The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-02-07

Mr.. Editor: While the following
article is not, literally speaking, a
Discussion of the Liquor Question -
1T bears so closely upon the heading
above your columns that I hope you
may see fit to give the few thoughts
it contains to your readers.
The more I study the American
people and the more intimately / be-
come acquainted with their manner
lsms and native trates, the more !
become impressed with the idea that
!, two very commendable characteris-
tics of the country are responsible
for the amount of inebriation to be
found in your country.
They are namely, Generosity
and Ambition"
This sounds rather far-fetched |
will admit, but the statement has not
y been made without due thought and
= consideration.
Step with me into the workshop of
; a large institution of any kind; into
factory or large Office for instance.
What do we find? Hurry, hurry,
hurry, on every side. And what is
responsible for this hurry? The
answer must be ambition" Ambi-
ton to own home, ambition for
better clothes, ambition for a higher
education; it may be that this am
bition reaches no higher than few
more glasses of beer, but still it is
there. Probably every man, woman
and child in the establishment has a
different object in view, but still it
is the same ambition that spurs them
on.
Fifty more button-holes complet-
ed in day, hundred more cigars
4 rolled in a certain length of time
means that much more money in the
envelope on Saturday night. And it
takes money to crafty this ever pre-
sent ambition.
The natural result is that the
Aerves of nearly every individual in
the place is strained to the breaking
point anywhere from eight to ten
and twelve hours per day. Observe
. them closely as they come from their
work at six o'clock in the evening,
and your own observations will sup
port my statement
Note the stoop shoulders, the tired
Y look about the eyes, or better still,
N step up to one of these laborers sud-
II denly with some remark, then note
the result Ten chances to one he
will drop his dinner bucket in the
start that will invariably come This
is nothing but nerves" my friends,
brought on by hurry to crafty an
ambition.
Here we have the natural evolu
tion of things From ambition to
hurry and effort, from hurry and eff
fort to nerves, from nerves to a
Y stimulant, and drink naturally fol-
lows
Consequently the statement that
ambition leads to drink and the
horrors that go with it.
1t will not be necessary to 60 into
as many details to prove the connec-
ton between generosity and drink.
You meet Jack on the street and
he greets you with the following:
Hello, old chap, how are you?
\ Fine day isn't it? Come have little
I smile with me this morning, won't
il you?"
N It is nothing but the generous
nature of Jack that prompts him to
include his friend in the morning
Il smile"
Establish government dispensories
M where nothing but the first class
IA 1iuuors are sold, and abolish the Gus
" tom of bar room treating" and
venture to predict that 40 per cent
X of the drunkenness of America will
be done away with.
M And it is not only in the bar room
]. the treating custom prevails. Step
into an aristocratic club room at
most any time during the day or
evening. On every hand you see
Y parties of men at tables. First one
man orders bottle of wine and then
another. In this instance 1t may not
be generosity so much that does the
prompting as the fear of being out
done by friend. But the fact re-
mains that they all buy And the re-
!. suit is, too much of good Tor bad
thing at one time.
There is not very much danger OF
the man who has his bottle on the
VI sideboard at home ever becoming
v intoxicated 1t is usually gather
ing of generous friends that winds
M with an all-night corousal