERNED
ABOUT ONLY HIMSELF
ON FORD LOT.

my name Is DIR. Smith. l am a
Phi. d. l earn my living by laying
bricks. l am citizen OF the world.
have lived in this city twelve years, and
! hope God will forgive me for it. The
only reason ! objected to the five min
utes time limit is that within that brief
space l am expected to give the re-
suits of thirty years experience
First, want to see what we are talk
Ing about and what we are fighting
When the silver -tongued orator from
Shenandoah said to me, Mr.. Smith
! am surprised that we are so far apart
In this question. i replied, Madam
the liquor question is too small for my
mind The liquor traffic is the cause
of nothing, save in a reactionary way
Poverty is the cause OF the saloon, not
the saloon the cause OF poverty The
Bible says, The poor ye have always
with you ] am not much of be-
lever in the Bible and not much afraid
of God. / work as though there were
$4,000 gods and | am concerned about
only one. myself. 1 claim TO be the
only man in this country who is work
ing for the people, and you want TO
take off one burden OF taxation from
the drinking man and put ii on the DRY
lahorer"
These were some Of the statements
of a rank socialist who took ad-
vantage of the open-air meeting al
the Ford hotel 'ot last night to
preach an unadulterated brand of
socialism. and the Rev. T. j. Rich
ardson. who was spea king at the time
Of the interruption. replied straight
way: You have taken advantage OF
a meeting and an audience assembled
to hear a dlsii-ctively moral and
social question TO hand out q brand
of socialism pure and simple. and l
viii not be drawn aside from dis
cusslon Of the liquor traffic by SUCH
matter. You have made only one
point that ia 10 be considered serious
ly and TO that l Will reply In the
words OF the Supreme court that
alcohol Is the greatest cause Of pow
erty and pauperisn and crime This
meeting shall not be turned into
debating society, far il is for the sole
purpose of driving the leealzed liquor
traffic from Virginia John G. Lemon
said: klve the laboring men
chance and they Will solve this pro-
hlem and solve It quickly
Best Meeting Yet.
The interruption and the reply
came somewhat late In the best and
most largely attended OF the popular
open-air temperance meetings
large and interested audience filed
the major portion of the lot ana
manifested much approval of tie ad-
dresses by DR.. J. Y. Fair. and Rev.
r. j. Richardson. both OF which were
forceful and convincing
The speakers were introduced by pr.
W T. Picker. who made quite hit
by introducing Mr. Richardson rs one
Of the men who is helping to put the
gin out OF Virginia
The first speaker was Dr. j. J. Fair,
OF Westminster Presbyterian church.
who spoke briefly but to the evident
pleasure OF his audience. He spoke OF
the dread war clond overhanging the
world but declared that TIE liquor traf-
fic destroys more men than war. 1t
Is destructive. first. of the body. the
most wonderful work of God. for all
the shops of the world have never turn
ed out such a magnificent work as lie
the body.
THE traffic is destructive TO the
mental nature. This mind Of man thar
dug the Panama canal and planned all
these stately buildings is threatened by
the liquor traffic. oh! how many brill
liant careers have gone out in black
ness and shame because of this bust
ness, The curse has even invaded the
pulpit 1t has breathed its foad breath
on our womanhood and dragged her
from her lofty PEDESTAL Every person
knows Of some one in his limited circle
whom II has destroyed.
Some of those who hear me may not
believe in prohibition. but answer me
this question before you cast your
vote: When you go on your vacation,
what kind OF man do YOU want In
the engine cab. "A temperance or a
drinking man, When you are on a
ship and the captain tells you he s n
temperance man. DO You ridicGle him
for his stande No, in all the crises of
life we abhor the saloon and the bottle.
Then the saloon destroys Rte soul
of man. The spiritual nature Is that
which makes man like unto the spirit
OF God. but the liquor traffic lays its
hand on this and breathes its fou.
breath upon It,
Duty Is Twofoid.
Our daty, then. is twofold; first,
to ourselves, the duty OF total ahsti-
neEce. for that is the only absolutely
safe plan. Young men. the habit
comes insidiously ard fastens itself
upon you. Touch not, taste not,
handle not the uaclean thing A
second duty Is to the State. and this
duty is to organize and go forward
shoulder to shoulder. In the great
bubonic plague fight In New Orleans
the government goes after the center
OF Infection and destroys 1t. II does not
license It. After all what does the
liquor traffic offer? Simply a high
license, and that the church OF
God shall set the stamp OF Its ap-
prevail on the trade. Let every fol-
lower of the Lord stand shoulder to
shoulder and go forward. and the
victory shall be ours
Dr. Fair was followed by Rev. e.
j, Richardson. who spoke interest
ingly illustrating his address with
cartoons, as his custom IL. Mr.. Rich
ardson said thats with all due respect
to the president Of the Local Self
Government league that 1t was a con-