Whiskey Speech
Noah S. Sweat
"My
friends,
"I had
not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time.
However, I want you to know that I do not shun controversy. On the contrary, I
will take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught with
controversy it might be. You have asked me how I feel about whiskey. All right,
here is how I feel about whiskey.
"If
when you say whiskey you mean the devil's brew, the poison scourge, the bloody
monster, that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates
misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little
children; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman
from the pinnacle of righteous, gracious living into the bottomless pit of
degradation, and despair, and shame and helplessness, and hopelessness, then
certainly I am against it.
"But;
"If
when you say whiskey you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic wine,
the ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in
their hearts and laughter on their lips, and the warm glow of contentment in
their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer; if you mean the stimulating drink that
puts the spring in the old gentleman's step on a frosty, crispy morning; if you
mean the drink which enables a man to magnify his joy, and his happiness, and
to forget, if only for a little while, life's great tragedies, and heartaches,
and sorrows; if you mean that drink, the sale of which pours into our
treasuries untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care
for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitiful
aged and infirm; to build highways and hospitals and schools, then certainly I
am for it.
"This
is my stand. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise."
Ahmm
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