United labor bulletin., 1909-11-26
MR.. RockEFELLER'S PROHIBITION
PLAN NOT WISE, NOR PRAcTl-
CABLE.

John d. Rockefeller, meaning, OF
course, to do something noble and use
full, has been trying to enforce prohibl-
tion by his influence on the ballot in the
neighborhood where he lives.
There is not any doubt that Mr.. Rookie
feller means to benefit his fellowmen as
well as make his neighborhood quiet
when he tries to establish prohibition.
But Rockefeller goes about his task in
a most unwise and quite impossible way.
1t is good to learn that his recent at
tempt to enforce his will upon others
outside, while retaining entire liberty in
his own establishment, has failed.
1t is difficult for men like Mr.. Rookie
feller to realize the difference between
themselves and the ordinary citizen, espe-
cially the difference between the life
of a man of wealth and mechanic or
laborer.
Mr.. Rockefeller has a great deal to
Ike D him occupied. He has his comfort
able fortune of several hundred millions.
He has enormous estates, great business
excitement, a life of constant speculat-
ing on an enormous scale.
He has his games of golf, his automo-
biles, his fatterers and sycophants, his
tame judges, his servile legislatures.
There is nothing dull about the life of
John D. Rockefeller.
On the contrary, there is great deal
that is dull about the life of the man to
whom Rockefeller says, 81 don't think
you OUGHT to take drink AND,
THEREFORE,, 1 AM NOT GOING TO
LET YOU TAKE IT,
If men like Rockefeller only knew it,
they owe a great deal to the fact that
so many millions of men are willing to
work hard all day. take a glass of beer,
or two glasses of beer, then go to bed.
and begin work all over again.
If Mr.. Rockefeller would make up his
mind not to take away the few pleasures
that those men have, but to make those
pleasures greater and harmless by man.
aging them better, he would do a great
work for humanity, and a great work for
REAL TEMPERANCE at the same time.
The low gin mill is a curse.
The sale of WHISKY is a curse.
If Mr. Rockefeller could fight gin,
whisky and the other distilled poisons,
and if he would fight them, in his old
familiar way, by FREEZING THEM
OUT, he would be a great and useful
man, indeed.
Mr. Rockefeller who has more money
than he really needs, could do great
Temperance work easily and simply.
Instead of saying to the men around
him who have so little in their lives,
YOU SHAN'T HAVE ANYTHING AT
ALL, NOT EVEN A GLASS OF BEER, -
LET HIM BUILD FOR THEM, AND
MANAGE FOR THEM. THE FINEST
BEER GARDENS THAT EVER WE'RE
SEEN-WINE AND BEER GARDENS
SUCH AS THEY HAVE IN EUROPE,
BUT ON MORE MAGNIFICENT
SCALE.
Let him give to the workers at the end
of the day pure beer, good, pure, light
wines. AND GOOD MUSIC.
Let him. with competition of that kind,
wipe out the gin mills, the whisky lives.
Let him have doctors, writing and
talking, explaining to the people that
whisky and all distilled liquors are pois-
ons that breed insanity and crime,
whereas. as the great scientist Liebig
truly said, BREAD AND BEER ARE
THE FOOD OF WORKING MEN"
If Mr.. Rockefeller would use little
of his money fighting whisky, and lit
tie of his money giving the people a
chance to get good, pure beer and wines,
and good music under cheerful condi-
tions, he would do a great deal of good
temperance work.
If he would destroy the present type of
saloon, BY BRINGING IN THE CoMPE-
TITIoN OF ANOTHER TYPE, he would
cure drunkenness and at the same time
increase human happiness.
Mr. Rockefeller, and others, may as
well make up their minds THAT THEY
WILL NEVER STOP MEN DRINKING.
You can discourage the worst drinks,
the poisons, but you cannot say to men,
you shall not drink anything at all"
If Mr. Rockefeller should succeed all
around his place in having the open sale
of all kinds of drinks stopped HIS
NEIGHBoRHoOD WOULD BE LESS
SAFE THAN 1T is NOW.
One single man who secretly buys a
bottle of whisky, drinks the entire bot
tie, lies down by the roadside, and wakes
up with reckless and criminal impulses,
is FAR MORE DANGEROUS THAN
ALL THE MEN THAT EVER GATH
Erred SOCIALLY, LEGALLY AND
PEACEFULLY TOGETHER IN A DE-
GENTLY MANAGED BEER GARDEN.
Mr.. Rockefeller at his own table would
not for a moment think of saying to the
guests, You shall not have anything to
drink here"
What right has he to go out among
those whose life is dull and say to other