Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-01-29
BRYAN GLAD TO
SEE REPUBLICANS
WIN IN PENNA.
Tells of Long Fight Against
Liquor Interests and Re-
suits of Victory


persons who crowded into Chestnut
Street Auditorium. William Jennings
Bryan, former Secretary of State.
and Frank B. Willis, Ex-Governor of
Ohio. brought many cheers and
much applause from the large audi
ence in two stirring addresses on
national prohibition
The two speakers came here under
the auspices of the Anti-Saloon
League, and so large a crowd turned
out that 1t was necessary to hold an
overflow meeting in the Reformed.
salem Church. Mr.. Bryan closed his
address with the statement that this
morning at Washington he would
witness the, acting Secretary of
State sign the last document which
would eventually free the country
from the liquor interests, and that
witnessing that scene would be one
of the greatest moments of his life.
bringing to reality one of his
fondest hopes. Both speakers gave
addresses in the large hall and in the
church, telling OF the bitter fight
which has been waged against the
breweries and distilleries.
Mr.. Bryan condemned the lawyers
who represented the liquor interests
and then paid a great tribute to Gov
ernor William c. Sproul and the stand
he took on the prohibition question.
Mr.. Bryan's praise of the present
chief executive of this state was Il
am glad that Governor Sproul beat
the Democrats in Pennsylvania in the
last election. l only wish that he
had won by a million votes instead of
but quarter million. l have great
respect for Mr.. Sproul in making his
fight in Pennsylvania" Mr.. Bryan
then referred to the efforts of the
Democratic party in lighting the
liquor interests and of the results
achieved.
Willis Praises state
EN-Governor Willis in his talk also
praised Pennsylvania and said that
in his opinion the state will not be
elassed as a Stacker" and that its
legislature will ratify the amend
ment. He quoted many arguments
advanced by the liquor publications
and then refuted them in a sweeping
and conclusive manner.
Comparing liquor traffic to an
archism in that it has no respect
for the law, the ex-governor ridiculed
the defenses offered by the booze
ring, and pointed TO the fact that it
costs Ohio $11 to collect a 62-cent tax
on rum. and $40 for the nation to
collect 81 of such tax.
Mr.. Bryan,s address follows in
part: II Will tell of the great Fed
eral ratification victory, how it was
won, of the forces back of it and
the dream has at last come true.
The victory has been complete.
There has been nothing like it be-
fore. 1 think. in the history of the
started there We're various reasons
put forth as to it's cause. 1t was not
a southern movement to keep the
Liquor from the negro. as some
thought. BY March 1 all Canadian
border states will have ratified it,
1t was not Western movement, and
II was not a distinctly Eastern propo-
sition for all but possible two At
n T8
agricultural, and it did not come
from the smaller states to place
them in advance of the larger ones
1t just seemed to spring from every
that they had only to gain thirteen
states to defeat the ratification, the
prohibitionists thirty-siX. We have
elghty-four houses now, and they not
one!
Nine years ago 1 made my first
prohibition speech: 1t was in an
empty hall which 1 had hired, and /
spoke to may hat and coat lying on
lieve. that the victory would come
within twenty years But now it has
been won and is more complete than
we anticipated. The churches have
been leaders in the fight but We're
very slow in entering for many rea-
sons. They were inclined in the
moral force backing the movement.
They have not always been en-
thusiastic, and some did not join un-
til two or three years ago. One hun
dred years ago drinking was COM
mon and about that time came the
first step in a resolution adopted by
a Methodist conference forbidding
ministers from becoming interested
in the liquor business. The first work
OF the kind in the Presbyterian
Church was a ruling that a minister
was not allowed to appear in public
in a drunken condition! Five years
fn Ha1 Oh rnl,
where you would be allowed to make
prohibition lecture. The Anti
Saloon League has played most i'm
portant part in the victory" he de-
clared.
Once the style
Science plays the second part in
the force of the movement. Statistics
show that there are more accidents
other period during the year Fig
ures from life insurance statistics say
that risks are much greater for the
drinking man.
side of the liquor traffic and inter-
ests. 1t was considered manly. But
1t is not even respectable now. The
rest of the world will follow late, as
1t has always initiated. us to the ex-
tent of making use of anything be-
longing to us that was really worth
while. And you can rest assured
that 1t Will make use of our attitude
regarding the traffic in liquor, which
is nothing less than a traffic in hu-
man souls.
THE victory has come sooner
than expected. The coming of the
World War threw a gastly light upon
the evil. In England Lloyd George
early awoke to the menace that held
up the British efficiency, and showed
parliament that they were fighting
three enemies - Austria Hungary.
Germany, and drink - and that drink
was the greatest of the three, Mu-
nitions and ships were held up at
an alarming rate and the request was
made for the closing of the saloons
The same conditions existed in this
country until the dry zone rule was
established" Bryan said THE Ger
man spy who tampered with aero
planes so as to cause the death of