Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-06-26
THE TREATING HABIT

In the recent convention of brewers
held in Milwaukee, an ex-president of
the association, Rudolph Brand, made
the assertion that the gaeatest evil in
connection with the liquor business in
this country was the treating habit.
Strangely enough, when the character
of his audience is considered, Mr.
Brands statement was treated with
applause and cheers, according to u tele-
praphic report from Milwaukee. And
yet the sellers of intoxicants owe their
greatest revenue to the treating habit.
Unless II man is practically u con-
hrmed inebriate he rarely thinks of TAX
ing a drink alone. And if he is a con-
irmed drinker and has reached this point
where his system demands Il stimulant
mt II certain time, he will take his drink
INT walk out of the saloon. Rarely, I'M
less-he is an absolute slave to the Ihabit.
will he take more than one drink. On
the other hand, if three or four men are
drinking together, each feels in incum-
bent on himself to buy at least one drink
for everybody in the crowd.
The result is hat each of the four
has four drinks and by the time the
fourth drink is taken the man who
treated first feels liberal enough to
treat again. BY that time, also, the
other members of the party are in a
generous humor and, if all take the
drinks that are suggested, they do not
go home in IL condition even bordering
on sobriety. And the chances are that
not one of the four men had the slightest
idea of becoming intoxicated when he
walked into the saloon.
Brewer Brand is right. The treating
habit is the greatest evil connected with
the liquor industry. 1t leads to more
drunkenness, saddens more homes, sends
more men into dishonored graves and
causes more misery and distress than
any other feature of the business. The
man who drinks alone is very rarely a
drunkard. The man who drinks with
a crowd of his friends very often he
comes a%drunkard.
We wish the German system could
he inauguratcd in this country, the sys-
tenn that forbids treating. 4 party of
Germans will sit in Il beer garden for
hours on end. When one of them wants
Il glass of beer he will order it. 1t never
occurs To him To ask the others mt the
table to drink ut his expense. Every
other member of the party is huying
such beer as he wants When the crowd
gets ready to gu home the individuals
pay for what they themselves have had
and all are good friends. Better. they
go home sober.
Hospitality is very good thing, hut
even hospitality can he carried to grave
excuses in the drinking line. One does
not press the guests i'll ones home to
drink more intoxicants than are good
for them. if it Inc granted that intoxi-
cants are ever good for my one. The
same rule should apply outside the home.
Some states, we believe, have laws
against treating. 1t might not be a bad
plan to try one here.-Salt Lake Herald.
When the late Bob Hamill of this
county was II member Of the Legislature
in the SOS, he introduced an anti.treat-
ing bill and the Legislature passed it.
On his return to Wells. he invited his
friends to drink with him and was ar
rested for violating the law. He was
not prosecuted and the law has remain.
ed Il dead letter on the statute books.