| Show RUM VS IGNORANCE august gust 25 the long expected debate the Y M C A and lyceum ting clubs came off at hammond the question tion debated W wis 18 B intemperance produced more e and misery than ignorance mr air acott anderson was chosen to im chairman n in the absence of the alar dh chairman airman abe budges judges appointed were mr H whitney mr william bateman ad mr balderston Balde the latter hen gen not being present mr D J browne wa chosen by the other two judges to act as their colleague the affirmative side of the question was opened by mr J D axton ax ton who painted a vivid picture of the misery and crime re from alcoholic intemperance in 1867 said he drunkards lied died during that year from 1863 to 1887 the consumption of alcoholic liquors increased per cent mr blaine emphatically stated some time ago that two thirds of the crimes in the united states could be traced to intoxicating drink mr axton next glanced at the condition of the european countries and showed that intemperance was also on the increase there mr air J F smith jr followed fol lowel mr axton and opened the negative side he stated that in contrasting intern perance and ignorance the crimes resulting from the former were but an atom to the universe as compared with those resulting from ignorance the speaker then dwelt on the crimes and misery arising from the crusades the inquisition religious intolerance witch burning and plagues as the direct result of ignorance mr plaisted was the next speaker he took the second place on the affirmative he opened very earnestly and rather excitedly excite excitedly dl y the last speaker had made a very fine r and if all ail the category of crime he recounted could be traced to ignorance mr plaisted felt that the negative would come out triumphant mr plaisted contended that the in and otherl other religious eions were the results of intemperate religious fanaticism he said these fearful crimes were the ret alt of a devouring greed for power and wealth the speaker next quoted from the census statistics ids of 1890 showing that though schools and colleges and churches had increased in america from 1880 to 1890 yet the inmates of jails jaile had increased some 57 per cent more formerly this speaker dwelt largely on statistics statistic fl he also pictured the bliss and beatitude of rural innocence as compared with the vice and misery of city civilization he described the bands of educated revelers who make night hideous and day gloomy with their deeds in eastern cities mr pierce followed on the negative side he made a splendid speech but it was mainly of a religious character mr taylor followed on the affirmative he quoted from herbert spencer who stated that if education could avert crime bacon and napoleon might be honest men mr lyon followed next on the negative and ana madea made a very powerful speech showing that ignorance was the parent all crime and misery this closed the list of speakers and mr smith the leader of the negative spoke in rebuttal for ten minutes mr axton leader of the affirmative then closed the debate by a ten minute effort also in rebuttal one of tho judges asked whether the word intemperance embraced other topics than alcohol the answer was that it did the judges then retired and after a lew minutes the decision was tendered rendered in favor of the affirmative but only by two to one and because intemperance was considered in its widest application |
