The Washington herald., 1909-03-24
PROHIBITION ASKED
FOR The DISTRICT
Crusaders Hold RaIIyfOr New
Campaign.
REGULATION Unsatisfactory
Speakers Declare There Are 200
..Speakeasies" Ia Washington, He
sides $50 SaIOOns-ADy Compromise
with Liquor Forces short of Eradi-
cation OF the Traffic Is Scorned.

Asolute prohibition for the District Of
Columbia-not temperance but lid
Theoretically sealed-was advocated last
night by Matthew O'Brien. legislative
agent Of the Prohibition Crusaders. at a
meeting IN the First Congregational
Church
"All this talk about regulation is a
farce" said Mr.. OBrien What has
regulation ever done toward decreasing
the sale OF intoxicating fluids? Wash
ington to-day has about go saloons. re-
lnforced by 80 'speakeasies. Suppose
that number was cut down 10 900. Would
less liquor be sold?
IF the sale Of liquor is wrong, it is all
wrong. and should be entirely stopped.
The United States government accepts
revenue from the sale OF liquor IL il IS
right In doing that. then We who are here
sober tonight are undesirable citizens.
BY not drinking we are not contributing
to the sale OF liquor. and by not con
tributing TO the sale We are not con
tributing TO the revenue. and therefore.
10 the support OF our country"
scouts Temperance.
Mr. o'Brien put temperance and all
other compromises on the grin and kept
them there
we hear lot about moral suaslon.' d"
he said. do you suppose the wife. beaten
by her drunken husband. is going to be-
lieve IN moral suasion?' We hear Il
said. Let the respectable saloons live
would rather wipe out the respectable
saloons than the dives. The respectable
saloons arc simply recruiting stations for
the dives. II the respectable saloons
didn't exist the dives would not flourish
the way they do"
The speaker heaped scorn on the argu-
ment he said was put forward by the
liquor interests-that the country could
not I've without the revenue coming from
the sale % their product
THE drinkers Of this country are going
into their pockets for 1850 0l0,0a8 each
year" he said. THAT is the sum they
give up for the drinks they get In re-
turn we are asked to give serious con
sideration 10 the few dollars derived by
the government from licenses AID excise
taxes Another argument put forward
by the liquor dealers IS that II the sale
OF intoxicating beverages was stopped.
thousands OF persons would be thrown
out OF employment They would.
saloons Ought 10 Go.
Thousands OF washwomen. who are
now trying 20 earn for their children the
money their husbands ought 10 bring
home to them, would be able 10 give up
their struggle FOR existence. and live as
wives and mothers should"
Mr.. O'Brien was reserved as the last
speaker with an appreciation OF climatic
effect The speaker who preceded him,
Rev z. c. Dinwiddie. chairman OF the
permanent committee on temperance OF
the Evangelical Lutheran Church. was
not sure that a bite wasn't all right II
the whole apple was not 70 be- had. He
believed that saloons. speak easies."
and blind tigers" ought 20 60. But he
did not believe the movement ought 20
put all its eggs into one basket, IL there
was any danger that the basket would
not arrive safely at the market With
that reservation. Mr.. Dinwiddie cordially
arraigned the liquor traffic.
Il believe there is a well defined SEN
timent in Washington and throughout the
country that the National Capital should
be freed from the thraldom Of strong
k.
ence of opinion as 20 how that end may
best be attained. but there is no differ
ence Of opinion as 10 the need Of abol-
ishing the saloon.
Liquor Dealers HypOcrites.
'sThe liquor interests contend that pro
hibition really increases the sale OF their
product. They know that is not true. and
you know Il IS not true. II II were, why
should the dealers he fighting prohibition
teoth and nail instead OF aiding it?"
Mr. DInwiddie told Of the progress Of
the movement in the Western and South
ern States and OF the improved condi-
tions which he said it had brought about.
''The success OF prohibition in the
country makes me think It VIII become
an accepted fact here sooner than we
suspect" he said.
Rev. Dr. Samuel II. Woodrow, pastor
OF the church. presided over the meet
ing. With him on the platform were l.
F Randolph vice president Of the Pro
hibiti0n Crusaders. and Rev. l. H Mil
Ter. department chaplain OF the G. a. r..
who pronounced the invocation.
GA,.I-Taro~ds. Ee-s PTa-.a.