The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-10-12
Speaks To Large Crowd AT
The Court House Tues
day Evening
DRY VOTE MUST TURN
OUT TO WIN, HE SAYS
Make America Prohibition
Country During The War,
His Plea

Addressing an audience which filled
the court room of the local court house
Tuesday evening, Hon. Frank b. Will
lis, former governor of Ohio, spoke on
statewide prohibition, having been
brought here by the Knox county
branch of the Ohio Dry federation of
which Paul NJ. Ashbaugh is secretary.
The court room filled up soon after
1880 o'clock, the time set for the meet
ing, and the drum corps of the G. A. X.
was present to render martial music OF
the days of 81 to ga. Curtis W. Nc.
Kee introduced Columbus Ewalt whom
had been chosen by the committee on
the meeting to introduce Mr.. Willis
and preside at the meeting.
After few moments of talk in
which he stated that the person he
was about to introduce had caused
Knox county Democrats more worry
than any other Republican in the state
in the Hast state election, Chairman
Ewalt introduced the speaker
Mr.. Willis, with a genial bow to
those whose faces he remembered as
having been closely associated with
the Republican party activities in this
section of the state during his recent
run, spoke of the possibilities, or more
correctly, the probabilities, OF the
states going dry and the saloons be
ing abolished in Ohio. Mr. Willis said
| that it was not more votes that the
| Dry federation Is attempting to OBJ
| tain but 1t is to urge the many voters
who usually stay at home during elec
| tion day to go to the polls and vote as
| they should.
''If the state goes wet (and there Ii
not much chance of that the fault will
| be, not with the men who vote wet
but those good people whose inten
tions are dry but are so tremendously
busy on election day that they cam
20 out to VOTE" Mr. Willis said EN-
phatically.
In bringing to light his points of ar
gument and comment, Mr.. Willis pic
tured the fights over several ques
tions and issues Of the day which ar
the subject of great deal of commen
and criticism. One Of these, the first
Is the right of self.government.
In illustrating his point here, tn
speaker alluded to the great Europea'
war in which the United States Is noN
actively engaged with the entente a
lies. If Germany and the German pei
pie want to be ruled by autocracy or
despot, stated Mr. Willis in substance
let them be ruled by the greatest mi
itary autocracy the world has eve
:. known since the days of Charlemagne
no, even Hannibal and Caesar"-it is n
business of the people of the Unite
States, They have the right to dete
mine themselves what form of govern
ment by which they shall abide.
n But we have concern" he conti
o ued, "in the saying that they shall M
), encroach that system upon the renal
q der of the world" A great round
i applause was given the former chi
executive as he shouted this.
In speaking of the world war, NJ
Willis referred to the shipping pr
IS gram as issued to the United Stat
T. by Emperor William in which he sa
Is that I'VE could sail one vessel we
II upon HIS ocean, but wait, he said
y condition that they touch only certa
~, points and that they be painted a CO
tain distinguishable color; and II I
conditions were not carried out, I
ships would he ruthlessly sunk
70 The United States did not obey I
II, command of the kaiser, but declar
10 the existence OF state of war and p
'd pared for the war which had knock
at Americas door.
% "Now our national and information
:. honor IL at stake and we must
+, ready for any eventuality," the spe'
NJ er said
i'd The United States, when the Germ
n merchant marine came to Ameri
played fair, and the submar'
Deutschland was escorted by an ov
n. whelming sea patrol to the three-m
ol limit At the same time that the III
&c ed States was playing the game II
e. ly and buying goods from Germs
IL and supplying her with necessities
u her national existence, the German
' eiEn agents were fomenting cons
avy. with Mexico and Japan as