ABRAHAM LINCOLN
The following is the pledge of Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator.
"Whereas, the use of alcoholic liquors as a beverage is productive of pauperism, degradation and crime, and believing it is our duty to discourage that which produces more evil than good; we, therefore pledge ourselves to abstain from the use of intoxicating liquors as a beverage."
When Lincoln signed the pledge he was a tall awkward youth, and the only one that went forward at the meeting in the log school house to sign it that night. When he was president, "Old Uncle John," who induced him to sign it, called on him at the White House and Lincoln said:
"I owe more to you than to almost any one of whom I can think. If I had not signed the pledge in the days of my youthful temptation, I should probably have gone the way of a majority of my early companions, who lived drunkard's lives and are now filling drunkard's graves."
After reconstruction, the next great question is the overthrow of the liquor traffic.—Abraham Lincoln.
WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON
"Gentlemen I have now twice refused your request to partake of the wine cup. That should be sufficient. I made a resolve when I started in life, that I would avoid strong drink: I have never broken that pledge. I am one of a class of seventeen young men who graduated; the other sixteen fill drunkard's graves, all due to the pernicious habit of wine drinking. I owe my health, happiness and prosperity to the fact I have never broken my pledge of total abstinence. I trust you will not again urge me to do so."
This noble answer was given to friends who were dining with him at the old Washington House in Chester, Pa., when he was a candidate for president.