The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-10-15

NChA'As anu III I4libDFs IN pei llltlAl5
have demonstrated that even a small
quantity of alcoholic liquor. either i'm
mediately or after short time prevents
! perfect mental action. and interferes
/ with the function of the cells and tissues
of the body, impairing self-control by
/ producing progressive PARALYSIS Of the
1 judgment and of the will. and having
/ other markedly injurious effects. Hence.
alcohol must be regarded as poison. and
ought not to be classed among foods
Further. alcohol tends to produce in
the offspring of drinkers an unstable
/ nervous system. lowering them mental
/ ly, morally and physically. This deterior-
| alton of the race threatens us. and this is
| likely to be greatly accelerated by the
| alarming increase of drinking among
women, who have been hitherto little
addicted to this vice. Since the mothers
! of the coming generation are thus in
/ volved, the importance and danger Of
| this increase cannot be exaggerated"
Alcohol has been proved to be just as
much an anaesthetic or narcotic drug
as is ether. chlorOform. morphine or
/ cocaine: and when taken into the living
( body it impairs every function. and. ii
repeated daily. also impairs every struc-
/ ture of the body That It impairs mental
( activity. muscular force. nerve force,
/ heat force vital or protoplasmic force,
and the natural vital resistance to the
influence Of toxic agents and other
/ causes of disease. in direct proportion to
the quantity used. has been proved by
the most varied and accurate methods OF
experimentation by men eminent in the
( profession, both in Europe and America.
That it is the poison most dangerous
to the public health and morals is
abundantIy proved by the number Of its
victims who crowd our poorhouses,
( asylums for the inebriate and insane.
police stations, and prisons. and the
| constantly increasing number of homi-
| cides. suicides. and crimes of violence
/ committed directly under the influence
/ that are daily reported in the public
/ press. To my mind. there is no more
| obvious or easily demonstrated prOpo-
| sition than that which assigns the uses
/ of alcoholic liquors and their control to
| the departments of public health and
morals, instead of the every varying and
! inefficient field Of politics.
/ In claiming that alcohol as it exists
! in fermented and distilled liquors is
/ dangerous and most destructive poison,
/ to be legally declared such and to be
/ sold only on legally qualified physicians
prescriptions, and plainly labeled
/ Poison we will doubtless be told that
in moderate doses it is a tonic and "a
| conservator OF tissue and therefore a
/ food and "a poison only in large doses
/ or too frequently repeated"
/ In other words. that lit is its abuse
that causes all the evil and not its tenn
perate use" But is not the fact that
our almshouses, hospitals. asylums'
and prisons are kept constantly filled
with rs ruined and dangerous abusers
all of whom commenced on so-called
temperate doses. sufficient evidence that
any doses if repeated from day to Gay
are dangerous both to the individual
and the community? Does the daily
use of bread. meat, or potatoes or any
other article Of ordinary food convert
one-haIf of those who use it into either
paupers or criminals; or has anyone
ever been found abusing he use of bread
or meat TO such an extent as to convert
them into either habitual paupers or
criminals? Again, when it is found that
so temperate a dose as single mug of
beer, or a glass of wine. or one drink
of whisky, perceptibly lessons mental
activity and self-control. ratards the
transmissions of Impressions by the
nerves, diminishes muscular strength,
impairS the corpuscular elements Of the
blood and the nerve cells of the brain
as seen under the microscope. retards
tissue metabolism and eXcretion OF
waste products. and increases The liabi-
ity to attacks of all infections diseases.
are not these induhitabe evidences of
poison, which, if repeated rom day to
day, would endanger both health and
morals?
The same methods Of Investigation
when applied 10 ether, chloroform. NOR
phine or cocane and to the whole field
Of etiolosy in the laboratories of chem
istry. physiology and bacteriology are
fully credited and readily acted upon.
Then why not in reference TO alcoholic
liquors? The answer is twofold First,
because the effect of alcohol in dimin-
ishing the sensibility of the brain di-
rectly destroys the ability of the user
to judge correctly concerning his own
ability or the nature of his impressions;
and the second is because human greed
for the pecuniary profits OF the man.
utacture and sale of alcoholic liquors
Outweishs the regard for human well
fare. So long as the contest can be kept
in the field of politics these reasons will
prevent anything more than tenn
porary or partial success But If it
could be fully transferred to the depart
ments of public health and morals,
aided by the courts a fair degree of sue
cess would soon result. | do not say
that the success would be complete. be-
cause no penal laws have entirely sup
pressed the crimes against which they
were enacted. The most efficient laws
against murder, theft adultery. etc.
have existed since human history be-
gan, and yet these crimes continue tc
be committed. but far less frequently
than they would be if instead of laws for
direct suppression they were regulated
bV licen Sino DESIGNATED us rSnuc tn do oil