The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1909-03-06
WHAT WORKER THINKS
ABOUT PROHIBITION
From Our Good Lang Time Cor
respondent, MIR: P. d: Phillips
Of Blaclktsslmnith's Union

TO the Editor Of the Labor world:
The question Of prohibition lis stir
ring af1d asitatfng to a seemingly state
OF action. the prohibitionists are plea.l-
ing for what they seem to think will
be a betterment Of conditions; raising
10 higher STANDARD our morality, they
tight like demons for their cause, but
they have only one thought in mini,
that Is the destruction Of the li1uor
tra1flc'' they do not seek the under
iy1ng causes, that gives it life; they
simply see it's effects, having seen hit :
man wrecks lying by the wayside and
IN the gutter have taken Pity upon
the unfortunate and are trying to rem
edy an effect without striking at Its
cause. !. l..
am not going to condemn these
people, am only sorry that I cannot
agree with them in their belief. I
wash that could believe it were pos
sible to have prohibition in state
OF society where the sale OF liquor was
one Of the inainstays off that society.
We have certain fundamental laws
That control the cosmos, and we must
reckon with these laws, or we may
find to our sorrow that they will strike
back at us with horrible force: We
all OF us readily see the effects Of the
saloon, but after all, I want to STATE
that If am to- lie the Judge, and / cain
speak TOR the majority of worklngmen
that tae saloon does more for us than
do the prohBbitior1ists, they furnish us
place OF amusement, they furnish as
with a resting place when we are tired
and they furnish us with q lunch when
we are hungry, let no one treat these
sayings with too little respect, they
are actual and real now there is an
other phase Of what the saloon does
Tor US that 10 1t furnishes a free toilet.
that we OF the underworld may use at
any time, we have free access to it's
use.
Il must be remembered that do not
speak from the view of the drinking
man, but have passed through that
stage, ! speak from actual experienee,
and why the prohibitionists should
paint certain utopias upon the sky
OF inexperience to lead to false ideal,
IS more than I can tell: e.. =.
The. good people love us working
men, they pray tor Us, yes they plead
for us, but while they are praying and
pleading for us; we are in the saloon
drinking. carousins and raising par
tl'ar he'll. But why? Nome Of them
have ever tryed to explain, any more
than Down wit htle damnable liquor
traffic" That Of course sounds good
to them, but it has little effect upon
us; we are driven to get the most en-
joyment for our money that is possf=.
BILE, we get the beer forf5c, we get
some music but most of all we have
place, where we can speak our
minds, where we can rest ourselves,
1t is true we may become vulgar and
unmanly at times, but after all we
are men, we have red blood flowing
in our veins, we have warm hearts,
and are made In the image of God.
We were once loved by the angels of
mercy our mothers, she patted our
sock Of gold, or our raven tresses, and
wondered when the tears of remorse
were knawing at her heart strings,
when thinking that our papa, was not
home yet, and when he would come he
would be drunk. But why? rhe
Question is as yet unanswered. we
are men, not brutes, but men are
made into brutes, through their en-
vironment, the conditions that are
placed before us will cause us to fol-