Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-03-26
senator wheason's speech On
Local Option


The battle on Local Option is warm
ing up in this State, and on that &C
connt the speech on that question by
State Senator Harry G. Wheaton, OF
Cape May County, will be especially
interesting to many OF our readers.
The speech was delivered in the State
Senate, March 2, 1915, as follows:
Mr.. President:
| stand before you somewhat IN the
position of the Senator from Morris-I
am damned If l do and damned il /
don't politically speaking. But, gentle
men, l speak to-day IN the fear Of God
and my constituents, and II is not sc
much the fear of God with me as it is
my constituents on this subject laugh.
teri.
| will not consider this subject from
any standpoint other than a moral and
religious question. Listen, gentlemen.
In the beginning God created the heav-
ems and the earth, and / never read In
my life Of any other person or being
claiming that honor. If He created 1t,
He owns it; If he owns 1t, He has the
power and right to govern II. He is
sued q code of laws strong enough to
govern this world from its creation until
It's finish without the aid OF any of you
lawyers, and that code could be written
on the face of q Scent piece.
1t has been stated by aformer gentle
man in his argument that we have nc
right to pass a law TO govern q moral
question by geographical lines: that the
principle Of local option is not based on
the fundamental law that forbids; but
allows the majority to say an evil may
exist. In reply to that l wish to state;
From the very beginning men have
been making laws to govern and allow
an evil and moi to prohibit it. The
Divine injunction, "Thou shalt not,''
has never been considered, hence the
majority has q right to fight it with
laws not based on the Ten Command
ments.n
Why, gentlemen, God Himself under
took to regulate sin when he cleaned up
this old world. He took compassion on
old Noah and his family, because He
had found n man he thought worth
saving, aud He allowed him to build a
boat and float around until the storm
was over. What was the outcome OF
that experience9 l will tell you. The
earth was no sooner dry than old Noah
planted a vineyard and started a still to
make wine. he got drunk and made
an ass of himself, and men have been
doing it ever since. God had better
have thrown him overheard.
| cannot say l altogether blame the
men In the business; they have been en-
couraged by the National, State and
Home governments to invest their
money in the business.
/ do not like this bill; l think it is
rotten. 1t will not accomplish what its
friends think it will. It does not go far
enough. 1t will not matter about this
bill,they will get liquor if You pass 1t or
not. They always have, I know 1t,
week days or Sundays, as long as 1t is
manufactured. However, l will sup
port 1t for the reason that 1t Is a step in
the right direction. You say it Ia not a
moral question. 1 say it is; and the
proof of my statement Is THE: l have
a thousand requests in my desk, all
from Christian or church people, for me
to support this bill, and moi one busi-
ness man outside Of The liquor business
has requested me to vote against it.
Do you think | am going to have q
thousand of my constituents pointing
the finger Of scorn at me and saying,
"There goes the old bypoerite that
would not stand the test
1t has been stated that the bill Oper-
ates In too small units. / want to say
| have localized rum down to the small
est unit. If you had the power to draw
me a deed for the face Of this earth clear
OF all encumbrance, l would not take q
drink. / know they say, "We will de-
feat you; you will not come back"
Well, | haverthis to say, If / do not
come back. let 1t be STAN ped on top OF
my desk the reason why, In gilded
letters, that all who pass may read,
"Wheaton was defeated because he
dared to vote according to the dictates
Of his conscience, and refused to wear
any mans collar"
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