The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1914-01-09

~ iLOti4 q iEt National NJ. L. J.
convention.
Temperance Young Men and Women
Mighty Force
believe ne shall have a sa,o4 loss
nation by i%20. because public ~enti
.ent is opposed to the liquor traffic
The persistent education along scien
;tic temperance lines, instituted by
the Wom8ns Christian Tempe. tnce
Union years ago, is bearing frJi:t Ia
lay in a mighty army OF young m:
nd young women in the various reiiG
oHs ana philanthropic organiza ions
N cur schools and colleges. and even
in the hail., Of congress. Witness
our magnificent young Statesman
Richmond Pearson Hobson, who has
introduced in congress a resolution
for constitutional prohil .tion
amendment which nearly on hal:
million white ribbon women in the
UafJed states are pledged 10 see
adopted.
Public sentiment has reached such
4 stage that today John Barley corn"
finds himself between the devil and
the deep hlue-sna" His enemies have
'ou2 ago exhausted not Only The En-.
fish language. bur all other Ian
:ua-es il deuouncing him and no:
me oil his friend dare say a word in
ais defense
suppose the liquor men Themselves
should write the record CT what the
liquor traffic has done Would each
page be as white as the flake OF the
christeued water lily starred upon
the crystal lake." Nay, verify, bur
each page would De- black with crime
and red with blood and blistered with
tears it would he a record OF woe
and misery and heartache and heart
reak. desoIation and disqualification
uuspeakable. When the friends Of
the liquor traffic can say nothing
good for il. and the enemies can truth
fully say all that is evil OF it. the IL
.
The liquor traffic is doomed TO
speedy destruction because it is op-
/ posed 70 common sense. Hasn't it al
ways been opposed TO common sense
Yes. but people have not beeu eXer
cisirg their common sense in this di
rection until comparatively recent
wears for two reasons: First, because
Gods eternal truth in science had not
| been revealed on this question as 1t IS
TODAY. second. the world is better to-
dav that ever before. and the public
mind is cbsessed with the idea Of the
preservation and prolonga.ion OF hui
man life. Edgenics is the most popu-
lar fad of the day City, state and
national governments are looking att
or the health of the people as never
before. They swat the fly, they go
on 2 still hunt for the mosquito, they
beard the hookworm in his den, and
the germs must fly for their lives.
The human race has learned that no
man liveth 10 himself and no man
dieth to himself" and reformation Is
the watchword OF the hour; hence
men are training their common sense
on this question, and the liquor traffic
must 90.
There is no common sense IN any
excuse given for the perpetuation OF
the traffic. Revenue? Who ever saw
man drink himself rich? Nothing
and nothing makes nothing, and If
one man can't drink himself rich, but
drinks himself poor. then all the men
nut together can't drink themselves
rich. but will inevitably drink them
/ selves poor.
There is no common sense IN the
argument that prohibition doesn't
prohibit, because a law that prohibits
the selling of liquor is just as effect
i've as any other law that is directed
At the avarice and appetite Of man.
There is no common sense in the ar
gument that a man has right 10
drink liouor. No man has a right to
I
imperil his own life and health, to en-
danger the lives of other people. TO
break his wife's heart or to humiliate
his children.
Do we not know that today in this
broad land Of the free and home OF
the brave there are hundreds OF "o-
men whose tender bodies bear black
bruises because Of the liquor traffic?
When child sees the father that it
has loved and trusted almost rs
though he were Cod himself, cone
home drunk. that child's world is in
ruins and only God and drunkard' S
child know the bitterness of that
home.
So far as I am concerned, you can