Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-18
THE BREVER,S DEXANDS.

The brewers of the country, in national
con vention at Detroit, have a very high
estimation of the value of their product to
the human race. They declare malt liquor
to be highly nutritious, beneficial and nee
essary, and protest against the business of
manufacturing it being warred upon by
factioas fanatics. If beer was all that is
claimed for it there would be little need
for bread and still less for beef and the
products of the pa cking houses, but it is a
self-evident fact that man cannot live by
beer alone, but N ust have something of a
more substantial character.
Beer is probably good thing in some
respects, but is not all the brewers fancy
paints it. By taking the place of more
tendency to reduce the vice
of intoxieation. At the same
time its comparatively harmless
character has stimulated in many who
would otherwise abstain entirely, thirst
for alcoholic drinks that has eventually
brought thousands to dishonored graves.
1t also tempts those who have been ad-
dicted to thei habit of liquor dealing to &C.
casional indulgence which inevitably leads
to relapse of the experimenter into his
former Incorporate habits, and often
leads TO his ruin. 1t is productive of
phiegmatic temperaments, biliousness and
dependency, eventuating in suicide or
insanity
1t seems to be drawing the long bow to
claim for beer all the excellences that its
admirers appear to think it possesses. 1t is
not an uRmixed good to humanity.
1t is, on the contrary, the cause of much
sorrow and suffering. The plea, there
fore, that 1t should be placed upon an
equality with other manufactured goods
as to taxation will not hold, water.
Whisky has no doubt saved many lives,
but it has killed many more. Beer is only
a lesser evil than whisky, and if whisky is
justly taxed it is manifestly just to tax
beer in lesser proportion. This is recog-
nized by our laws, which impose lighter
tax upon beer and the dealers in it than
upon whisky and those who dispense it.
Ehe taxes now imposed are Eot onerous.
They do not come out of the pockets of
the brewers, but out of the pockets of the
consumers. Perhaps if the tax was less
more beer would be drank,
mt this is not result greatly
to H. desired unless such increase
can diminish in a proportionate degree
the consumption of the stronger alcoholic
poisons. It is doubtful if it will do this,
for it is probable that the latter has now
reached its minimum. AS the present tax
on malt liquors is not an onererous one on
either brewers or consumers, We see no
present necessity for reducing it.
AS fer the attacks of the prohibitory
fanatics upon the business of the brewers,
the convention has taken very proper
course. Legislatures have no right to in
terfece with the personal liberty of citi-
zens, or of prescribing what they shall eat
or drink. But We do not think there is any
need for apprehension on this score.
The experiments heretofore tried have
not been of such nature as to encourage
their repetition, II Kansas and Iowa had
the opportunity to vote on the question of
prohibision once more they would un-
aoubtedly reverse the verdict they gave
soHle years ago, and accord to all the priv
lege of governing their personal affairs
without interference. The agitation that
is going on in other states promises no re-
suits other than to strengthen the hands
of the defenders of personal liberty.
Neither of the two political parties will
adopt prohibition as part of their polit-
ical faith, and a third party can never
hope 10 attain sufficient strength to infu-
ence legislation in this respect.