The Washington times., 1907-09-22
Three Views of the Liquor Trade.


History may be making toward
efficient regulation of the liquor
trade. All sorts of experiments
have been or are being tried.
South Carolina has put the State
in the business and would like to
give it all up as bad job. England
and Scotland have gone into the
business at second hand and devote
all the profits to social betterment,
and their report is that the scheme
works well. Throughout the United
States comparative and absolute
prohibition have spread as few po-
litical reforms have ever spread.
Incidental TO this growth of senti-
ment in the United States three in
teresting exhibits have been made
recently.
One comes from J. +. O'Reilley,
editor of the liquor organ, BeVer-
ages, who says editorially:
II IS an unfortunate circumstance that
else these places OF saloons where wom-
en- assemble may be called, are nothing
but assignation retreats and covers for
the social evil They are not family re-
sorts, and II Is a misnomsr 10 call them
such. No saloon keeper VINO has adj
1uncts OF this character to his business
Is entitled TO public consideration, and
no business that tolerates them can be
otherwise than looked down upon and
scorned.
Another is accredited by the New
York Times to certain unnamed
army officers, resentful of the con-
illusions of one w. T. White. of
Philadelphia, that the abolition of
the canteen has reduced drunken
ness in the army. Say these pro-
testants:
Full figures have not vet been COM
piled, covering the entire period involved
by Mr.. Whites figures. so as to afford
an accurate lire on the eject OF the
abolition Of the canteen. But In 1854.
three years after the abolition of tho
canteen and the Passage OF the sum
mary court act the number Of con-
courts was 40.S03. In 1906 there were
$500. and this does not include the
humber in the Department Of California.
the records OF which were destroyed at
the time OF the earthquake.
Finally, speak 145 men who know
the liquor trade at first hand. They
are inmates Of Slope No. 10 prison,
Pratt Mines, Jefferson county, Ala.
Their purpose is TO help the cause
of local option in that jurisdiction,
the temperance vote having been
swamped heretofore by the liquor
vote of Birmingham and Bessemer.
Here is part of what they say:
Whereas. Strong drink has been the
cause, directly or Indirectly, OF our sew
eral crimes for which We are impris-
oned: whereas, this penal condition Is
most grievous tn be borne, since II visits
upon ourselves and upon our loved ones
/ innumerable hardships. and since this
same unholy traffic Is the prolific source
OF every sort OF crime-a broad avenue
along which multitudes Of our fellow
countryuren are destined to stagSer into
the penitentiaTy; whereas, IN the event
Of the liquor business beirg outlaWed.
crime OF every sort VIII be greatly
diminished. while the prosperity and
happiness OF the general public will be
inmeasuTabiy increased. vo hereby Sc
Verally pray that every well disposed
citizen in the county OF Jefferson will
unite in voting ont OF existence the
greatest Of oil modern evils-the whisky
curse.
We submit herewith a tabulated state
| ment OF facts, the result Of a personal
canvass made by certain oonvicts among
their fellow inmates. for the burmese Of
ascertainlng the sentences OF those Who
were either directly OF indirectly made
criminal through the influence Of strong
drink:
Years
10 coioi 81 men,. '.r'...,............. T. go
A0'ai --.---.--.-..s.s........-- 46SI
Is 1t not significant that all three
agencies plead for some control not
now enforced2