Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-05-29
MarshaIling Their Forces.

The United States Brewers Associa-
tion has lately held its annual convention
at Rochester 1t decided to establish a
literary bureau, and to offer organized
resistance to the high-licenSe and other
temperance measures in agitation. The
advocates of temperance were aSsailed in
set of resolutions as ''hypOcrites,' self
iSh," fanatics" and so forth. These
which does not appear to be true. 1t is
to the effect that the ratio of insanity in
this country caused by drink is only sew
en- per cent. We do not know where
these figures were obtained, but we do
know that Mulhall's Dictionary of Stats
tics puts the ratio of dipsomania in
the United States at 26 per cent, and
makes this country second in the list
Scotland alone exceeding us,with record
of % per cent. The same authority gives
the mean average of dipsOmaniacs for
England, France, Denmark and the Uni
ted States at IA per cent. Now, if the
percentage of this country alone is 26,
instead of Z, as asserted by the Brewers
Association, it makes "a great difference.
Mulhall puts the whole number of in
sane in the United States at 16S, 500. This
would give about $4,000 as the aggregate
of dipSomanIacs in our asylums.
Surely this army of human beings
whose humanity has been killed by drink
offers sufficiently somhre subject for
| thought Surely those who think it a
duty to agitate for whatever measures
NAV prevent the increase of this army of
lost souls deserve somewhat better treat
ment than to be called ''hyocrites," self
ish, and fanatics Is it fanatical to
desire to save the perishing? Is it self
ish to wish that men should be prevented
| from drinking themselves into the asy-
lum or the grave? Is it hyocritical to
point to the facts of the situation, to
show the enormous evils, which drink
produces in modern society, and to de
mand that the reform of the gigantic and
strongly y-entrenched abuse shall be I'M
| dertaken?
The Brewers Association represents a
great deal of capital and energy and de-
Termination. Let it be frankly admitted
that the brewers who belong to it may be
men OF humane and generous instincts,
and honest believers in the innocence of
the business they are engaged in. Never
theless. they will have the popular senti-
ment which is growing on the subject of
intemperance by more serious methods
than vituperation or the putting. forth of
bogus statistics. The friends OF temper
ance are too well informed to be caught
by such tricks, and the facts of the stua-
ton are too serious to be thrust out of
sight, or to be dealt with in any other
than candid and honest way.
The evils of drink are assuradly not
imaginary evils, and those who are inter-
ested in upholding the drink traffic are
not acting sensibly in trying to make it
appear 50, Every man with common in
teiligence can see for himself the real
and widespread harm that drink is doing
continually. Who is there, on the other
hand. that has ever succeeded in showing
u per contra lit to be put in the balance
against this mischief ? Yet that is what
the drink traffic is called on to do. and if
! it cannot do this, if it cannot justify it,
self before the Nation, those who are
! fighting most stubbornly FOR it may as
well recOgniZe the handwriting on the
wall, and make up their minds that
though con nviction NAV not be instantly
! followed by sentence, the judgment of
the cOuntrv is certain to be carried out
eventually in The interests of progress
and civilization. n. y. Tribune.