“If by Whiskey”
There’s little in life better than pouring a double whiskey
and sitting down to relax after a long day.
Whether you drink bourbon, rye or scotch, you are in the
company of some of the world’s finest minds and characters. Mark Twain, Winston
Churchill, and James Joyce all enjoyed a dram, and they had no reservations
about speaking publicly on the subject.
“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is
barely enough.” ~ Mark Twain
“The water was not fit to drink. To make it palatable, we
had to add whisky. By diligent effort, I learned to like it.” ~ Winston
Churchill
“The light music of whiskey falling into a glass—an
agreeable interlude.” ~ James Joyce
These fine gentlemen, along with you and I appreciate the finer
things life has to offer and we know how to enjoy it!
I would be miffed if I did not share the words of a young
lawmaker from the United State of Mississippi, Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr. who
shares our appreciation and certainly knew how to enjoy life.
Sweat gave his famous “If by whiskey” speech to the
Mississippi legislature in 1952. In 1933, the 21st Amendment to the
Constitution was passed and ratified, ending national Prohibition. After the
repeal of the 18th Amendment, some states continued Prohibition by maintaining
statewide temperance laws. Mississippi, the last dry state in the Union, ended
Prohibition in 1966.
Legislator Sweat
had the following to say ~
“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.”
In agreeance with Noah, pour yourself a double of your favorite“oil of
conversation” and Let’s Enjoy Life!
Check out our glass whiskey flask; you can image it poking out of Sweat's pocket as he gave his speech!
Check out our glass whiskey flask; you can image it poking out of Sweat's pocket as he gave his speech!
