Whiskey
In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked about
his position on whiskey. What follows is his exact answer (taken from the Political Archives of
Texas):

"If you mean whiskey, 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 that evil drink that topples
Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless
pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am
opposed to it with every fiber of my being.

However, if by whiskey you mean the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice, the elixir
of life, the liquid that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their
hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the
stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty
morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life's great
tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into Texas
treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little
crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the
finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend,
I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.

This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle."

category: political  date entered: 2013-11-13