Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1916-02-16
PROHIBITION ENTHUSIASM GRE
ATED.

DR., Madison Swsdener of Indiana
and Ex-Gov Patterson of Tennessee
spoke to an audience that filled the
seating capacity of the main f1oor Ct
Seaver's hall last evening and the
main points scored were enthusiastic
cally appIauded.
Seated upon the rostrum with the
speakers were F. w. Cutting, f. r.
Cook, Rev. w. A. Warner, Z. L
Erwin. F. Jay Bates, DR.. J. A. Pear
son, and Wallace II. Gilpin who intro
duced the speakers. The first to give
his address was DIR. Swadener. He
characterized the liquor traffic as unde.
sirabe, liability and a drain. and
said that for every dollar received by
the state or nation as revenue, two
dollars had been expended to pay for
the wreckage caused by such trafi
his own boybood home by liquor and
of his determination to fight it to the
finish.
The speaker then explained the
practical side of the situation in the
country at the present time with re-
gard to the fight against the liquor
traffic. After many years of warfare.
he said the psychological moment had
come when by concerted effort the
fight for a national amendment for
prohibition could be pushed to sue
cessfuI conclusion. The liquor traffic
realized that the fight to finish was
now at hand and had appropriated
| $50, ,00O,000 as war fund. Dr. Swa-
dener then explained how the national
amendment was necessary to make
effective state legislation and how
with the proper support the fight
would be concluded in five years The
pledge cards for the fve-year cam
paign were then distributed.
Former Governor Malcolm R. Pat.
terson Of Tennessee then delivered ar
interesting and eloquent address. ex.
planning in the beginning his change OF
attitude with regard to prohibition anC
denouncing the liquor traffic and the
American saloon as the most degraded
and most degrading influence in Ameri
can life today. The speaker stated
that he was not reformed drunkard
that he had drank as had most of the
men with whom he had been associated
but that with the entering into hi!
life Of religion. his drinking bac
ceased and his attitude had so changed
that he would rather be a humble
instrument to destroy the liquor traffi,
| ttldI W DOlu Vic IIIS uCSC OlllCC III liz
gift of the American people. He tolt
now the time had passed when a maj
was responsible only for his owr
actions and of the passing of the feel
ing that every man could do as h,
pleased. A telling point was made b,
! the speaker in his contrast of the state
of Kansas and Missouri, which lie sid,
by side, and in the former of which
prohibition has been in force for many
years while high license laws have
been in effect in the latter. Kansa.
does not owe dollar of public debt
has one hundred dollars on deposit fo1
every person within it's borders anc
one farmer out of every five owns al
automobile.
In closing, Governor Patterson i'm
pressed on his hearers the fact tha
the eyes of the nation would be OF
Vermont at the coming election ant
urged them to disregard the worn-ou
arguments of the liquor interests, t.
vote for prohibition in Vermont anc
thus forge link in the chain of state!
which would some day ratify a nationa
amendment for prohibition.