The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1908-03-07
BREWERY WDRk|NEn
OPPOSE EI.NAIlC|sM|
Oontend that Moral and Economic
Interest Of the Whole Nation
is Endangered.


The United Brewery Workers of
America is an organization Of men
employed in the brewing industry.
and are $4,000 in number.
Feeling that they have good cause
to take the initiative in the protest
against prohfbitive and restrictive
legislation state as follows: 81
Prohibition lmpracticabIe.
ProhHbition-and we use it in its
general and most comprehensive
sense, including every species Oh .q-s
uor legisla ton, except a reasonable
license law, involving a reasonable
regulation" of the traffic-is an insult
to American manhood. It is especial
" an insult to the American work.
ingman, against whom it is principals
ly directed. For this. reason, and be-
cause no other class would suffer 80
much It the prohibition became gem
eral, as the working class, we protest
against all legislation prohibitive in
It's character, and we have no doubt
that this sentiment is shared by the
large majority Of the American work
lngmen. They cannot, like the veal
thy, rent or build club houses, the
doors Of which are closed to police Of
ficers;: they cannot stock their cellars
and ice-boxes with costly wines and
fine liquors, yet they have the same
need Of sociality and the same ply
sical needs. And Of what needs these
are The: men working in the sweat of
their brows, in the. engine-roo,n, or
the mill. or: the shop, or the mine. OF
before the fiery furnace, are better
able to Judge than the kid gloved or
misguided temperance people, who
pretend to love the working people,
but have never raised a finger to
help them in. their various struggles
for better working and living condi-s
tfons.
Have the temperance fanatics ever
given thought to the question Of
what would become of the hundreds
OF thousands who would be bereaved
OF their means Of living, If prohibition
became general? Did they ever SER
iously consider the disastrous con-
sequences of the destruction Of so:
large m industry as the brewing In
dustry, and how It would affect the
other industriss2s Did they eyer -cor-
slider that Eprohibiti ton. in our country
would take away the bread from the
mouths >of a million Of men, womeH
and children, who would be dumped
upon the labor market, or made pau-
pers? @s ~, 80 II :, J. z..$
Yes, q million! According to the.
census Of 1900. the nun1ber Of wage-
earners employed in the manufacture
Of beer was $4,000, and in the manu-
factures Of liquor land wines, 25,ooo-
together 10000, which has probably
grown since to 100000. According to
bulletins 20 and IS Of the Census Bu-
reau. there were in 1903 in all cities
over 1000 Inhabitants, $4,000 licensed
saloons: there were probably from
$4,000 to 10000 In the smaller cities
and towns, which would make it
100000: Doubling the number to in
| clude barkeepers, porters, walters,
ETC., would make the number Of men.
owning and being employed in sa-
looms 200,0oO. In addition thereto. we
.nus:> consider the thousands OF men
employed in the industries furnishing
supplies and raw materials for the
breweries and distilleries such as the.
nalt-houaes, grist-mills, the men
working in the glass factories, the bot
tie and the rubber factories, and the
coopers, the hoxmakers, wagon mak-
ers, harness makers, horseshoers.
brushmakers, machinists, farmers and
!, their employees, etc. i ,s1} ,1} -s5