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Sparks From the Speakers.
(Concluded from Page Two.)
“only a farmer,’’ but a farmer who thinks and feels
and acts as a. student and friend of the public good.
He pleaded with earnest eloquence for the abolition
of the liquor traffic* “It is morals against money,”
he declared; “sobriety against order
against crime, light against darkness, right against
wrong!” And with as many of such ringing words
as he could pack into a three-minute speech, Mr.
Huie, of Clayton, surprised and thrilled us all.
Mr. Chamblee, of Rome, said he knew he faced
defeat, but must speak for conscience sake. He
asked for more time for the breweries to close out
their business and predicted that some of these
drastic laws would be repealed. He spoke like an
honest man and we grieved to see this gifted Roman
mistaken.
Worth was Worth While.
It was worth while to hear the representative
from Worth, Claud Payton, serving his first term
in the Legislature, he did not have to warm np to his
subject. He was already warm. He hoped he would
never hear the word “drastic” again. How could
any law against an acknowledged evil be, too se
vere? If this legislature should do no more than
pass this bill and then adjourn, it would do enough
good for the State to make it immortal.
Afternoon Session.
Down from the “vallcvS of Hall” came H. H.
Perry, who explained his substitute. He was an
other honest, able man who thought the proposed
bill was too severe on physicians. He was the friend
of temperance, morality and Christianity, but be
lieved that his substitute giving physicians the right
to keep “spirits” ready for their patients would
be more humane and effective.
Fulton, Os Course.
Strange, but not strange —Fulton, like all coun
ties with large cities, has “wet” representatives.
R. B. Blackburn, with genial smiles and vehe
ment zeal, declared that “Prohibition won’t pro
hibit anyhow,” and asked for more time for people
who have business houses leased and breweries run
ning to get their affairs “adjusted.” He did
“right well,” considering the side he was on.
The Personality of Persons.
For eight minutes Mr. Persons, of Monroe county,
revealed a winsome personality as well as a keen
intellect and cogent reasoning powers. He argued
especially against the danger of allowing doctors and
druggists to keep liquor to be used “only in cases
of sickness.” He had seen it tried in his county
and it became a furious farce. Then that greatly
abused privilege was taken away and Forsyth has
been transformed.
Flanders and Moses.
Dr. Flanders, of Johnson, filled his five minutes
with Bible illustrations. He cited Moses and the
Egyptians and warned the prohibitionists not to
yield one inch to the liquor power. “Come out of
Egypt and leave not a hoof behind.”
Holder Takes Strong Hold.
Editor John Holder, of The Jackson Herald,
honored the editorial profession in his short but
powerful speech. “Eight years ago,” he said, “1
voted on this floor for the Willingham Bill, which
was substantially the same as the bill now before
us. All these years I have kept the faith, and now
as the only man in this body who voted for the
Willingham Bill I am ready to vote for this. Ev
ery argument on the liquor side has been routed
by the facts, and with all the facts for sobriety,
morality and good government on our side we can
not —must not —compromise with evil.” John
Holder spoke like a patriot, and hearts were blessed
by his manly, ringing words.
An Economic Loss.
Another teacher lifts his voice against the saloon.
B. H. Hill, of Monroe county, talked like he might
be akin to Benj. H. Hill the Great!
Having been a teacher he had seen the trail of
the serpent in the lives of children coming from li
quor-cursed homes. He declared that the conscience
and the intelligence had written over the liquor
traffic; “Meas, we, tekel upharsin’l’
The Golden Age for August 8, 1907.
“The Watch Dog of the House.”
“Oom Paul” Joe Hill Hall, whose ability and
honesty everybody admires, spoke vigorously against
the “drastic” features of the bill, and warned the
legislature and the people that “sooner or later the
substitute I now offer will be enacted into law.”
So glad the statesman from Bibb is not necessarily
a prophet.
Mr. Barrow, of Savannah.
A handsome young man with an “affidavit-look
ing face” spoke against the bill in an honest, in
jured tone. And we believe he meant every word
of it. He said Savannah didn’t want it —and he
told the legislators that they ought to treat Savan
nah as they would have Savannah treat them.
A Straight Somersault.
Mr. Sheffield, of Decatur county, a brother-in
law of Judge Covington, author of the House bill,
declared that the opponents of the bill had made a
complete somersault. They used to be “dead
against” local option, but now when local option
and home rule mean the continuation of saloons in
the cities they are ardent local optionists. Behold
their somersaulting I
‘‘The Opportunity and the Occasion Have Met.”
Mr. Hardman, of Jefferson, declared that the
welfare of nine-tenths of the women and children
is wrapped up in this question. Brave, true men,
regardless of cost and consequences, must stand
guard at the door of the lives and happiness of
these women and children, and fight away their ene
my, the legalized liquor traffic. The “Opportunity
and the Occasion have met.”
‘‘Putting On the Brakes.”
Mr. Swilling, of Franklin, said that as a boy he
helped his father haul farm products. He could
do no more than just to put on the brakes. That
rs what we are doing with the liquor traffic. We
do not hope to stop it entirely —but we are^going
to put on the brakes. If only one life is redeemed
and one home made happier, it will be worth all
It costs. Let us put on the brakes.
A Happy Moment.
Mr. Atkins, of Dooly, the young Editor of the
Vienna News, said: “I am not a public speaker—
but this is one of the happiest moments of my life.
I declared long ago when I was boy that I would
always vote against the sale of liquor in every
form, every time, and everywhere. My children are
growing up around me and I want temptation re
moved as far from them as possible.”
A Wise Man Speaks.
Mr. Wise, of Fayette, putting much in little, wise
ly and vigorously covered the commercial argument
and “prohibition doesn’t prohibit.” We must not
temporize—we must not compromise—we must not
postpone. We must not try simply to mitigate or
regulate a public evil. We must be content with
nothing less than extermination!
Clem Dunbar, Gentleman.
The argument for the Anti-prohibitionists was
closed by Mr. Dunbar, of Augusta, in a speech of
twenty minutes that was conservative, respectful —
the strongest possible on that side. He emphasized,
of course, the stock arguments of the opposition,
but his manner was so gentlemanly and his words
so careful and considerate that he won to himself
anew the personal friendship of everybody. If any
thing could have changed the result, the speech of
Clem Dunbar, Gentleman, would have beaten Gi
braltar down!
Covington’s Conquering Close.
Keen, careful, incisive, Judge Covington arose
to speak in twelve minutes the last word in this fa
mous debate. His first words, so quaint and strik
ing, can never be forgotten. He began: “The
gentleman from Monroe quoted some Scripture—
Mene, mene, tekel Upharsir. Feeling sure the gen
tlemen of the opposition do not know much about
the meaning of Scripture, I will just translate that
for them. The handwriting on the Babylonian
wall means: You have been selling liquor in Geor
gia, and you’ve got to quit.”
With such a beginning the remainder of his mar
velous 22-minute speech can be imagined. It was
electrical. It was masterful.
You can close up the galleries, but a cloud of wit-
nesses from James Edward Oglethorpe to Henry
Grady and Sam Jones look down upon us.
And God is looking, too!
Voting and Victory.
And then the voting began. When 92 votes had
been registered—enough to pass the bill—a wave of
unspeakable gladness and thanksgiving swept every
prohibition heart. I could but grasp the hand of
J. B. Richards, the real father of the Anti-Sa loon
League in Georgia, and when the full result, 139 to
39, was announced on the v outside the "waiting mul
titude broke into cheers and songs, making the cor
ridors of the capital ring with “Praise God from
whom all blessings flow.”
How beautiful and fitting that the crowd should
make for Grady’s monument, where an impromptu;
celebration took place—a celebration ringing with
the music of earth and Heaven and mellowed by
the benedictions of God.
H I?
Track Through the Bible.
(Continued from Page 6.)
Fzekiel, in the darkest days of exile, bore tes
timony supremely to the glory of God, which was
manifest in Hrs reprobation of a nation which had
failed, and in His ultimate restoration of all things
to allegiance to His throne.
Daniel was the prophet of hope in the time of
darkness. Out of the midst of historic night he
spoke in tire language of prophetic light.
Hosea viewed the nation in its spiritual relation
to God, and showed its sin to be that of spiritual
adultery.
Joel saw the nation as under the government of
God, and proclaimed the coming Day of Jehovah
as to its government and grace.
Amos was supremely conscious of the people as
a nation, and uttered the message of national ac
countability in its application to the surrounding
nations, and pre-eminently to Judah and Israel.
The book of Jonah was a prophetic story, indicat
ing the inclusiveness of the Divine government, and
rebuking the exclusiveness of the Hebrew people.
Micah’s vision was largely that of the governing
center —authority. He condemned the false rulers,
and proclaimed the appointment of the true.
Nahum was the complement of Jonah. The pro
phet declared the overthrow of Nineveh on account
of sin, to the nation as it was just returning from
captivity which had resulted from sin, and thus
at the same time uttered a message of warning and
of encouragement.
Habakkuk delivered the message of a man of
faith, who, perplexed by the circumstances of the
hour, found a solution which he declared to the
nation.
Zephaniah spoke from the standpoint of an in
timate knowledge of Jehovah, and declared His
severity and goodness, which things are not in op
position but in apposition.
Haggai, understanding that relationship to God
was the true secret of national strength, urged the
rebuilding of the temple.
Zechariah assisted Haggai, and then became the
great prophet of the final things.
Malachi condemned the corruption of correct
ness, the maintenance of form without power, and
uttered the final words concerning the coming One.
What Are We Coming To? —Congressman Blank
and his wife had been to Baltimore one after
noon. When they left the train at Washington, on
their return, Mrs. Blank discovered that her um
brella, which had been entrusted to the care of her
husband, was missing. “Where’s my umbrella?”
she demanded. “I’m afraid I’ve forgoten it, my
dear,” meekly answered the Congressman. “It
must still be in the train.” “In the train!”
snorted the lady. “And to think that the affairs
of the nation are entrusted to a man who doesn't
know enough to take care of a woman’s umbrella!”
—Argonaut.
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