The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1907-08-15
PROHIBITION AND CRIME.

\ high official Of immigration bu.
reau is authority for the statement
that the prohibition movement In the
South will seriously interfere with
efforts to get immigrants to that sec.
tion o fthe country
III Is none Of my business" he said,
although have been cooperating a.
far as possible. with the immigration
bureaus Of the states OF South caro-
line. Virginia and others So soon
as the class of people being sought
in the South find out that prohibition
laws cucumber their personal liber.
ty they viii refuse TO go South and
those now there will leave. The Ger.
man. Austrian. Swode. Finn and near.
ly all other classes Of Europeans will
not go where they can not get beer.
Besides that they resent any iuterfer.
encc with what they shall eat or
drink. believing these are matters Of
personal liberty. They do not hold
the view that so light drink as
beer. when taken in moderate
amounts and under circumstances TO
which they are accustomed, Is either
sin or crime. They look down
upon whisky drinking in this coun.
try as a moral weakness to which
| Americans should not be- addicted,
and probably would not care what
/ happened to the ardent spirits, but
| they object to being deprived of beer.
/ In Finland for instance, the govern
ment and the intelligent classes en-
courage the use of beer as keeping
down the heavy drinks. which threat.
cned to increase in consumption, and
Finland is considered the model
temperance nation of the earth.
"Pcrsonally | think a great mis-
luke is being made in the South. II
these prohibition laws are being en-
acted to make the negro a sober citi
zen. the error will be discovered In
a few years The negro will now b"
ibIllt dll llllblN''l VI NV Nv 81 Al''''' hii''
most fiery grades OF mean whisky
aud / will venture the prediction that
in prohibition states Of the South
crime will increase II is history that
prohibition runs out the mild drinks
like beer and brings in the worst OF
the ardent class. The negro natur
u.tf
blind tigers and it will not be lonp
before he will take the lead in the de
fiancc Of law and hypocrisy lie
will copy after the white man, It T.
true When he sees prohibition law
dcfied he will pay less attention tl
other laws. II Is well known that IN
many portions of the South whore
prohibition Is in force through loca'
option the negro has turned to co
caiue and drugs and has become sd
worthless that he is a menace.
What the South should do to hcu
the negro be better citizen aud
to encourage immigration of us"tu
and intelligent European workmen Is
to enact laws that will favor the sal,
of beer and the lightest of wines
This course is now advocated IN
many states of the country by dis
tinguished churchmen and thinking
citizens who want to find a medium
between the radicalism of prohibition
and the extreme of wide open condi
tions. Commissioners from Finland
who recently came TO study license
laws In this country were horritiec
al what they saw In the prohibition
state of Maine and went back home
with recommendation that their owr
laws. showing partiality TO the ligh'
drinks were the best In existence
They saw more drunks in Maine
cities than in any place else they
visited"
-OtO-
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