The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-04-10

1t was not in the slightest degre,
a matter of climatic conditions, Mr.
Barboro insisted. Up In the noun
tains of Switzerland everybody drank
wine. and jags were unknown; dowr
on the plains of Italy everybody
drank wine and jags were equally
unknown, while on Mr.. Barboro's
vineyards in California, 1000 fami-
lies were employed, and a drunken
person had never been seen, al
though every one drank wine.
Babies Drink Wine.
Babies should be taught to drink
wine at the table just as soon as they
left off nursing, Mr.. Barboro said,
and 1t was his sincere opinion that
this would do more to stop drunk
enness among the people than any
thing else in the world. His four
children had been brought up that
way, he said, and he had never had
occasion to regret it for a single Sec
ond. They were happy, healthy, still
drinking wine and didn't have the
faintest idea of what intoxication
meant.
In reply to question from Mat
thew O'Brien, congressional repre-
sentative of the national prohibition
party-that's the way his cards read
asked Mr.. Barboro, through Chair
man Smith, if he favored prohibiting
the sale of whisky, Mr.. Barboro said
he did.
Among the statistics presented to
the committee by Mr.. Barboro was
a statement showing that in Italy,
France and Spain--the chief wine
drinking countries of the world
there was per capita consump-
ton of thirty gallons of wine and
one gallon of spirits per annum,
while in Russia, England and the
United tSates these figures were just
reversed, the per capita consumption
being thirty gallons of spirits to one
gallon of wine per person per an
mum. In the first named countries
drunkenness was practically I'M
known, while in the latter countries
If WAC vorv provoJont
Mr. Barboro closed his statement
with the remark that he couldn't i'm
agine the District committee report
ing the Sims bill in its present form;
that 1t was ridiculous to suppose the
committee would favor absolute pro-
hibition of wine and beer drinking
1t was just as reasonable, he said, to
prohibit the sale of tea and coffee.
Mr.. Sullivan's Argument.
Mr.. Sullivan followed Mr.. Bar
boro before the committee, and said
he represented about $4,000 persons
connected with the business
of serving the American people with
liquid refreshments. Mr.. Sullivan
was also quick to sound the cry of
prohibition does not prohibit" and
he backed up his statement with
some highly amusing comments on
blind pigs" blind tigers" and
Kitchen hells," which he said -four
shed in prohibition communities,
and sold a line of wet goods that
would make a man bite himself on
his own leg.
Mr.. Sullivan then pointed out in
original and entertaining
anguage-the committee seemed to
ike 1t all right-that the jail force
n Maine, the original home Of alb
,olute prohibition, was treble the jail
'orce of Minnesota, where things
we're wide open.
Why" said Mr.. Sullivan, scorn-
'ully, zone Of them prohibitionists
said the other day that out in some
Kansas dry counties they haven't no
need for jails I'd like to know
more about that. Them statements
lon't sound good to me"
Don't you believe In legislating /,
lgainst gambling, Mr. Sullivan" .
lsked Mr.. Sims, with smile. +.
Mr.. Sullivan chuckled. you and ,
ne amt got the same definition for
he replied. What call =
is gambling in stocks and :
utures and such. But II man :
wants to play poker and has got the {
ime and money to lose, why let him :
% to 1t quick, say l."
Asked about conditions in Europe,
With which country Mr.. Sullivan =
eemed as familiar as with little old 4
lew York, he replied:
Say, saw more booze drank
ver there than anywhere in the
yorld and the only jags was some
myself. But the booze
ertainly is punished in Paris. Why
hey drink just as much real booze
yer there as they do here in Wash
1gton."