St. Paul Daily Globe

LAW OF BASE.

Lonely Temperance Knocked Out by an Eloquent Laboring Man,

'Scrap Iron' Bill was knocked out in one round figuratively speaking, by J. G. McGaughey, the well-known machinist, at the meeting of the Liberal league last evening. Hibbel was announced in all the daily papers as the orator of the evening his mission being to show the benefits of temperance to the industrial classes and the hall was somewhat better filled than is its wont, his loud, resonant voice bringing in listeners from the quiet street below. In his florid way he pitched into the evils of intemperance and by use of the oft familiar arguments and examples, showed how much better off the laboring man would be if he let intoxicating drinks alone. what he said applied to all men alike and of course included workingmen, but he made no especial argument as relating to the latter alone.

Remarks being called for, Mr. McGaughey took the floor and made a rattling speech of some fifteen minutes duration, He took a very broad and sweeping view of the subject and his ideas were probably far over the head of 'Scrap Iron' Bill. His idea,generally expressed, was that the foundation of prohibition was humanity, and unless it could teach men how to feed their hungry and clothe their naked families. it failed in its mission.

He recalled an example of a certain man who went from foreclosing a mortgage on a sick cooper in South Minneapolis to Harrison hall. where he drew a long face and extolled the beauties of temperance. Was that the feeling of humanity which underlies prohibition? There is Maine, with her prohibitory laws, yet had her suffering, crushed miners in the Kennebec country. There is Iowa, with prohibition in full force. yet miners three months ago faced starvation in the Angus mines, Where is the humanity taught in this species of prohibition? 'I am a temperate man and a workman,' continued Mr.McGaughey,'and I am talking to a representative body of my fellow workmen, In all that Mr. Hibbel has said I recognize many truths, but what we want is prohibition that will not affect only the luxuries of life. but will teach the laboring man how to best earn his living.'

The applause that greeted the speaker when he closed was hearty and enthusiastic. and his speech changed the. entire current of the meeting. McGaughey has a species of rough eloquence that carried his hearers with him. Several other speeches were made, but they were of the homely cut-and-dried temperance order and lacked both pitch and originality. It is to be regretted McGaughey's remarks could not have been made in the confines of Harrison hall.