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* * * WHITE RIBBON ECHOES. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The power of the Spoken Word. (Concluded) by A. R.. 0. As I wri'te, two little citiesk in Illi nois, sharply contrasted in the mat ter of sentiment toward the drink evil, rise before my mental vision. The chiefs cities of adjoining coun ties, with equal advantages in the matter of public resources and civic wealth, separated by but twenty miles of rolling prairie, yet in their attitude toward the deadly vice of intemper ance as widely sundered as the poles. In one of these town's, the leading e tizens, the county officials, in whose hands and to,whose honor the people trust the management of their cor porate interests, are openly, frankly intemperate, visiting the saloons as openly as they do the grocery stores, and oftener. In this town, the luckless indivi 43ual with an acquired or inherited ap petite for drink is not sustained in a struggle against temptation by the counsel and encouragement of his as sociates, or deterred from yielding by the fear of their disapproval. No. He is aided and even hurried on his way to spiritual and physical ruin, justified and sustained in his actions, 'by the example and opinions of his associates. "It's a man's own bus iness. Let him drink, if he likes. It's no one's affair but his own," say the citizens of this town. There have been some tragic occur rences, directly attributable to intem perance, in this little city, which have given it unpleasant notoriety, extend ing far beyond the confines of the State, and this the citizens resent bit terly. "It would be a fi'ne thing for this town if all the temperance cranks -were muzzled", remarked one of them upon the occasion of an episode in one of the saloons that was serving as -a "horrible example'" to the temper ance workers in several adjoining States, and this man was so hypnotiz 'ed by the public sentiment of the place that he really believed what he said. Yn this town an .earnest little group. o'f temperance workers have banded togther. They are the mothers and sisters of the boys, who, if they wish to enjo.v the society of their fathers .and elder brothers, must spend their leisure hours in the saloons, for these passeem to be the "eternal camp ing ground''' for the men of the town even these who do not drink to ex ress. Bcause of the prevailing toler ant spirit toward the drink evil, this .Sittle band of heroic women must per 'foree, struggle against terrible odds. Because 6f the justice of their cause they must at last prevail. On the other hand in the adjoinig county seat, public sentiment has ev -er been openly expressed against the saloon element. Even before the town became prohibition territory, one man -gave up his saloon because of athat sentiment. ''We either had to quit the saloon, or leave the town,'' h.e said, in an swer to inquiries. "My wife and I were both born here, but our old friends and associates shunned us, and the young folks looked down on our children. It was like having the leprosy. We had to give up the sa loon, for we didn't want to leave thisL plaee. It 's such a nice, safe, decent town in which to bring up a family." "lihus .public sentiment fo'rced that man to live honestly, to earn his liv ing decently, not by fattening upon the weakness of his fellow men. - In this town, the man who aspires to offices of public honor or trust, ~dares not drink openly. He must, be cause of his environment, live up to the decent principles which he pro fesses.I It is claimied that there are men in1 this -town, who while apenly arraigned .sgainst intemperance, drink secretly, .and I do not question the truth of this statement. Yet it is the "lesser evil." Under the restraint of stealth the habitual drinker unquestionably *does less harm to himself and others ~than the man who, surrounded by boon companions, drinks before the bar. Publ.ic sentiment has kept the :seeret drinkers from degenerating in-i to hopeless drunken sots. Now, as to the financial prosperity of the towns, in question. Because, as .the ex-saloonkeeper said, the town last mentioned is such a decent, safe town in which to rear a family, threre floudishes within its pleasant ceonfines, a college and business school, -and -the public schools of the place tare -also excellent. Several busy factories contribute to the well-being of the place, which for more than a decade has demon strated .successfully its ability to flourish and wax prosperous without the revenues it once derived from sa Toons. And the ever widening cir -eles of this town 's influence have swept the entire county free from these abominations. As to the pros perity of the town first mentioned, there is little to tell. I remember no .tinie. however, in the last United States census report, that this town had a population numbering one hun dred less than in the report of ten years previous. I have cited thein stances of these two places in proof of this: The spoken word may make or mar. He who lifts not his voice in protest against a wrong, acquiesces in that wrong. He whose voice is not heard in defense of right betrays his fellow men-aye, even Christ, for has not the Master said, "He that is uot for me is against. me." If all the saloons that have been closed in the United States since Jan. 1, 1908, were placed side by side, counting twenty-five feet front to each saloon, it would make a solid row of saloons, more than fifty miles' long!-The Illinois Issue. VIEW OF COMPROMISE BY A PROHIBITIONIST Senator Otts Gives His Ideas as to the Prohibition Bill as Passed by General Assembly. Senator Obts of Cherokee, who was the floor leader for the prohibition ists, said yesterday in .reference to the amended prohibition bill: "I have no fault to find with the action of those senators who went into an agreement to accept the 'wet county referendum' amendment. In so doing the 'wet counties' secure an electlin without the trouble and expensa of se curing a petition and are freed from the annoyance of being liable to bo-;Vi lity or indifference of the county sup ervisor, as was possible uider the Carey-Cothran act. This is ail that the prohibtionists have gained. I am satisfied >thait at least 15 oi the counties now 'wet' will vote the on ty dispensary out and that much -nore dry territory will. be ailded to the dry' column. There were vari ms conferences and persoral!y I woold have preferred the 'reversed local op :tion amendment,' as there would not have been so many counties to have voted, as I am sure one-half of the wet counties' would not have peti tioned for an election on the question. "The prohibitionists never had a majority in the senate and as to -re ferendum' there were not a majority of State referendum senators. The mistake was made by many friends f prohibition in not distinguishing etween county referendum senators and State referendung senartors. I am t a loss to understand why the op osition acceded to the terms unless hey thought by so doing that they ould avert the impending prohibi ion wave tilat will sweep the State in 910. That to my mind was one of he strongest reasons for passing the State-wide bill at this session. Then e could have had the novelty of a State campaign in this State without he "licker'' question. Personally I :houghi State referendum would have complished the same purpose, as elieve that the people would have atified a State-wide prohibition bill y not less than 30,000 majority. The eak point in the amended act is the failure .to incorporate adequate pro isions to enforce the law. "The nuisance and injunction mendments which I offered Friday morning should have been adopted ad were lost by only one vote. Of ourse the liquor advocates hope that he law ean not be enforced and then he reaction will come. But I am sure hat the next session will provide am ie power to enforce the law. Every hase of compromise that I was con erned in looked to enacting prohi ition as a sentimental or moral meas re, bust as a matter of State policy. So while I oppose the county unit and hink ithe sale of liquor by the State bsolutely wrong, yet this measure ill undoubtedly increase the 'dry erritory' in the State and for that eason will be an advance for practi -al prohibition, and I am sure no pro iiitionist who aeeepts it will lay own his arms. This fight shall go, on until South Carolina is dry or has State-wide prohibtion." CRUX'S RESIGNATION. ollector of Charleston Port Writes Letter to The President. Charleston, March 1.-With the re ination of Dr. William D. Crum, as ollector of custoirs for this port, the esignation to take effect March Ph, the situation which threatened to cause President-elect Taft consider able embarrassment is avoided. No ppointment made by President Roosevelt during either of his admin istrations has given rise to such dis ussion .as that of Crum whose ap pointmen t as collector at Chiarleston was vigorously opposed because of the fat that he was a negro.I A long and hard fight against ;his mnfirmation was made by Senator Tilman and others when .he was first named for the position by Roosevelt in 1903. and within the last few weeks following his reappointment Senator Tillman has conducted a successful filibera,,go-inst his confirmation by '4 I IV 01 the senate. Dr. Crum says no pres sare has been brought to bear upon hm now to cause him to resign, but that he does so in part because he wishes to save Mr. Taft, for whom he entertains great regard from any possible embarrassment as to his re appointment and chiefly because he feels he -has been 'especially identified Wilth President Roosevelt's adminis tration, and wishes to retire with his chief. In his letter to the president, Dr. Crum says in part: "Those em ployed in this office under me, composi ed of both races, have been at all times, courteous, kind and interested and we bave all worked together to make the office work successful and satisfactory.' THE SOLDIBE'S FEIEND. onderful Sagacity Shown by Dogs as Part of anu Army. For dogs to be enlisted in every reat army of the world, 'eitbher in the mbulance department 'or as scouts nd dispatch bearers, is surely some hing of a niovelty, writes W. G. Fitz erald, in St. Nicholas. In the Fra:neo-Pi -sinan war out of 29,000 killed and 'wounided 13,000 ere returned as ''missing;'' and who hall say what ithese men endured ? vry war of the future, ~however, wll see the -dog lessening its horrors. n Germany his education is at this1 oment being 'taken in hand by a oluntary 'society with nearly 2,000 emeirs, 'among them some of the mst able officers' in that .country's reat 'army. The war dog proper is sed fo.r sentr'y, messenger and scout ng service, while the ambulance dog 's' raining inclines 'him 'only to scour he battlefield in search of .the wound d and missing. The needs of modern warfare not nly call for vast enlarging of the attlefield, but also compel the troops to take every advantage of 'natural over. This and the fact ithat wound d men will use their last strength 'to seek protection from artil.lery fire, avalry charges and ~the 'wheels ofI uns by .erawling into thick bushes, dithes and natural iholes, <will show ow difficult it is for .the over-worked stretcher-bearers of the Red ?ross epartment t.o anotiee prostrate figures not readily seen. Moreover, modern arfare is carried on largely 'by night ttack, 'and at 'night, :too, the wound d have to be collected. The amnbul ne dog, however, is independent of artificial light, 'and relies only on his ower of scent. Recently, during the great Austrian mano'euvres, 200 men were left lying on .the field to repres-1 nt the wounded; and the stretc'her earers, working against ;time, over ooked thirty-eight of these. Wit h'i'n wenty minutes the Viennese dogs had found tihem all! Each dog had about his neck a flask of brandy or soup and a roll of bandages. The wounded an, 'having made what use 'he can f his relief, gives t'he 'dog his cap or 'blt and 'the animal races off with it o ithe ~ambulance attendantts, whom Sthen conducts to the spot. The College Year.. ew York Evening Mail. (Being 'the substance of a college oy's confession, overhead in the sub ay last night.) Twas in mid-August- I recall How hot the sunamer sun was burn Wen I a.pproae-he'd that -elassic 'hall Of leing. 4e tiP0 t +0N OUWN THE#o#EST S 0 aa anadntaaee Atgh IGol b aood toired To study Theseaon losd .. . 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