The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
SHOULD PRESIDENTS
STOOP TO POLITICS
Roosevelt Criticised for Run
ming Taft'S Campaign
THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
1t Is Not a StimuIant, But Narcotic
and Reduces Mans Working Eff
cheney, Says DR.. Henry Smith
Williams, Scientist.
THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL
BY sEWELL HAeGARp.

New York, September 26.-Is it fitting
that the President of the United States
should direct a national political cam
paign from the White House? The pres
ent writer may have old-fashioned ideas,
but it seems to him that President Roose-
welt is outraging the feelings Of a large
number of good American citizens, both
republicans and democrats. Some of us
believe-maybe 1t is only a foolish senti-
ment-that when man Is elected Pres
ident he should leave partisanship be-
hind, free himself from all outside affil-
iations, political or otherwise. We have
grown to believe that political quarrels
were beneath the dignity Of the President
of the United States So when we see
Mr.. Roosevelt carrying on newspaper
controversy with the candidate Of the
opposition party in behalf of his Crosse
velt's) own candidate for the presidency
1t comes as a shock. We can't imagine
Lincoln or Mckinley in a similar role
Mr.. Roosevelt literally cramned Mr..
Taft down the throat of his party.
don't see why force should have been
necessary, for Mr.. Taft seemed to me to
be the logical candidate, but the fact
remains that Mr.. Roosevelt forced MS
nomination against the wishes OF MS
party. Mr.. Roosevelt, of course,
will answer that he was justified be-
cause Mr.. Taft was the best man rof
the place. Yet it doesn't seem just right
Is it fitting that President should name
his successor? Is the principle proper
one?
And now Mr.. Roosevelt is engaged In
trying to elect his man. Without any
excuse whatever he starts controversy
with Mr. Bryan. 1 say without any ex-
cuse, because some one of Taft's politi-
cal managers might as well have given
out the statement concerning the For
aker-H Haskell Hearst controversy. Per-
haps Mr.. Bryan has been deceived and
Governor Haskell is guilty, but the fact
could have been made known through
some one else? 1 am surprised that
Mr.. Bryan did not reply that he thougnt
1t uniting to enter into controversy
with the President of the United States
1t seems to me that by taking up the
matter In the way he has he has become
a party to what amounts to the debauch-
ing of the greatest office within the gift
Of the people.
Some time ago in this correspondence
were given extracts from an article by
Prof. Hugo Munsterberg, in Mcclure
Magazine, in opposition to prohibition.
McClure's for October contains an arti-
Gle by DR.. Henry Smith Williams giving
the other side of the question. Or. Will
liams says that experiments go TO snow
that alcohol Is not stimulant, that lts
final effect is everywhere Oppressive ana
inhibitory, that, in short, 1t is properly TO
he classed with the anesthetics and mar
cotics. Experiments show that alcohol
does indeed stimulate the flow of digestive
fluids but that it also tends to interfere
with their normal action; so that Or
dinarily one effect neutralizes the other.
AS regards the action on the heart, the
ultimate effect of alcohol is to depress,
in large doses to paralyze that organ.
Dr. Williams continues:
1.-THE experiments show that alcohol
does not Increase the capacity to do mus
~cular work, but distinctly decreases It,
Doubtless this seems at variance with
many a mans observation of himself;
but the explanation is found in the fact
that alcohol blurs the judgment. AS
Volt remarks 1t gives, not strength, but,
at most, the feeling of strength. A man
may think he is working faster and bet
ter under the influence of alcohol than
he would otherwise do; but rigidly con-
Quoted experiments do not confirm this
opinion Both science and the expe-
rience of life,' says DR.. John ]. Abel of
Johns Hopkins university, have exploded
the pernicious theory that alcohol gives
any persistent increase of muscular
power. The disappearance of this univer-
sal error will greatly reduce the con-
sumption of alcohol among laboring
men. 1t is we'll understood by all who
control large bodies of men engaged in
physical labor that alcohol and effective
work are Incompatible.