Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1914-06-09
union TEMPER
ANCE SERVICE
Methodist Church is Well Filled to
Hear Address of Rev. John
Wright of Anti-Sa-
loon League.
THE MISSION OF THE LEAGUE
Attacks the Temperance Record Of
Senator Chase and Other
Candidates.

The union temperance service
Sunday night at the Methodist
church, when Rev. John Wright
acting superintendent of the Iowa
Anti-saloon League, spoke for an
hour in the interests of the cause
was well attended, the auditorium
being comfortably filled. The ser.
vices were begun by an organ volun-
tary by Miss Christensen, with vio-
lin obligato by Lloyd DeFrance. A
song by the male chorus and duet
by Ray Wood and DR.. Hannah, pre-
ceded the Introduction of the speak
er by Rev. c. H. Kamphoefner, pas
tor of the Methodist church.
Rev. Wright explained in a few
words the mission of the anti-saloon
league, which he said was not al
lied with any political party but
was a growth from the churches and
depending upon the churches for
support. Oberlin, Ohio, was the CEN
ter of the first organized anti-saloon
league, which had its birth over
twenty years ago. That the saloon
is a fore-runner of evil, is conceded.
God said that woe would come to
those who established iniquity in
their midst, and it has been proven
true. not because God said it, but
because it is natural sequence Of
cause and effect. God said the words
because He saw it was so. In our
own state in the month of last Sep
temper, when barns and granaries
bursting with plenty, and where
wheat was in places blue-molding
for lack of use, three hundred men,
women and children appealed to the
charity association of Des Moines
for something to eat. There are
eighty-six saloons in the town to
supply the needs of a certain kind,
but still this number did not supply
the prosperity necessary, as stated
by saloon men, to promote industries
and supply plenty of work for all.
The actual wealth in money of
these United States, is something ov-
er twelve millions of dollars, which
will not pay Americas
liquor bill for eleven months. If
these twelve millions of dollars were
divided up into thirds, and an at
tempt made to buy four million dol
lars worth of meat, there would not
be enough fat cattle in the United
States to supply the demand; if an
attempt were made to buy four mil
lion dollars worth of -four, the sup
ply would fall far short of the de-
mand; the same is true of that
many dollars worth of calicoes-I
there is not that much in existence
in the United States. Yet more than
this entire sum is yearly expended
Tor drink.
Christianity te be practical must
90 with the Bible in one hand and
the bread basket in the other. 1t is
irony to go to the home of the
irunkard and invite his family to
church when they have not clothes
enough to be seen. This
S question too big for politics,
and is one which the churches must
lelp to settle.
In Iowa we have left, according
o a map shown the audience Sunday
evening, eight wet counties in the
eastern part of the state, and four
n the western portion. In some of
,hese wet counties only one town in
is borders has saloon. One rea-
son given as the cause of Iowa los
ng population is that the state is
going dry. Six years ago Iowa had
$500 saloons; she now has about
500.
Here the speaker launched in
10 something which he termed an |
exposure of the sentiments of our
senatorial candidate, d. C. Chase. He
declared Mr.. Chase's interests and