The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1908-04-04
MEETING OPPOSITION.

The rapid growth of prohibition sentiment
throughout the United States and the fact that
the anti-saloon element has been getting results
have caused the interests opposed to organize >
national federation to protect themselves against
the encroachments upon their preserves. The new
organizations according to It's manager. Mr. j. a
McDermott. who recently interviewed by the
Chicago Record Herald is very comprehensive one
representing %3.3j0000000 of capital, with mem
beiship of 100000 voters. and includes about
every industry which is in any way associated with
the liquor business. Manufacturers of glassware
bar furniture, cigars, soda and mineral waters a,
well four national associations of brewers matt
sters and wholesale and retail liquor dealers, arc in
cludcd i'll the membership, with the interests Of
100000 people at stake The activities Of. this
new organization will extend into every field which
even remotely bears upon the liquor business. They
will tell their side of the story in a campaign OF
education, general and specific. They will endcavor
to point out wherein the runaton of the country
will follow further spread of prohibition and To-
cal option legislation. The farmer will be shown
where his efforts will prove futile. where his crops
will rot on his hands; the laborer will be shown
how his wages will be cut off, the business man will
be shown where his income will cease if the traffic
in strong drink is stopped Not only all this. but
they propose to enter into the political phase of
the question. Liberty leagues are to be formed,
and efforts will be made to elect congressman legs-
lators councilmen and all executive officers who are
friendly to their interests. They purpose in short
to extend the influence of their three and third
billions of dollars of investment capital and their
seven million individuals interested to stem the tide
OF legislation against them. Mr. McDermott says;
eve going to fight north and SOUTH east
and west. The prohibition forces have had matters
too long their own way. Now we are going to start
a fight that will daze some of our opponents bv IFS
scope"
As to the prohibition forces having had mat
tiers their way too long, we disagree with Mr.
McDermott, and submit, in it's stead that the first
cause of the strength of the prohibition movement
is the fact that the saloon interests have had their
way until conditions have become intolerable
But viii let that pass.
We welcome the fight. We admire fighter. 1t
would be unfair to the seven million individuals
who have grown fat in destroying the homes of an
other seven millions and have built up an interest
of three and third billions of dollars while wreck
ing the lives and prosperity of thousands and thou
sands of the victims of drink to have a small CO.
terie of fanatics calling themselves prohibitionists
seek to destroy them Already many of the daily
newspapers have taken up the challenge, and. as
result of the fight, the drink question no doubt will
increase in prominence and insstence. Discus-
sion will enlighten, and with enlightenment will
come thoroughness of action Heretofore there has
been much of patchwork and many makeshifts and
compromises. Before the slavery question was
finally settled there had been an equal amount of
compromise legislation Compromising has been
national characteristic in dealing with all the great