The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1908-06-25
men
must TALK
Up Their Side Of the Agitation
if They Are TO Win
Says Attorney.

NIAGRA FALLS, N. Y. June ga
Today A. ]. Friedberg, attorney for
the Ohio Wine and Spirit Association.
delivered the following address ut the
convention of the ational Wholesale
Liquor Dealers Association:
i think that II certain unneces-
sary and improper features have
been allowed to grow up in connec-
ton with the business OF selling liq-
uor. 1t is due entirely to the Ameri-
can public. The American drinking
place, its manners and customs are
determined largely by the people who
frequent 1t. I do not mean by this
to condemn the whole American pub
| lie but SIMPLY to point out that the
few saloons which are the subject Of
criticism-and proper criticism-on
the part Of society, are those saloons
which cater to class OF society who
demand that kind of thing in some
form or other.
ABut the unfortunate part about 1t
is that your Anti-Saloon Lacquer
finds the bad saloon ready to his
hand from which to draw the Illogical
conclusion that all places where lid-
uor is sold are bad. The vision Of the
Prohibition fanatic is no larger than
a keyhole. and when he makes use
OF an unfair sylloglsm, he does not
know that he is doing an injustice.
1t therefore behooyes the, tiistiI-
lers and brewers of this country to
grid up their loins and give as much
publicity to their side of the question
as the Anti-Saloon League has sue
ceeded In doing oy the aid of the yell
low magazines of the country. Con-
|ditions differ in every state, but even.
'if they did not. 1t is simply physic-
al impossibility for a National Asso-
citation without help to cope with
this stupendous movement. The An
ti-Saloon League has district organ
izations and these are the ones that
do the effective work. Therefore the
liquor dealers should have their local
Organizations, not merely to educate
the public and have 1t know the real
truth but alsoSto apply the surgeons
knife to their business in such a way
that the skepticaI public is. Convinced
beyond peradventure OF their SINGER
ity In wedding out the Objectionable
features which we all know some
times accompany the sale OF liquor.
|. There Is no more INSCRIPTIONS ex-
horter Of the people than your finan-
cial zealot. There is practically NO
way Of disproving his assertions I'M
less you have the truth expounded
and spend as much time in expound-
ing 1t as your opponent does. In
deed you must spend four or FIVE
times the amount of time that he
does because your sincerity will be
impugned by many on account Of
your financial interest whereas the
zealot is supposed to be speaking the
truth because he is without reward.
II do not believe that you have in
terested the press OF your states as
you should have, and canFif you will.
The Anti-Saloon League has pre-
empted the columns Of your newspa-
ipers on the subject of the liquor
traffic and you have allowed their
charges and misinformation to go
unanswered. I think know the
reason. You have been harassed for
so many years by the attacks OF the
Prohibitionists without unfavorable
result that you have become used to
a policy of inaction. You are now
confronted with the Prohibitionist or
ganized, which is different thing
from the Prohibitionist ranting alone.
1t therefore behooves you to organ
ize yourselves and having organized
take the press and public into your
confidence and let them Judge you by
your own works.