The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1904-10-22

OFF and that military offenses rath-
er increasing in number
We had like testimony from such
men as Generals Fighting Joe Wheel
! ess Daggett, Henry Shafter, Miles and
a most OF other men that were indeed
officers and gentlemen, know and read
| or all men. There was another state
ment IN the news article in your paper
| tnat l wish to challenge. It started
I out with the startling announcement,
that prohibition does not prohibit.
Why, we all know that. Stealing is
prohibited, so is murder. rape, and a
| large number of other things that are
bad, but still, people do them every
day. and according to that theory we
must stop enacting such laws because
they don't prohibit and repeal all the
, laws we have. For if there is a law
against doing anything, then more peo-
pie will want to do it. What nonsense?
But when applied to the prohibition of
the liquor traffic, which is the fruit
full source Of all these and more, we
hear men who count themselves oracles
using just such arguments.
Let me say that prohibition pro-
hibits just in proportion to the SYM
pathy for the law that is held by the
officers behind the law. The great trou-
BILE with prohibition generally has been
that the law has nearly always been
in the hands of it's enemies But in the
few instances that honest, unperjured
officers have been behind the law it
has been as great a success as any
other law. Ask the saloonkeepers Of
New York city how it worked on Sun
n md f%nx,
Roosevelt was police commissioner, or
the blind piggers of Portland, Me-,
when Rev. Samuel Pearson was sheriff
of Cumberland county, and ask the
Brewers and Liquor Dealers associa-
tions why they are spending so much
money in fighting prohibition if it does
not curtail drinking. Ask the saloon
keepers why they want license laws in
preference. Is it from a spirit of
philanthropy that they derived their
ill-gotten gain to the tune of some
where in the neighborhood of two hum
dred thousand dollars in Duluth alone,
or rather that they may have the
monopoly and a free hand to debauch
and ruin men, women and children
body and soul? Mr.. Editor there is no
end to the argument, but I fear I have
already trespassed too much on your
space, therefore, asking your kind in
diligence, I am yours for better morals
and better manhood
G. HOOD THOMPSON
(From the Columbus Citizen, Aug. 3,
1904)
Source of Intemperance in the Army.
AN outspoken utterance in the an
nual report of Brigadier General Will
lam H. Carter, U. S. A., commanding
the Department of the Visayas, Philip
pines division, illustrates how expert
enced army officers in actual command
of troops regard the abolition of the
army canteen:
General Carter remarks that the es-
Establishment of new posts in his COM
mandahas been followed by the usual
corp of saloons and the influx of dis,
reputable people. Continuing he says:
With the we'll regulated post exchange
of former days the weak soldiers had
choice of evils and generally chose
the lesser-the pure beer of the can
teen. So long as the misguided Chris
tan women of America insist upon
carrying the canteen question into
politics young soldiers whose powers
of resistance of temptation are below
the normal, or not firmly exercised, will
continue to fall victims to- the plaques
of the service in India and the Orient
observation-disclosures desolute COM
pany and disease An ounce of such
fact is worth a ton Of theory.
Gould the morals and tastes Of army
recruits be remodeled by legal enact
ment, the army canteen abolition would
be ideal. But unfortunately, army re-
cruits are commonly men whose habits
| have been formed and hardened. AS
rule their liking for liquor has become
fixed before they join the service. In
deed their liking for liquor has much to
do in making them failures in ordinary