The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1909-10-17
THE BREWERIES CONCEALED
FROM VIEW.


FROM VIEW.
Where stand the breweries in the con-
test of law and justice being Waged III
Shreveport against the dealers in Near
Beer?
Silently, apparently inactive, they are
screened from public view and have,
fguratively, permitted the proceedings
of the court to progress with Glands
off i"
If some of the dealers in Near Beer
who have been convicted of violating the
law, have been telling the truth, and,
there is no reason to question their We
racity, they have been outrageously I'M
posed upon by the breweries.
It would seem as if the beer which
the breweries have been selling was not
Near Beer" but the beer which IS
beer. 1t follows then that if the sellers
of the Near Beer" have been deceived,
thew can have recourse in law for dam
ages.
From the Caucasian's conception Of
the conditions attending the NEAR Bee"
propositions, there have been sold the
Near Beer" which is not drinkable and
is held in reserve for the "fanatlcaf
pros, and the beer which is the beer of
the same brand has been supplied dur
ing all the years Of the past and Of the
present, which IS supplied to those who
will have no other kind but the genuine
article. If this be true, and there IS
no dot1bt of the statements, since the
facts have been established in court, the
breweries, although not active and are
shielded from view in this legal conten-
ton, are arnenable to the charge of du-
plicity and stand as the aiders and the
abettors in the encouragement Of the
disregard OF The law, which provides
penalty in fine and Imprisonment for its
violation. 1t lis clear that if the brew
cries confined their sales to Near Beer
there would be no incentive in urging
retail dealers. to sell the stuff which
is not drinkable and therefore undesir-
able, but it would seem that the brew
cries have not only been active in the
sale of beer which is beer, but have en-
couraged its sale through the saloons
and the groggeries in Shreveport and in
Caddo parish.
1t has been conceded that the sale OF
smear Beer is improbable and is made
and offered for sale, simply as subter.
fuge, TO enable the sale of beer and Of
intoxicants with some degree of safety
in the contravention of the law
How to reach the breweries, which
have been selling the beer or the bever
ages which are not countenanced in law
is the problem.
AS is generally known, the brewerle'
have a contempt for prohibition, which
is not surprising, since the law is aimee
directly at their products, There wa
time when the breweries, on the pie;
of business, held an all powerful infu
ence III commercial communities, but tn
business interests have at last bee
awakened to the imperative necessity Q
abolishing the traffic in intoxlcants, Il
which is specialized beer, for the reaso
that the traffic in intoxicants is not onl
demoralizing in its tendencies but i
most damning in its influence as It lead
men to debauchery, poverty and crime
1t is fact SO well established that it
not deniable. that no prudent bushes
man will tolerate in his service one VIII
is inclined to drink Such man is con
sidered neither reliable nor safe. hi
rule is enforced rigidly by railroad CON
panies and corporations having larg
numbers of men in their employ. 1t
therefore nonsense to give heed to tn
breweries when they pirate of the bus
ness calalnities which follow in the tral
of prohibition. If the business intel
ests demanded the saloon and the brew
cries. these would be multiplied at ever
corner and would be hailed with rejo1t
ings as benefactors. Instead they al
curse, always menace to peace an
order, and against them is being raise
the hands of honest men, irrespective
creed or political conviction.
While there is being directed again
the keepers of saloons and of groggerl'
the law which is intended to prohibit tt
sale Of intoxicants, it would not
anisis to direct some efforts towards a
pretending if possible the breweri
which have been selling the intoxican
IN the city Of Shreveport and in Cadc
parish, a prohibition territory well d
fined in law.
Why should the breweries, which 81
intoxicants. be permitted to escape VIII
their victims, the saloonists and t
groggeries, must pay the penalty, in fl
and Imprisonment. for their violation
the law?