Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-05-12
GOV. PATTERSON SPEAKS
FAvORS PROHIBITION
Personwide, Townwide State Wide,
Nationwide, Worldwide.
LIQUOR OPPONENT TO PROGRESS.
Says Able Speaker at Last Nights
Meeting in State Armory.


sentative and interested audience. lis
tened to former Governor Malcolm r.
Patterson. Of Tennessee, speak in avo-
cacy of national prohibition Of the
liquor traffic, at the Bladen st. Ar
mory last night.
The meeting was called to order by
w. Hallam Claude, chairman of the ex-
ecutive committee for constitutional
prohibition of Anne Arundel County,
and Major Hugh R. Riley presided.
The only speaker besides Governor
Patterson, was DR.. Hare, the State
Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon
League. There was some good singing
by the audience, and solos by Messrs.
Clarence Clemson and VIM. M. Field
meyer. 1t was the first occasion when
the Armory was used for a large pub
lie gathering of the kind, and it was
shown to be splendidly adapted to the
purpose.
The appearance of Governor Patter-
son in the interest of prohibition of
the liquor traffic is most interesting,
inasmuch as during most Of his public
career, she was known as a strong
opponent of the movement. AS the
Governor of Tennessee, he vetoed a
Statewide prohibition measure, and his
message giving his reasons for his
action has been largely used by the sa-
loon advocates
His change of heart was explained
last night, as he has explained it be-
fore, as being the result of the en-
trance of the spirit of Christ into his
life, and his realization thereby that
the liquor business was the great foe
of humanity, and, particularly, of the
youth of the land.
Governor Patterson announced him.
self to be in favor of prohibition per-
sonwide, townwide, statewide, nation
wide and worldwide. He denounced
the liquor trade as the great opponent
of the progress and wellbeing of the
human race. In kindly way, he spoke
of the impression which the saloons of
some of the cities of Maryland
notably Annapolis and Havre-de-
Grace made upon him. and called at
tention to the fact that they presented
to the growing youths of the commu-
nifty constant temptation to indulge
in that which would wreck their
lives.
The speaker assured his hearers that
prohibition was a real thing in his
own state of Tennessee, and that it
was enforced excellently. He also
spoke of conditions in Kansas, and
showed by comparisons with the neigh
boring state of Missouri that prohi-
bition had wonderfully increased the
material condition of the former state,
as well as built up its manhood and
womanhood.
Some time was devoted to the en-
forcement phase of the question. and
Governor Patterson proved his conten-
tion that prohibition could be enforced
by many strong arguments from what
the government has accomplished
along sother lines of law enforcement,
and actual conditions in prohibition
communities.
A very Illuminating portion of the
address was that in which he gave the
history of the present revenue laws of
the United States. These, he said,
were war measures, and Lincoln had
twice refused to sign the bill. Finally,
he signed the bill in the express
pledge of members of Congress that
they would repeal the law when the
Civil War was ended. Lincoln was as
sasinated, and the pledge was not kept
and this is the reason that the partner
ship between the saloon and the federal
government has furnished the saloon
interests with one of their strongest
arguments.
In conclusion, Governor Patterson
spoke of the moonshiners' little home
in the mountains, and the little still
hidden in the bushes, in which he pro.
duced few gallons of whiskey. The
government, he said, pursued this man,
not because he m ade whiskey, but
because he failed to pay the tax,
put him in prison, took his life if he
resisted, but the men who made mill.
ions by soul-destroying whiskey were
left alone to do their deadly work.
Those present heard Governor Pat.
terson with great pleasure and bene-
fit, and ne approached the great ques-
tion from an unusual point of view.
His words were impressive, and he
convinced those present of his SINGER
ity. The meeting was apparently pro-
ductive of great deal of good by slim
ulating the interest of those present,
and arousing them to stronger efforts in
behalf of the cause.
s