The Home and State (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 29, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 1, 1913 Page: 4 of 8
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4
HOME AND STATE
February 1, 1913.
The Battle With the Bottle
It looks like “legislative rest” has been exhausted
down at Austin, and that “political peace” has not
where to rest its foot. It appears that daily papers
have syndicated on “harmony” news, but enough
leaks out otherwise to show that pros and antis
are still as far apart as saloons ever separate peo-
ple. The pros, with few exceptions, have not been
beguiled by the enemy, and the antis are for sa-
loons, just as they have been. Sooner or later, the
real situation will become noised abroad. “You
can’t fool all the people all the time.”
Informed people know that the Anti-Saloon
League makes no personal war on men, but will
shoot right through any man that acts as a breast-
works, behind which saloons try to hide their
monstrous deformities. If, therefore, any man gets
hurt, he has his wife’s husband to blame for it.
Some people are so ignorant that it makes them
a long time to find out what smart people have
known all the time. If a man is against saloons,
the League is for him, but if he is for saloons, the
League is against him. The League does not sup-
port saloons in order to befriend any man.
“I have always been a Bailey man, but I think
that matter ought to be dropped now that he has
gone out of public life. Certainly, prohibition has
nothing to gain by keeping the Bailey question
alive.” That is sensible talk from a prominent
citizen, and prohibitionists ought to heed it. The
people who will deliver Texas from the blight of
the liquor machine, are the people who will take
care of every good interest. The assumption of
superior patriotism and wisdom on the part of saloon
politicians, is pure tommyrot.
President-elect Wilson has a head of his own,
and plenty in it. He has given it out that there
will be a dinner at 1 p. m., and supper at night in
the White House, after he gets there. “Sawciety”
folks are amazed at his “old fashioned notions,”
but they suit the common people, who are not
chasing butterflies. Lots of starch needs to be
knocked out of our National life, and the new
President seems to be built for that kind of thing.
It is no harm for a President to have good, old-time
cornfield sense, and use it freely in serving the
country.
Prohibitionists do not want the Colquitt quart
law proposition enacted. It would prove a trojan
horse in some dry counties, where the prohibition
majority was small in the last election. Saloon
forces would work to vote off prohibition “to get
quart houses,” and in the quart house election, they
would vote with pros to leave the way for saloons
to be opened. It is a saloon man’s trick, means
trouble and no good. Every prohibition legislator
ought to oppose it. The purpose is to steal pro-
hibition counties for saloon purposes, by fooling
the people with a show of fairness. The liquor
machine wants such a law, and that says enough.
There appeared in some saloon paper recently, a
statement that “Dr. Rankin, the Gambrells and their
kind,” would not approve of some matter before
the Legislature. Be it known to all men by these
presents, that “Dr. Rankin, the Gambrells and their
kind,” will approve of the Legislature doing right,
promoting the moral welfare of Texas, but they
will never approve any barter of the State to saloon
keepers, for money or any other consideration.
They are reasonable men and will not approve of
pulling down one of “the main pillars of govern-
ment,” to let a lot of lazy foreigners make money
without rendering an equivalent. Their kind are
not for sale.
Much is being said of Gov. Colquitt and others,
of his camp, about the “golden rule program being
carried out.” “Whatsoever ye would that men
should do unto you, do ye so to them.” That is
the “golden rule.” If the aforesaid men knew what
saloons would do them and their blood, just what
they know saloons are doing for thousands of
others, would they be backing them up as they
are? “The golden rule program” says no. Talk
is cheap, and often meaningless. A parrot can talk,
but it takes men, of moral fiber to talk right, and
back it up by doing right. “The golden rule” talk
of saloon politicians is hollow mockery, intended to
fool good people, and promote their worst enemy.
“Faith without works is dead, being alone.”
Some limberjack legislator, of the saloon variety,
is quoted as saying the Anti-Saloon League ought
to be made to account for its funds. Remarks: 1.
The Anti-Saloon League is an inter-church organi-
zation. Shall co-operating churches also account
for their Sunday School, church expense, mission,
education, and orphanage funds? 2. Following
NOTES FROM ANTI-SALOON
LEAGUE HEADQUARTERS
By J. H. GAMBRELL, Superintendent
DISTRICT SUPERINTENDENTS.
R. C. Dial, Greenville, Dallas District; Rev.
Atticus Webb, Fort Worth, Fort Worth-Abi-
lene District; Rev. W. C. Dunn, Houston,
Houston District; Rev. J. M. Hamby, Center
Point, San Antonio District; Rev. C. F. Annis,
Brownwood District.
the 1911 prohibition campaign, the Anti-Saloon
League filed a sworn statement of its financial
transactions, which was audited by a bonded offi-
cial. This was done as an act of good faith, not
because any law requires church organizations to
account to civil authorities for their financial trans-
actions. When Col. Wolters was called on for an
account of the money transactions of the all-over-
the-state saloon committee, he said in effect, it is
none of your business, and Texas people shall never
know how much was spent to defeat prohibition in
1911, where it came from, and who got it. The
Wolters gang is the one to go after. The Anti-
Saloon League has already reported in full.
None, except those favoring saloons, want this
State dominated, at the ballot box, by ignorance
and aliens. Some member of the Legislature, who
has a record for clean methods, and straightfor-
ward, openly doing things, ought to put up to our
lawmakers a bill that will silence the vote of igno-
rance and foreigners. Every honorable state in-
terest demands such an election law. As matters
now are, shrewd, unscrupulous men can combine
the ignorant and alien vote, and down intelligent,
native Americans. This was done July 22, 1911,
and again July 27, 1912, for certain offices, and all
enlightened people know it. If white Americans
are to be responsible for Texas, they ought to have
an election law under which they can control it.
There can be no justification, if the Legislature
fails to pass such a law. Ignorant negroes and
aliens have raided the ballot box too long, to the
hurt of the State. Let a just, sane measure be
introduced, by some member, who wants the right
thing done, and every member be put to record in
the vote on it. Let’s be done with trickery, and the
rule of ignorance and venality.
Prohibitionists, whose representatives in the
Legislature, played them false, ought to make an
end of that kind of thing for all time to come. This
means that they they must stir up and organize
a sentiment that will prevent the election of men
who will go over to the enemy, on any pretext.
The time to begin such work is now, with no let
up, till things are settled right. Those that think
the liquor machine will be dethroned from our
politics without a well sustained struggle, do not
know its resources and power. Nothing so stub-
born and conscienceless has ever enthroned itself in
Texas politics. Any organization that can induce
men to commit political suicide, or take the chances
of doing so, is tremendous. “Hotspur” campaigns
will never foil the purposes, nor paralyze the power,
of an organization that can pitch public men right
in the face of the well known sentiment of their
constituents. Prohibitionists are up against a
machine whose cunning schemes, always for sa-
loons, lead men to dig their own political graves
and bury themselves for time and eternity. To
smash this machine, is no child’s play, nor the work
of a few weeks, even months.
In his inaugural speech, Governor Colquitt
urged humane treatment in legislation to govern
convict life. His humane feelings are too tardy.
Saloons have put in our prisons, most of those who
are there, but Governor Colquitt stands for saloons
in the face of that well known fact. His plea
therefore, sounds like hollow mockery, and sounds
natural. Of course, convicts ought to be treated
humanely. Nobody thinks otherwise, except saloon
besotted wretches, but Texas ought to quit making
convicts, through the saloon business. It is more
humane to prevent criminality, than it is to create
and punish it, ever so humanely. This does not take
into account the vast army of innocent people that
must suffer with convicts, and they are worth con-
sideration at the hands of lawmakers. Good men
will consider these innocents in framing State poli-
cies, whether bad men will or not. Men in the
Legislature under obligations to saloons, will serve
saloons in spite of their output, in wrecked human-
ity and adjure kindly treatement of the fragments,
but men owning saloons nothing but hatred, will
legislate to save humanity from saloon wreckage.
Ihat is the difference between saloon bondage and
freedom.
Press dispatches say that Mr. R. B. Humphrey,
who though representing a prohibition district,
voted for an anti speaker, will introduce a resolu-
tion, providing for a Constitutional Convention, but
is trying to find a way to hedge prohibition out of
such convention. This shows that when a trusted
man blunders deliberately once, he is likely to
continue blundering. Does Mr. Humphrey propose
to hedge out the saloon license question also? If
so, what would be the provision of a New Consti-
tution concerning the liquor question? Is it his
idea to leave all reference to the question out of a
New Constitution, or does he mean to be under-
stood as having gone entirely into the saloon camp?
His attitude is remarkable, and needs clarifying.
The saloon press makes “prominent pros” of all
those who deserted their constituents in the speaker-
ship matter. It may as well be understood, once
for all, that those who desert a moral reform, do
not speak by authority for such reform; that they
represent neither the conviction nor purpose un-
derlying and promoting it. “Prominent pro lead-
ers” voting for extreme antis, is a pure myth. Such
leaders never go into the camp of the enemy.
Whenever saloons are considered, prohibitionists
will have a word to say.
That the liquor machine is a gigantic trust, is
proven by the fact that the brewers own most of
the saloons in this country. The better class sa-
loon keepers say the business is “practically in the
hands of big brewers, that are putting up prices to
where those who want to do a legitimate business,
can’t do it and live.” Those are the exact words
of one of them. Why don’t the anti-trust law cover
the case? Why don’t trust bursting officials, go
after this trust? It would seem susceptible of
proof, unless all saloon keepers are totally unre-
liable on the witness stand, that the liquor trust is
“in restraint of trade,” to the extent of taking over
the entire retail liquor traffic of the country. Saloon
keepers are practically only the employees of the
liquor trust. The trust has paid attorneys in all the
States, looking after its interest in legislatures and
in political campaigns. These are skilled men, re-
ceiving fabulous fees. Then the trust has county
attorneys, “to fix things” and “practice influence”
in politics. These smaller fry are employed and
paid by “The Model License League,” a branch of
the trust, located at Louisville, Ky., “to handle the
southern section” for the mother trust. Here is
business for officials, sworn to look after “trusts
operating in restraint of trade.” Let them get
busy.
Governor Brewer, of Mississippi, has made an
unchangeable rule that he will not even consider
pardoning any one convicted of selling liquor, until
most of the sentence has been served. He also
says no such convicts will ever be pardoned, except
on the condition that if he ever violates law again,
the suspended sentence must be served out. The
Governor says: “There is less excuse for violating
the prohibition law, than any other on the books,
and I am resolved to break it up.” That is power-
fully discouraging to the law-breakers. If our
Texas Governor were to announce such a program,
people would think the millenium about to dawn.
The liquor machine didn’t elect Governor Brewer,
and that makes a difference in the cases.
When the League Superintendent was prohibi-
tion organizer in Mississippi, General J. C. Clark,
President of the Illinois Central Railroad, said to
him: “The worst enemy railroads have, is the
liquor business. Most of their disasters are caus-
ed by it. I hope to see the day when there will
not be a saloon on our lines, and to help to that
end, I will gladly furnish you annual passes.” How
any railroad official can think saloons are helpful
to his business, is an amazement. People stand for
railroads being treated right, and railroads ought
to stand for the people, not saloons.
B
A TRIBUTE FROM THE ENEMY.
UT there is a party that does not confine their
spellbinding to a few weeks every four years.
The Anti-Saloon League is constantly “on
the job” from early morn till late at night. From
the first of January to the thirty-first of December,
they are carrying on their campaign. Over 500
spellbinders are going from State to State, county
to county and township to township, invading
thousands of churches and other places throughout
the country.
Their official paper, the American Issue, has the
immense circulation of 800,000 each week, and
hundreds of the daily papers, whose advertising
columns are freely patronized by brewers, to the
exclusion of friendly journals, are belching out
“hell and damnation” to the trade that contributes
so liberally to the national, state and municipal'
governments of our country.—From an address de-
livered before the Wisconsin Liquor Dealers’ Con-
vention, July 23, 1912, and reported in the Champion
of Fair Play, November 23, 1912.
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The Home and State (Dallas, Tex.), Vol. 14, No. 29, Ed. 1 Saturday, February 1, 1913, newspaper, February 1, 1913; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1651547/m1/4/: accessed June 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Library and Archives Commission.