The interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1912-1984, 1917-01-05

ZION, ana. my 1rlenQS. neeO not tell you
that the success of the Democratic party
in the future depends upon taking the
right side of this question.
The Lexington Meeting.
'They have been kind enough to tell you
that l came all the way from Miami, in
Southern Florida, to speak to you Demo
Gratis assembled here. To be entirely ac-
curate. l received this invitation after ]
had decided to come to Lexington, and
what was it that brought me to Lexing,
ton? 1t was meeting of eight hundred
college boys and girls, assembled from this
entire Union, who came there to help or
ganize the fight for nationals prohibition.
My friends, when l set the 18th for coming
to Lexington and was invited to come here
also. l fixed the same day: and these two
occasions have amply justified me in TAX
ing the trip from the Sunny South. 1t
cheered my heart to see these college stu
there consecrated to this great cause. And
ii cheers me none the less to see the rep
resentative Democrats of Kentucky assem-
bled here, and with no fOaming beer or
stimulating whisky showing an enthusiasm
that no drunken crowd could emulate.
Il am not here because 1 think you
need me. l am here rather to borrow in
spiration and receive strength from your
determination and your enthusiasm. Why.
my friends, you have in your midst and
at your table one who is a veteran in
this fight compared with myself, and how
ever he may aid me outside of Kentucky.
/ am simply Beckham's lieutenant when
L come to your State.
Il am against liquor because / believe
it is a poison that, taken into the human
system, impairs the physical strength and
mental energies and menaces the family
of the man, and / have done what l could
to persuade men not to use the stuff at
all, and L have been more interested in
the young men than in the old ones. l
would if l could rescue every old man
who has formed the habit, but, knowing
how difficult it is to break the habit when
it is once formed, / have devoted my time
rather TO the young men who have not
formed the habit, and l have signed
pledges with them more than l can re-
member and | stand ready until l die TO
sign with anybody anywhere and at any
time and promise never to use intoXicat-
ing liquor as a beverage
Economic and Moral Phases.
But l am not content merely to per
suade while we can take advantage of
legislation to save men from the curse
of drink. And so today are face to
face with the legislative phase of this
question, and If you will bear with me
for just few moments | want to present
30 YOU two arguments that are making
this country prohibition. One is an eco
monte argument and the other is a moral
argument The economic argument is this
that as the use of intoxicating liquor is
an evil, no community can afford to per
nit the establishment of an institution
that cannot live except as it Injuries the
people OF the community. If anybody tells
you the saloon is Il good thing for the
community. let me give you two answers.
each one conclusive.
The first is that you may travel over
this country and you will not find a sign
board advertising town or city that
gives the number of saloons in the town
You will find everything else, everything
they think attractive. the number of fac
tories, banks. business houses. colleges.
schools, churches, but 1 challenge you to
find a billboard between the two Ocears
that tells the number of saloons any city
. has when they inviting npOnlp q come
among them.
They say no Saloons but none of them
say saloons You cannot find a Board of
Trade. a Chamber of Commerce, a Com
mercial Club or a civic organization that
puts on its literature advertising the ad-
vantages of a town the number of sa-
: looms il has. If il is an advantage. why
! don't they enumerate it among the attrac-
/ tive things? The second has been re
ferred to by Gov. Beckham. 1t is this
If the saloon is a blessing. why tax "a
| blessing when it comes to bless yOu?
why do you discriminate between the
saloon and other kinds Of business: If Il
man wants TO start a butcher shop IL the
! town. you say go ahead. If a man wants
to start jewelry store or restaurant or
| bank. you welcome him. But if he wants
to start a saloon, what do You do? You
meet him at the city limits and you say,
! you cannot start that business in this
town unless you give us so much
And then you don't treat him as you do
other businesses. The butcher shop and
when they please and close when they
like. But you say to the saloon when it
can open and when it must close. 1t can
only stay open so long at night and can
not sell to any one unless he is over age
and under drunk.
THAT is what they say TO the saloon
keeper. Why the discrimination?
Why Fine the Drunkard?
"Is it not strange that you license a man
to establish a saloon to make men drunk
al :
drunk? Why, my friends, you do not
treat the saloonkeeper fairly when you
punish people for making his business a
success. Some one said it was like licens-
ing man TO spread the itch in a town
and then filming everybody who scratched
because they itched. And, my friends. is
it fairs it fair. / ask you. when a man
pays a high price for the privilege of es
tablishing a saloon to make men drunk
when he gets a first-class finished product
with his nose all painted up-is it fail
TO hustle him off to the calabOose and
shut him up where nobody can see him.
Why not put him in front of the saloor
to advertise the business and show what
the saloon can do with a man when it get,
fair chance at him. And yet they say
they don't treat the saloonkeeper fairly.
And let me say a word to the goot
people of this great wet city. You have
just secured an Agricultural Bank. a Farm
ers' Loan Bank. and | was interested I,
read how proud you are that you have
been made the center of that bank. Sham
you conspire against every farmer in you
State and would help the liquor deale
, ruin the family of every one of them (,
, increase his business What makes you
city great? 1t is great because of Ken
, lucky. because on your hills and in You
valleys you have toiling population, anC
il is the wealth they gather from your sol
that makes Louisville what il is. AM
yet your business men and your bankc.
will allow few distillers to take an o.
whip and drive them into cOnspirac'
: against the welfare of the people frOu
. whom they draw all the money that you
city makes. Oae hundred and six cOun
. ties dry in Kentucky. and every one o
! them dry in spite of everything your citi
I zenship of Louisville has dNe You triet
: in this city to defeat county option. Yol
! tried 10 disfranchise your farmers. Yol
, tried to continue a system that enabled
! the saloon to establish itself in littl
community and then extend its evil in
iuence throughout the eRtire agriculture
community roundabout. and when you
; farmers cried to you for aid your ear
l were deaf and you heard nobody but you
dstiller. who does not live among the sa
looms that he owns.
+ The Distilier and the Saloon.
p where does The distiller live? Anon;
the saloons tina: he ccntrols2 No. The,