Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1909-03-31
ROSE AND D|CK|E
ON PROHIBITION
LATTER DECLARES SALOON is
FOE OF LABOR AND CAPITAL
-HARBoR OF EVIL.
MAYOR ASSERTS LIQUOR BUsI
NESS is PRoMoTVE OF BLESS
ING AND PROSPERITY.

Milwaukee, Wis, March 27.-One of
the most remarkable debates ever
held was that last night on the ques-
ton Resolved, That Prohibition as
of Intoxicating Beverages Is Right,
with Mayor Rose of Milwaukee de-
Tending the negative, and DR.. Samuel
Dickie, president of Albion college,
Albion, Mich, for the prohibitionists.
More than 1000 were present, and
other thousands could not gain admis-
sion. This was the first of three
dates, the second to be given at Chi
cago. and the third at some city in
the south. There was no decision
last night
DIR. Dickie was the first speaker.
He argued that the prohibition of the
liquor traffic is right, if considered
only from an economic standpoint,
and declared that the saloon is the
foe of capital, but prominently the
enemy of labor; that it paralyzes the
arm of the working man, shortens his
life, excludes him from many lucra-
tive callings, decreases his power as
producer and throws into the labor
market a vast mass of debased and
unintelligent laborers who compete
disaStrously with sober and industri-
Gus workmen. No line of manufac-
ture gives employment to so few men
in proportion to the capital invested
as does the liquor traffic" He assert
ed that the liquor business breeds
criminals and that it is in itself,
largely composed of men who do not
hesitate to violate the law" and that
they openly, shamefully and fragrant
ly trample under foot laws intended
to restrict the evil Influences of the
liquor traffic. DR.. Dickie concluded
with the statement that there are "a
few men of fair responsibility in the
saloon business, lit nevertheless re-
mains true that lawless classes,
thieves, gamblers. thugs, blacklegs,
outcasts, harlots, the low and vile and
degraded o. both sexes can be de-
pended upon to the last man and last
woman to stand with Milwaukee's
mayor in opposing prohibition and adj
vocating the saloon"
Arguing that prohibition is wrong,
Mayor Rose treated the subject from
three viewpoints, biblical, ethical and
material. He showed that while in
ancient times the evil existed, when
the ten commandments were written
no attempt was made to interject
prohibition and ne challenged anyone
to find one word in the bible advocat-
ing the theories of the prohibitionists.
Treating the subject from the ethical
side, he took the census figures OF
the government and records of cities
and states to prove that prohibition
increased crime, insanity, deaths, do
nestle infelicity, pauperism and stag
mated business. He took the criminal
records of Milwaukee, a wide open
town, and showed that arrests here
per capita were less than in the pro-
hibition states, of Maine, Kansas and
Georgia, he showed that more drunk
enness existed in Maine than in Wis
consin. He quoted census figures to
show that more insanity existed in
the prohibition states than in the
neighboring wet states and that the
death rates of Maine and Kansas are
higher than in the wet states. May
or Rose quoted census figures to show
that more people died from whooping
cough and measles than from alcohol
ism. Quoted figures to show that
there are more divorces in Kansas
and Maine than in Wisconsin, a wet
state: that prohibition states also had
more paupers. He showed that bank
deposits iH dry states are smaller
than in the wet states, and sald~that
prohibition had been a failure wher-
ever tried because it was impossible
TO correct the ills and weaknesses OF
man by laws. Nationwide prohlbltlon,
he said. would mean loss OF S21o,-
aOS. 900 revenue year TO the gov
eminent. would seriously affect the
farmer and the laborer of the coun-
try because brewers and MASTERS and
distiilers consume sos. 100000 worth
of grain a year. 1t would paralyze
business, cripple railroads and be felt
in every walk OF life. 1t would de-
prive people of personal liberty-aii
for no purpose except the fanatlclsm
of the prohibitionists. Mayor Rose
urged sane regulation as the true so
luton of the drink problem.