Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1909-10-01
Why Gen. Grant
Doesn't Drink,

tive, Thursday, Nav 3. on the ques-
tion of all questions, the drink ques-
tion.
This lie the way the interview be.
gan:
General Grant, | am here to get
an expression from you on the drink
question. l don't ask you to discuss
the question ne an Official Of the
United Statsa army, but az q man
who has seen and done much In the
world--in short. q man OF affairs.
Have you Q message to give TO the
young men Of the country on the
question: What are your definite
opinions on the question, anyway"
II was a pretty long opening cen
tence, but the interviewer bad been
memorizlnG IL all the way over to the
island, and dldn't want to forget any
thing. So out It ell went, instsnter, |
Gall right" said General Grant.
al will discuss that question, not as
a general In the United States army,
but as an individual. Have a mes
sage to the young men of this coun-
try? Here 1t is:
"Tell the young men through your
paper that General Grant does not
drink drop of liquor-hes not fer
eighteen years; because he is afraid
to drink it."
"Now, you listen" continued the
general. "When WIS boy st
school, and at West Point, wss
made pet because OF the greatness
OF my father. wss given every op
portunity to drink, aud did drink
some. AS got older and mixed
with men, war-scarred veterans who
fought with my father would come
up. aud, for the sake of cid times,
ask me to celebrate with them the
glory Ct past events. and did
some. Then when | was made min.
lister to Austrls, the customs of the
country and my official position al
most compelled me TO drink, always.
tried to drink with extIeme moder-
alton, because l knew that sclohol il
the worst poison a man could take
into his system but found out 1t as
an impossibiilty to drink moderate.
ly could not say. when drink wss
placed before me. 'No. l only drink
In the morning. or &C certain hours.
The fact that l INDUCED at all com
palled me to drink on every occasion
or be absurd For that reason, be
cause moderate drinking 10 precti
cal impossibility, 1 becnme an ALSO
lutte teetotaler-a crank, il yoI
please. l will not alloy IL ever
In my house. When man can say
Il never drink he never has t,
drink, is never urged to drink, never
otfends by not drinking. At leas
that 10 my experience.
Then the general supplemented
what he had said with this note
"Remember, did not say 'moderat
drinking is harmful Fact IL. may
be, IL lent 30 harmful, but this fac
is indisputable. that the hard drink
or was once moderate drinker. an
the chances are all against moderat
driuker remaining such, and well
for one, don't propose to tax
chances.
Then the general got thoughtful
he seraped the end Of his chin wit
his piuce nez.
eyes, sir''-this in soliloquy
1'Yes, know man-maybe two @
three-who died moderate drinker
The stuff didn't seem to hurt the
much. But the poor devils that
know, scores and scores of them, II
telligent men, talented and all tina
who have heen ruined. disgraced,
the greatest curse of Christendom-
dri"kl All, the picture is a ga
one. "
Then be Strengthened up and in
louder voice continued:
''In many respects hard drink
Is a safer man in the army-and els
where, too--than moderate drln
or. That iH, one who gets drur
once year or so. You see, hal
drinker is known. No importa
commission is ever his TO execut
But your moderate drinkeI, why, he
apparently capable. On the surfa
he's all right Consequently he
given important duty TO perforE
Then be drinks. He's sure to just
that critical time, to steady
nerves internal idiocy-and fai
ignominiously to himself and
family and disastrously to Other
Have | made it olear?"