Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1908-03-04

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paid to the farmers for grain, but
remember that it takes from the
general public, return absolutely
nothing. more than TWO THOUS-
AND MILLION DOLLARS. For
every dollar that it puts into the
hands Of the farmer, the Iaborer or
the manufacturer, it takes from
somebody at least six dollars by a.
process that has all the economic
characteristics of robbery. While
we are discussing the matter, this
fact is worthy of notice: in 1850
63 cents worth of labor and ma
terial produced one dollars worth
Of liquor. In 1900 that ratio had
sunk to 20 cents. The circular
claims that the liquor makers pay
labor $54, $4,000. The census of
1900 shows that the wages paid to
the manufacturers of liquor amount
ed to only $28.O05. 484. When the
public spends 500 for distilled liq-
uors, labor gets $1.0o; for malt liq-
uors labor gets $5.18; for boots and
shoes labor gets $22.56; for bread
labor gets 1874 for clothing labor
gets $22. 10; for the average product
of industry labor gets Sits. Eco
nomically considered, every man
making or distributing liquor is
not only unemployed, but acting to
public disadvantage. The people
could better afford to pension him
than to have him earn" his living
as he now gets it. Thousands are
unemployed today because the mar
kets find no place for boots and
shoes and bread and clothing which
might be found without the compe-
tition Of the illegitimate liquor
business. Instead of putting in
jeopardy the livelihood of any, pro-
hibition would turn into honest
trade the billions that now flow in
to the gin-miller's till, providing
paying and value-producing employ
ment for thousands now out of
work, and offering honest, produe-
tive, respectable work to those now
making poison, robbing their fell
low citizens and spreading disease
and crime and death thruout the
land.
!
| After January /, 1909, it will be
possible to go from the Atlantic to
New Mexico without crossing foot
of ''wet" territory. Mississippi is
the latest state to abolish the sa-
loon. Both branches of the legisla-
ture voted by overwhelming major
ties in favor of a state prohibitory
law.
The mayor of the Sanity City
has never been widely known be-
cause of his views favoring prohibi-
tion, but since he has been deposed
by the political bosses he has been
talking a little. In an interview
in Los Angeles recently he is re-
ported to have said: Il tell you,
honestly, the big brewers are
frightened, and justly so. The
sentiment Of the country is against
the saloon. One of the most prom
inent brewers of the country told
me that he was deeply concerned
for the future of his business.
The relation of pauperism to in
temperance seems very plain to the
people Of Japan. In Great Britain
there are 1000, 900 paupers, while
Japan has only $4,000. When some
one expressed surprise at the great
disparity and wondered why in ia
pan there is so small an element Of
pauperism in proportion to popula-
tion, the reply of a Japanese states
man was: That is because while
the japanese drink tea the British
drink alcohol. From The Ram
Horn.
National Prohibition Convention,
Columbus, Ohio, July 1917, 1908.
The date of the Prohibition State
Convention has been changed from
the 1917 of June to the SO. It
will be held in Minneapolis, and
plans are being made to surpass all
previous efforts. Able speakers
will be secured from different parts
of the country and an enthusiastic
meeting is predicted.
The Detroit Mimi. Record. the
most influential paper of Becker
county, has announced itself un-
equivocally for Jeff H. Irish, the
prohibition candidate for the legis-
lature. In it's announcement, edi-
torially, Feb. %, it says: If Mr..
Irish's views upon this subject dis
qualify him for receiving republic
an votes, or if the Record S endorse
ment of his candidacy puts this pa
per without the pale Of republican
newspapers, we'll and good. We
shall urge until next election the
endorsement of Mr.. Irish's election
as man who is in every way wor-
thy Of such honor.
The St. Paul Record is being