RUM AND RUIN
Rev. Hugh Montgomery's Parting Compliments
— SERMON PREACHED YESTERDAY —
He Scores the City Government and
Local Politicians |
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Rev. Hugh Montgomery delivered his farewell sermon in the Methodist church last evening, and as per announcement, made the welkin ring with open and violent denunciation of local liquor dealers and politicians. The following abstract presents the main points brought out in his remarks:
"It is good neither to eat flesh nor drink wine, nor anything whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended or made weak."
This text must either go out of the Christian Bible or take the bottle off the Christian table. The text will not move, hence the bottle must go. It shows clearly that we must abstain from things that are hurtful to others. The bottle has no more right on the Christian table than the thief has to enter the bank. I intend to fire straight at those who stand in the way of truth, sobriety, and the advancement of our Redeemer's kingdom.
No man has a moral right to do anything that will prove hurtful to his neighbors. As a Christian I cannot give my name to sustain a slaughter house or rum shop to aid in decoying others to ruin.
What right have I by vote, voice or pen to sustain the dramshop? If I do I am a partner in every blow the drunkard strikes, for every outrage that the maddened victim of the cup may perpetrate in his insanity.
You must do all in your power to aid the mayor of our city not to sign the licenses of our city, not to sign the licenses of these criminal liquor dealers who defied the law and vained our city. Would that all our pulpits and papers would thunder forth, the warning cry against legalizing that curse.
Some of Mayor Thompson's friends claim that he must grant the licenses in order to get $15,000 revenue to pay the current expenses of the city this year. But you cannot fool Mayor Thompson with any such false arguments, for he has so thoroughly studied this matter to be deceived.
In a public mass meeting held in the interests of no licenses held in my church a year ago this fall, the mayor, in speaking of the value of the no license, held forth:
"The savings bank deposits come largely from the laboring classes in Woburn, as elsewhere. Since May 1, 1890 (that is six months), under the no license the deposits show an increase of 20 percent, or $35,000 over the same period in 1889 under license, in spite of the fact that a strike cost the workingmen nearly $90,000. Under no license, families are better fed, better clothed and better housed and a great gain in general living made. I trust we shall not go backward."
Judge Edward F. Johnson of Woburn said in the mass meeting referred to above that he voted for license, desiring to give it a free trial, and feeling that the receipts therefrom, would enable him as mayor to accomplish a reduction of the tax rate and public debt. He further said he was well aware that "for ways that are dark and tricks that are vain," the Woburn rumseller is peculiar.
Judge Johnson, as ex-mayor of the city, might also have added that the board of aldermen is peculiar. For instance, there are two wings of rumsellers in the city. Limited high license has caused it.
The old wing is the Thomas Salmon wing. He controls the older element in the liquor business, but the Dave Moreland tribe controls the younger blood in that direction. The younger blood has dictated to the aldermen what they should do, and for the last three years has controlled the local liquor traffic. |
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Here is an illustration: In ward 4 last fall a number of Democrats went to Mr. Felch, who was nominated by the Democratic party for alderman, and asked him if he would like to be elected. Mr. Felch replied in the affirmative. These Democrats then said: "Go and see Dave Moreland and agree to vote, if elected, for certain liquor dealers to get a license. On those conditions your election is a sure thing." Mr. Felch replied that the making of such a pledge was beneath his manhood. Then the Democrats told Mr. Felch that Mr. Fowle, the Republican candidate, had pledged himself to the dealers and would be elected.
The time has come when we ought to have a man among men to fill these high offices.
The liquor law has been stretched like a piece of India rubber. Just think of it, hardware men have been asked to carry a stove into a Woburn saloon the day before the visit of the aldermen and then remove it next day. It is for the board of aldermen and the mayor to sit in judgment on the law, and refuse to grant a license under these illegal conditions.
The granting of licenses is not obligatory because a municipality has voted for licenses. Each surrounding town is no license and we are the receptacle for all the [slope] from these places. Citizens are ashamed of Woburn as a place of residence but if we could drive them out of the city, land would be at a premium. Me have utilized their offices for gain, and the taxpayer should have his say about it.
At the conclusion of his sermon, Rev. Mr. Montgomery read a surprisingly tart and not over-logical letter alleged to be from the pen of one Mr. Lewis, in which occurred some bitter allusions to the foreign element in our population which seemed dangerously near to plagiarism from the "rum, Romanism and rebellion" remarks of the late lamented Rev. Mr. Burchard.
The rum question should be fought-out on its merits. It seems poor taste at all events to stir up racial prejudices upon the subject. |
[Editorial] |
Rev. Hugh Montgomery, on the eve of his departure for a Lowell pastorate, last evening addressed a large audience on the subject "Three Years in Woburn".
After explaining his text, the speaker said that now, at parting, his heart was deeply stirred for the salvation of all to whom he had testified the gospel.
The spiritual results, he said, are the smallest I ever had. But this may be accounted for by the fact that nearly one half of my time has been spent in trying to sell the old church property and build a new church.
The society, when I came here, was carrying a debt of $17,000. We now have a debt of $2,000, two-thirds of which can be collected by subscription.
Some folks think I have done too much in the line of temperance work. My only regret on the subject is that I have accomplished so little. I think it is not egotistic in me to say that if I had the support I ought to have had and what I have had in other places, we might have had 1000 souls added by the profession of faith to the churches of this city, and the legalized rum shop abolished.
Mr. Montgomery spoke of the organized power of the local liquor business and how the saloon keepers rejoiced at his probable removal from the city.
Protestants and Catholics, alike he said in closing, have congratulated me on my temperance work here. |
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