The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-02-04

manufacturing hats, varnishess shoes,
enamels, dye stuffs, shellacs, lacquer.
finish for pianos and organs, and a
thousand things which enter into the
manufactures Of everyday life.
We have no objection to any useful
thing that can be done with alcohol.
We place alcohol on the same plane
with poisonous drugs and impure meat.
We have no objection to the sale of
poisonous drugs for proper purposes.
We have no objection to the sale Of
impure meat for making soap or fer
>tilizer. But when poisonous drugs, CO.
caine, morphine, arsenic, ETC., are sold
indiscriminately for improper purposes,
or when the butcher attempts to market
impure meat for eating, how quickly do
the war dogs Of justice swoop down on
the offender. Why should we single out
alcohol as an exception to this rule9
Remove the tax on alcohol when
properly denaturized and we shall not
have to argue any more about what
to do with the distilleries. Tell them
to go ahead and make alcohol for proper
purposes and quit selling it to make
fools Of men.
'There is probably not a distiller
in the country who would not rather
make alcohol for a legitimate and use
full purpose than for market that
brings down on his head the bitter
maledictions of half the human race
''The proper way to cure bad boy
Of his meanness is to kill the meanness
and not kill the boy. We do battle
against the saloon and not against the
proper legitimate use of alcohol. The
United States has suppressed the use
Of alcohol for proper purposes, and
gone into partnership with scoundrels
who wax fat, drowsy and wicked by
marketing 1t for destructive and con-
fessedly improper purposes. This policy
needs reversing. Suppress the improper
use Of alcohol and promote it's use in
the arts and industries. "
Reform Bureau for the Bill.
It is understood that the National
Reform bureau, whose headquarters are
in Washington, has made an exhaustive
study Of this question, and that it takes
much tho same view as the New Voice,
| namely, that there is no moral issue
presented by the Marshall bill.
When the ways and means committee
gets around to the public hearings, all
the facts will be brought out. These
hearings will be largely technical, and
for most Of them the public will care
| nothing. The committee will want to
know whether the proposed legislation
will seriously diminish the federal rev.
enues. The secretary Of the treasury
and the collector of internal revenue
| will be on hand with statistics to show
| that it will not. The committee will
| next want to know if the alcohol, once
it is denaturized, can be recovered and
then used as a beverage. Secretary
Wilson, of the department. of agricul
ture, DR.. Wiley, chief government chem
ist, and other experts of the agricul
tural and treasury departments, will be
on hand to say that denaturized alcoho
can be recovered, but that the cost viii
be several times the cost of origina.
work can only be done in large plant
equipped with elaborate and expensive
machinery. t.. >: =. >i.. :. *, Y, :.
Before the hearings are over, the tenn
perance people Of the country will have
all the testimony that they want con
corning the points brought by the liter
allure sent out from Pittsburg. Joh1
! G.. Woolley will be invited to appea,
and testify for or against the bill, ant
other well-known prohibitionists Of thu
country are also to be here. Nothing
will be done under a cover, and it il
suggested that until the hearings hav'
developed the case, and shown just swha
there is behind the proposed legislation
the good people Of the country who be
ieve in prohibition should possess thei
souls in patience and refuse 20 be car
ried off their feet by men who, whethe
purposely or not, are certainly working
along the lines that are most satisfac
tory to the Standard Oil opposition t
the bill.