An incident is in place here, which may be called the last spark of light in the morally dark closing hours of the late House of Representatives at Washington. It relates to both the colored race here and the temperance interest.
Sam Lee, a colored man, of good character it may be inferred, partly from the fact that the News and Courier has not loaded him with obloquy, true or false, had been for two years contesting the seat occupied by one Richardson, who, it was voted in the last hours of that dubious session, was not the choice of his district, but Lee was. The long-pending whiskey bill, virtually giving millions from the United States Treasury to the lobby, who had pushed it through the Senate, was the next thing on the calendar. A formality remained to be accomplished giving Lee actual possession of his seat and pay. Over this the Democrats were filibustering, when the whiskey lobby offered Lee $15,000 to withdraw his claim and permit their bill to come on, which they had reason to expect would pass. But, no! He would stand for his right and the right, and thus did more good for the temperance cause in his few moments of legal, but unpaid, membership of the House, than possibly he might have done in a long session, for that or any other cause. The fact is worth preserving, to the praise of a mighty Providence, that used that Sabbath morning to defeat one grand move of Satan, and by means of a colored man from South Carolina, sticking to a right which he would not exchange for whiskey money.
NOTES AT THE ALABAMA STATE SUNDAY-SCHOOL CONVENTION, MARCH 23.
BY REV. A. W. CURTIS, MARION.
At Alabama Furnace, there is much interest on temperance in the Sunday-School, and frequent talks on the subject in church.
Mobile. Temperance organization growing, also the sentiment against the use of tobacco.
Shelby Iron Works. Temperance society doing well. Whiskey has been driven out of the beat for nearly a year.
The Cove. There is a temperance society of 46 members. The children have turned their backs on strong drink, tobacco and snuff.
King’s Chapel has a temperance society of 34 members, and is struggling against whiskey, but so many love it that the fight goes hard.