Judge Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat, Jr.
- In his short but persuasive speech, Sweat used humor to present both sides of an argument about a subject that rarely drew laughter.
The Whiskey Speech: Soggy Sweat and the Power of Storytelling to be presented at 2pm on May 17 at Two Mississippi Museums
There has been a lot of talk in the past months about empty store shelves at package stores around the state. Problems at the Mississippi Alcohol and Beverage Control have, in turn, caused distribution problems to liquor stores and bars.
The accidental prohibition of sorts recalls a time in Mississippi’s history when alcohol truly was prohibited. Mississippi was one of the first states in the nation to enact statewide prohibition in 1907. It was the last state to repeal it in 1966.
From the earliest temperance movements dating back to 1833 to the complexities of current laws, Mississippi’s policy regarding the consumption of alcoholic beverages has faced many challenges and changes. That legacy of prohibition still influences the state’s legal landscape as well as the use of adult libations in Mississippi’s communities.
Perhaps one of the most famous speeches ever given on the topic of alcohol was given by Judge Noah S. “Soggy” Sweat. He first delivered “The Whiskey Speech” on April 4, 1952, at the King Edward Hotel in downtown Jackson. In the speech to members of the Legislature, Sweat examined the historical, political, economic, and religious arguments surrounding prohibition, presenting both sides of the debate.
The beginning of the speech details the evils of alcohol, and those opposed to “the devil’s brew” cheered. But the speech goes on to extol the positive attributes of liquor, to which those who wanted the sale of alcohol to be legalized clapped with jubilation. In his short but persuasive speech, Sweat used humor to present both sides of an argument about a subject that rarely drew laughter.
Sweat was born in Alcorn County in 1922. He served one term as a state senator and a judge, and he founded the Mississippi Judicial College at the University of Mississippi law center, where he had a long and distinguished career as a law professor. It’s not uncommon for Sweat’s speech to be cited in conversations about political communication or debate strategy. It has been used as a model for navigating issues with rhetorical flair, using both balance and wit, a classic example of political doublespeak. Sweat died in February 1996.
A screening of a documentary film about the speech will be shown at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, in the Craig H. Neilson Auditorium at the Two Mississippi Museums. The free event, The Whiskey Speech: Soggy Sweat and the Power of Storytelling, will examine the historical, political, economic, and religious arguments surrounding prohibition, presenting both sides of the debate.
The documentary runs 57 minutes and includes material from more than 50 interviews with director David Crews conducted with John Grisham, Marty Stuart, Curtis Wilkie, and several of Sweat’s friends. Following the screening, a panel conversation will include David Crews, Senator Hob Bryan, and Peyton Prospere.
While the speech wasn’t a long one, it took Sweat two and a half months to write it.
“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, this 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.”
For more information on the event, call (601) 576-6850.
