La Junta tribune., 1909-10-23

is the greatest menace to the liberty
and prosperity Of the poor man
Various fallacies respecting this
matter that have long cursed the race
are fast disappearing before the
march OF science. The worst super.
stitions OF all the ages are those con
nected with liquor. But they are
rapidly fading. In numberless labora
tories, scientists are demonstrating
that constant use OF small amounts
OF even mild liquor, after a tempo
rary exhiliration, permanently slows
thought. dulls perception, and weak
ems the will, making the drinker q
less efficient student. and less com
petent workman. Its food value, al
best, Is small and uncertain. while its
toxic influence upon the body is de.
cisive. The scientist and the cap
tain Of industry have already utterly
discredited the ancient fallacy that
liberty to get drunk is a necessary
element In moral discipline and that
restrictive laws will destroy the eth.
ical fibre Of the race. What ruins the
brain cannot produce moral fibre and
what fosters crime and lowers a mans
Industrial capacity cannot provide
ethical training.
Other scientists Of world renown
forcibly prove that even occasional
drinking makes the body far more
susceptible to disease. In a British
regiment In the Orient having three
hundred total abstainers. the amount
Of sickness among them for a given
while II was two and one-half per cent
five times as largej for the rest OF
the regiment. Still other scientists
have shown that the drink habit leads
to a veritable slaughter Of the in
nocents."' Among twenty thousand
babes the mortality at the end Of
eight months WAS thirteen per cent
where parents were Abstainers. twen-
ty-thres per cent where parents were
moderate. and thirty-two per cent
where parents were customary drink
ers: one child In five. In this partic.
ular group. sacrificed by the drink
habits OF parents.
No wonder that In the face Of
such facts grog Is excluded from the
German navy, and every recruit Is
given pamphlet descriptive OF the
evils OF liquor. Among doctors. the
term for alcohol Is coming to be
brain poison" and It's use as a
medicine is rapidly decreasing. Among
lawyers. 1t is called the crime-pro-
ducer": Lord Chief Justice Alyer-
stone OF England recently. declared
that judges commonly hold 1t respon.
sible for at least ninety per cent OF
crime.
The state cannot afford to accept
revenues from the liquor business.
The office OF government Is not to
tax vice but to encourage virtue.
Liquor pays our nation s20O.oOO.oO0
year. But this represents vast
financial, mental and moral loss.
Subtract the large sum spent In col.
lecting this revenue. Then subtract
the police. court, prison. and asylum
expenses caused by this traffic. Then
subtract the bills for doctors. drugs.
nurses. hospitals. and undertakers.
due to the drink habit. Then
subtract the wages lost on account OF
through drink-s200. 900 900
year, as much m the government
receives. Then subtract-we are now
81 ali
sums spent BY private and public
charities to provide for the wrecks
Of intempcrance. Over against this.
add up the tears. heart aches. divor'
ces, vices. crimes. ruined homes. dis
eased aud neglected children. and
say, II you can. that this II = wise
way To support the government. The
manufactuse Of liquor for drink u
the very greatest economic waste. II
l. worse than employing laborcrs to
dig and I'LL uselsss holes In the
ground. Every workman released
from the liquor traffic would at once
BE- rs.empioyed on tasks that would
contribute TO the nations real wealth
anA that would cause no woe u
wrong.
The conscieucs and reason Of man.
kind are fast coming to assert With
tremendous earnsstasss that restrict.
I've laws against the drink habit and
the liquor traffic are no abridscmcnt
q pssuonAl Nbsev. visss have -
sacred privileges. Ths community
he's the right-it y ~ duty-to pro
tsct itssk against oil forms of evil.
Liberty doss not mean license to 10
wrong. The state prohibits lotteries.
aaA ths question Of liberty y not
raised. Bot driak 10 . far greater
curse. The nations unite 70 prohibit
The inAiscsininats ~ Of oDlum. ard
- outcry respecting freedom y
ssiDed. Dut alcohol is . ness rsia.
~ Asug. PreAibitiea q ~ No ol
inlecls1 watss y - Absi1seneAt Of
psesoaai free1oa. RsstsSstleas aoAlaAl