v
The Commo
NOVEMBER 1919
ner
11
Victory for Ontario
Drys
By Ben. H. Spence, Corresponding Secretary
of the Dominion Alliance, in a special wire to
the American Issue.
After three full years' trial the province of
Ontario, Canada, is satisfied with prohibition.
On Monday, October 20, electors voted on
four questions:
First: The repeal of the Ontario temper
ance act, meaning 'reinstatement 'of 'the license
tysteni.
Second: Allowing sale' of two and one-half
per cent beer in government agencies. '
Third: Allowing sale of "two and one-half
per cent beer in standard hotels.
Fourth: Allowing sale of liquors of all kinds
Jn government agencies.
Every question was answered in the negative
by huge majorities. The latest figures are, for
the first proposition, yes 223,874; no 608,809;
majority 284,935.
For the second proposition, yes 243,802; no
479,511; majority 235,709. J
For the third proposition", yes 2 .3 519 3; no
493,278; majority 258,085. fWi. .'
For the fourth proposition; yes 277.,580; no
453,545; majority 175,965. Dry majorities. will
bo increased when full returns are 'received.
Question one will' have over 300,000f Majority,
question four about 200,000. v - (
The liquor interests put up a desperate. fight.
They organized under the name of the ''Citizens'
Liberty League" and played the usual game of
having eminent citizens as officers, JThe , (tem
perance forces organized, under the name ''On
tario Referendum Committee" . and ,rput up a
eplenidly organized campaign; .the feature, of
which were extensiv.o newspaper, pubjjcjty cover
ing every weekly and daily? newspaper, "(teuthe
province, billboard advertising, speciaJL -editions
of the Pioneer, literature and leafletsof various
kinds. The dry forces -were thoroughly, organ
ized in.,evfir,yt4nunicipality and polling; division.
Women voted for the first time and they
voted and they worked. It is impossible to
praise too highly the sacrificing efforts of- the
women of Ontario and their energetic- enthu
siasm in this campaign. TJiey were fighting
for their homes with a dauntless determination
and they won. v -
The biggest fizzle of the campaign -'wlas' the .
attempt of the Citizens' Liberty' League fd" cor
ral the soldier vote. They had the returned
soldiers all nicely tagged and labeled as their
exclusive property, but when the fight caine1 on
the men themselves had something to say about
it and from almost every platform heroe'Kioni
the- front battle scarred veterans exr'ess'ed
their indignation at this action of the League
and emphatically came out for prohibition It
is safe to say that a substantial majority of
those who fought the Hun overseas voted
against the liquor traffic at home. Indeed, these
tanad an men fell back into their old places in
Canadian life and with most of them that place
was on the progressive and right side of public
questions.
The churchea were practically a unit and the
St It f the-tPi,ovince were used with telling
? u In,addItion in the city or Toronto groups
flL che? dnited in the hoVding of outdoor
uemonstrations covering practically every sec
tion of the city. '
v;oSelp i,rom the United States was cordially
veicomed. Amongst the Anti-Saloon League
VnvnrSTw5 assisted in the campaign were
S ' Wneeler F. Scott McBride, Grant M.
SioM ' "tenant-Governor Dickinson of
Hnin?n,Smerson B- Hunt, A C. Graham, It. N.
anT 5 F Carson, Dr. George B. Stafford,
conw Parker Shields. This international
Blnlny Was warmly appreciated and the wider
lie f ?ice o the fiSht emphasized. The bring
to ese men wao a distinct contribution
l success. .
H ilh nr pr?vInes of Canada also helped. Dr.
Dr pn ogeneralr secretary for Nova Scotia;
katchewnn. 2iuart eeneral secretary for Sas
for RHtiY.? , G . Fortune, general secretary
of thl J? u??umbIa! and George Bell, member
toany meetin Columbia legislature, addressed
BhmvedUthlifnoaIre of 0ntariP business men
of nrohfhiH ley were twelve to one in favor
irontbition. A questionnaire" to doctors
?empgerancenacrrWhelmInS lQdoont of th.
' prohibition. XfadoaahatahtribQS8tniVrfUm0nt f0r
THE DEFEAT OF INJUSTICE
"Whosoever will bo great among you, let him
be your minister; and whosoever will bo ch if
S2ou' 'ot him be your servantV'-MatL
In our issue for August 15 I mentioned tell-
inmy g00d m?tller that the llttlc tt about
loving our enemies and doing good to thorn that
hate us was to the great wide world an unex
plored region. Since then the terrible Euro
pean war has broken out, and I am over so
much more impressed with the sentiment I
.voiced at this time about rendering good for
evil, as it is literally true -yes, clear up to this
twentieth century an "unexplored region." In
that same issue I gave a clipping from the Sun
day School Times; and I told our readers that if
there was a call for it I would have it printed
in large type so that elderly people and every
body else could read it easily. Here it is:
"No one can ever afford to think about any
injustice he receives. It is disaster and de-
struction to do so. It is like deliberately lifting
a glas3 of poison to our lips and swallowing it.
Injustice inflicted upon us never harms us until
wo dwell on it. While we ignore it, and do
right, it is powerless against us. When we
begin to turn it over in our mind, it starts its
murderjous work upon us. It soon exaggerates
itself, blinds us, rankles, inflames, embitters.
It breeds self-pity, which soon reduces us to a
condition of worse than helpless uselessness.
Jesus paid no attention to the awful injustices
of his lot. We can not afford to do other than
he did, but with our lesser injustices. If love is
our master-passion, "'thinking no evil" and
."bearing all things," we shall live emancipated
"from the misery of dressing our own wounds.
Such wounds heal quickly when wo are lov
ingly busied with the needs of others."
'. There you have it, friends. I confess that
fi.tfiir St.. glance some would think the Sunday
School Times had almost overdone the matter;
but I toll you they are right about it. For al
most forty years I have been testing the matter
of returning good for eyil. of forgetting an in
jury or an insult or an affront, just as soon as
possible. Get your mind on something else. I
know it is hard sometimes; but just hold fast
to the little prayer I have given you "Lord
help." Get busy, and before you know or real
ise it you will have . forgotten it entirely, and
be happy and joyous.
Our friends will recall that at various times
I have spoken about meeting happy surprises.
WelL.the follower of Christ Jesus one who is
reallv in accordance with the clipping above
will in due time meet with happy surprises, for
he is right along in the line of that joyous and
happy throng who said to the Master, "Lord,
when we saw we hungered, and fed thee, or
thirsty, and gave thee drink," etc. You see these
peonle had been so busy in doing good, right
and left, that they had been losing sight of self
entirely, and they had forgotten all about their
loving ministry to poor, suffering humanity.
Somebody recently said of Gladstone that if
we wanted to get a glimpse of him at his best,
we should have to watch for an opportunity and
show him some unkindness that Is, if you
should happen to have a chance to do ho. and
just see how quickly he would put himself out
of the way to do you a favor. I know it seems
almost' wicked to suggest such a thing; but he
was a true type of that kind of humanity.
"Bless them that curse you; pray for them that
despitefullv use you." A. I. Root, in "Glean
ings from Bee Culture." -
THE BIG FIVE COMBINE
Seven they are, they are seven, are the words
fmVndfn a liturgy of the ancient east. Some
aTof future enlightenment there will be those
Srho will chant: Five they were, they were five
tL vamiires of the earth following the great
wa? They who trafficked with the rights of
Hvelihood ofTheir fellows and who fattened upon
ii VJSS i Jw was taken from the mouths of
the food that was iuk
the woman ;J h CWW J ana h0U8eMd.
The ''bffve'"Psee them high, exalted over all,
P ?hiinl as Attorney General Palmer, forc
but trembling as Aiwru
Sf b? "eVlSSadrt he pocketbooks of the
bain SSH Yet J " at cria,
or nil nr?!110 W0,,,,d ,Ik0 t0 fico g0"Vr of them
or all of them given a good done o( atrone
cnl & onl7i Thy Croflto morSVMSSii!
thii I SI 2iln lhan ftny othor BCt of ram J
tnii because they arc outright knavos? Not at
troi witi h?cauQ ihQy have awmniod to oon
onti'rA fl Ul wamint of tho public, tho
Tr ill S.h iupp ,0! ftnd "rtwMlary commodities
or the nation. And the nation will refuse to bo
? h.,?i,l0,ri.,,a.nd,-' un,m thnt BUPIno lnft9
IL i ian l.ca 1?d th0 Anorlcnn congress shall
show itself tacitly, If not professedly, the uup
portora of the "big five." ,
Tho "big five" pncKors nro hold up to tho
public view by the federal trade commtealon as
masters of two hundrod food. That mcana
they handle a large percentage, says tho com
mission; in some cases nearly CO por cent of
the country's entiro production of two hundrod
foods. And yet they don't want to havo a
licensing law or other law for their curtailment
or restraint; Why rtiould they? If they did
tho people would knowthey would know there
was something rank in Denmark.
What is congress going to do? Somothlng
that counts? What aro tho people going to do?
Hold congress to account. What will bo tho
one Issue In tho next campaign? Tho high cost
of living?
Then tho pooplo will talk through their bal
lots. Baltimore American,
SMpKING OUT ARMY GltAFTISRS
, Again it is demonstrated that war brings
more evils to a peoplo than more slaughter, dis
ease or maiming, It is tho parent of immor
ality and tho breeder of corruption and thoft.
This demonstration comes from tho testimony
delivered In the congressional Investigation of
conditions at Camp Sherman in this state. Tho
story Is the old and sordid one of robbing and ,
cheating the government, too busy with tho ex
igencies of war properly to protect itself; against
dishonesty and wastage.
It has ever been so. Tho inquiry by tho con
gress of the United States Is a highly meritori
ous. action. It is beside tho question, to charge
that the facts found will bo used in partisan -fashion.
The point to watch Is the exposure and
the pillorying of speculating contractors and un
faithful officials. Their punishment will servoyM''i
as a moral lesson to the present generation. '
When the probing Is done congress, out of
the abundant material provided, should be able
to write a now penal law for use in tho next
War, if one occurs, and not permit the matter to
languish after the rascals arc trapped.
It Is perhaps going too far to urge Imitation
of the methods of Peter the Great of Russia,
whose plan It was to hang or whip to death
army and navy contractors whom ho detected in
crooked actions. The offense at least should be
catalogued as treasonable and punishment made
accordingly. If these criminals, in their desire
to grow rich through thievery, encompass tho
death of soldiers or sailors, the 'extreme penalty ,
will be at hand to administer. Cincinnati En
quirer. MY BROOK
By' George Sterling
A glorious jest my brook has found.
And earth Is gladder for the sound.
All day and night the silver throat t '
Is joyous with a gurgling note.
The very jays slink near to guess
The reason of that rouglshness
The pleasantry that, summer-long,
Hides, yet is patent, in Its song.
I wish that I had only half
The mirth Implicit in its laugh; ,
But how shall mortal be as gay
When men are what they are to-day?
Who taught the nimble waters all
. The secret merriment they drawl? ' '
The mother rain? The wayward breeze?
The winking stars? The comrade trees?
Who was the teacher? What the jest ' "
- So cryptic yet so manifest?
Something, perhaps, a faun once said
To set a dryad blushing red.
I do not know; I cannot tell n - '
?What entertains my brook bo well. ' " w
"l chuckleschuckles to the wood "
I wish I knew a Joke as good!
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