Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-08-30
"Denatured Alcohol"
-ennebec Journal:

Editor Kennebec Journal:
l see that the Democrats are irving
to make a great political handle of the
| claim that under the constitution we
are not permitted to manufacture
| "denatured alcohol in this state
They have even secured lawyer to
| give them an opinion to this effect.
Now the constitution of Maine forbids
the manufacturing of Intoxicating
| liquor but if | am correctly informed
"denatured' alcohol is not "intoxicat-
ing liquor" but something very differ
ent from it,. 1nasmuch as poison il
cannot be used at all for drinking pur-
poses This being the case III, docks to
me that this attempt to raise a con-
stitutional question is just bit far
fetched.
Leaving all this out Of the question.
! should like to ask just what partic-
ular interest this question is anyway
The national alcohol law doesn't 60 in
To effect anyway until 1907 as | under
stand it-and if these objections which
have been raised are well taken
there will be ample time before then
TO correct them. / do not understand
that any political party in Maine OBJ
jects to the manufacture or use OF
"denatured' alcohol. Upon that prop
osition we can all unite. l am led to
the suspicion, however, that the real
anxiety of these Democratic papers
and stump speakers isn't SO much on
account Of ''denatured" alcohol, as it
is the desire to make an opening i'm
Maine for the manufacture and sale of
alcohol that is NOT "denatured"
Suppose all of these bugaboos are
swept aside and we are all left free 10
manufacture "denatured" alcohol.
What Them All, say our Democratic
statesmen. you can then erect distil-
ler1es on your farms and manufacture
your small potatoes into "denatured"
alcohol which can be used for furnish
ing power to run your wood saws and
your threshing machines. Well wood
alcohol can be used in this way As
II Is a poison at every stage of its man.
ufacture, even the learned Democratic
statesmen who have been so troubled
III their souls about "denatured" al
cohol, have not undertaken to say that
its manufacture is contrary to the pro
visions of the constitution. Most Of
ne farmers of Maine are well supplied
with wood. How many of them are
distilling it into alcohol? Please don't
all speak at once.
1t may be that there are distilleries
on our Maine farms distilling alcohol
from wood; but L never happened to
see one Moreover l never happened
10 near of one. Doubtless our Demo-
cratic friends can tell us the exact
number Of them and just where they
are located.
An, but they will tell US, it will be
different with your small potatoes.
you can build your home distiileries,
convert them into a cheap power, hitch
II 10 your various farm machines and
largely eliminate your hard work. In
TACT win a good distillery, plenty Of
SHiaii potatoes, and q good supply Of
modern machinery about all that will
pe ieft FOR us farmers to do will be to
FiloKe good cigars and operate the lev
ers!
"hat dream of Utopia this u.s. I'm
iortunateiy, however, we live in prac-
.'cal KIND or world, and 1t is not easy
ior the most of us-who are not pro
,hoterS to secure a good comfortable
living without certain amount Of hard
work.
n"tlce that the experts employed
by the Standard Oil Company to test
OUT this matter have reported that
denatured' alcohol cannot be manu-
Iactured at price low enough to COM
pete IN the market with gasoline. I'm
ger the circumstances 1 shall postpone
me erection Of my farm distillery for
at ieast another year. 1 shall feed my
small potatoes to my stock and If
md that it is impossible for me to
continue my farming operations with
cut supply of "denatured" alcohol I
VIII buy 1t in the open market on the
most favorable terms I can secure.
FARMER.