The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1890-01-15
THE QUESTION OF THE HOUR.
The Purity or our Food ana Drink
Product ..Iemperance the progress
I've Issue ...Republicans Come to the

The Purity or our Food ana DrinI
Product 81 em perance the Progress
I've Issue. ..Repubiicans Come TO tn
Rescue.
If the republican party of this stat
and nation desires to forge another linl
in its chain of progress and show to tn
world at large that it still continues a
a party of purity and progress, it can d.
SO and make such a showing by taking
another and more advanced step in thu
cause of temperance, over which the
people of this nation appear to be very
seriously disturbed in mind at this time
ItisnOt the question of prohibition or anti
prohibition that disturbs them so much
as it is the question of temperance. or
which many varied and wide difference:
of opinion have been formed and given.
Neither is it so much the question of to-
tai abstinence or absolute prohibition OF
our drink product as it is the free and
unrestricted sale and use of the i'm
pure and adulterated liquors, over which
our government appears TO exercise no
supervision or control after the tax has
once been paid thereon. After the tax
has been paid and it leaves the bonded
warehouse the standard of purity or i'm
purity or whatever the character of the
liquor may become, is seldom, if ever,
sought for as being the same as it was
when first taken out of bond. Right
here is where the great evil begins, and
to our mind. here is where the remedy
ought to be applied. beginning where
we find our government leaves it. and
where it fails to exercise further control
over it. The remedy proposed. although
simple, is far-reaching. Let the govern
ment through our national congress en-
act law protecting our drink product.
In said law establishing a standard of
purity, which must be maintained until
every drop of liquor is consumed, plac-
ing it under thorough system of in-
spectiOn; attach Il penal clause to said
law, which shall provide heavy fine or
Imprisonment in penitentiary, or both,
against any person or persons found
adulterating or selling or having posses
sion Of any yinOus, malt or other alcO-
hoic liquors that do not come up to the
standard of purity established in said
law. Such law would be in the inter-
est of temperance. right and justice, con-
ferring blessing upon mankind, pro-
lection against the sale of aprOduct that
is destroying the people of this nation.
1t would be striking at the root of the
greatest evil that any people were ever
cursed with.
With the enactment of such law
would come the greatest and grandest
reform in true temperance that ever
blessed mankind. 1t would give the
people of this nation platform upon
which all could stand. 1t is not party
measure, never was and never can be,
although many may have so classed it.
in the various forms in which it has
been heretofore presented. If it is a
measure which affects all of the people,
aud all are to be benefited by it. then it
is = measure that all the people should
recognize. Then all may unite upon the
measure for their own personal good and
well-being in securing it. Then, again,
If it is true that every civilized nation
upon the globe possesses its stimulant in
one form or anOther-and we have no
reason to doubt this-then this nation
possesses ITS stimulaut and will continue
to as long as time lasts, rs against all
Laws, both state and national, for its alb
s0lute suppression. If the article is in
dispensabie in the various uses to which
it Is assigned-aside from that of . bev-
ersge-then We must look for different
remedy than the total or absolute prohi-
bition of the manufacture of said liquors.
In our humble opinion that period of
time xill never come when vinOus, malt
or alcoholic liquors shall no longer be
manufactured in America.
Believing this statement to be true.
We must then seek another remedy and
look to the purity of our liquor as it is
being manufactured under the provisions
of the national law proposed, and see to
it that it is so maintained until the last
drop of it has been drawn from the cask
or vessel into which it may have been
put under the strictest surveillance of
government inspectors. The man that
takes barrel of whiskey out of the
bonded warehouse and adulterates it or
permits it to be adulterated so as to in
crease the quantity to hsf-dozen bar
rels from the one taken out, is not only
robbiDg the government, but he is An
enemy to his country and people, the
very lie and existence of which he is
endeaxosing to destroy. Government is
being robbed of the tax on every gallon
OF liquor that is substituted or increased
oyer the quantity originally taken out Of