The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-03-27
LIQUOR TRAFFIC IS
COMPOSED or LAW
v|0LATORS
-DR. SAMUEL II. DICKIE.
-DR. SAMUEL II. DICKIE.
MAYOR ROSE ANSWERS THAT
PROHIBITION IN r { A 8 { 8
CRIME, INSANITY. DTATH AND
PAuPERisM.

|
and DR.. Samuel Diokie. president OF
Albion college. debated the liquor
question nthe Hippodrome last night
Mayor Rose took the negative OF the
subject, Resolved, That prohibition
as applied TO the manufacture and
sale OF intoxicating beverages l.
right" The hall. which seats 1000
pers ons, was crowded. There were
five applications for every ticket. Per.
sons from many sections asked for
tickets. as this was the first OF three
| debates. the second to be given In
Chicago and the third In some south
ern city.
Mayor Rose. at convention held
recently In Louisville challenged the
prohibitionists to produce It's best ora-
/ tor 10 meet him on the question de.
bated last night Mayor Rose IL
known as an advocate OF sane regula
ton OF the saloon" There was no dc
cision last night.
DR.. Dickie said:
The prohibition of the liquor traffic
is right, If considered only from the
economic standpoint. The saloon Is
the foe OF capital but pre-eminentiy
the enemy of labor 1t paralyzes tho
arm of the workingman. shortens his
life. excludes him from many lucra.
tive callings, decreases his power as
a producer and throws into the labor
market vast mass of debased and
intelligent laborers who compete dis
astrously with sober and industrious
workmen. No line of manufacture
gives employment to SO few men IN
proportion to the capital invested a.
does the liquor traffic.
The liquor business breeds Grimm
ais. The testimony OF prison chap
lains, OF wardens, sheriffs and judges
OF the criminal courts warrants the
assertion that from 80 to 80 per cent
OF crime is directly or indirectly trace
able to the use of intoxicating liquors.
mot only is the liquor traffic a
breeder OF criminals, but 1t Is itself
largely composed OF men who do not
hesitate to violate the law. The
great majority Of retail liquor sellers
are open and notorious law breakers.
The restrictive features OF the Wis
consin statutes as to selling on Sun
day and on legal holidays are openly,
shamefully and flagrantly trampled un-
der foot.
Prohibition is right because 1t has
been found to be the most efficient
method of restraint.
THE friends OF the liquor traffic
are such as to condemn II by their
own character and conduct. Conced-
ing that few men of fair respecta-
bility are its apologists, 1t neverthe-
less remains true that the lawless
classes. the thieves, the gamblers, the
thugs, the blacklegs, the outcasts, the
harlots. the low and vile and degraded
OF both sexes can be depended on to
the last man and the last woman to
stand with Milwaukee's mayor in OPP
posing prohibition and advocating the
saloon"
In arguing that prohibition is
wrong, Mayor Rose treated the sub
ject from three viewpoints, the Bibli-
cal, the ethical and the material. He
showed that while the evil existed
when the ten commandments were
written no attempt was made to inject
prohibition in the decalogue, and he
challenged anyone to fnd one word
In the Bible advocating the theories
of prohibitionists.
More Drunks in Maine.
Treating the subject from the ethi-
cal side. he took the census figures
of the government and records of cit
les and states to yprove that prohibi-
ton Increased crime, insanity, deaths.
domestic infelicity, pauperism and
stagnated business. He took the GRIM
inal records OF Milwaukee, wide-open
town, and showed that the arrests per
capita were fewer than in the prohibi-
ton stataes of Maine, Kansas and
Georgia. He showed that more drunk
inness existed in Maine than in Wis
consin. He quoted census figures to
show that more insanity existed In
prohibition states than in neighboring
wet" states. and that the death rates
in Maine and Kansas were higherm
than the s'wet" states adjoining.
Much was said about thousands of
drunkards dying every year, he said,
but he quoted census figures to show
that more persons died OF whooping
cough and measles than of alcoholism.
Alcoholism caused the deaths OF GA
persons in every 100000 who died.
while digestive diseases caused 231.3
deaths In every 100000.
The mayor quoted figures to show
that there were more divorces in Kan
bdS anu III WlbCOUblU,
that prohibition states also had more
paupers.
He showed that the bank deposits of
dry states were smaller than in liquor
states, and said that prohibition had
been failure wherever tried, because
X was impossible to correct the ills
and weaknesses OF human nature by
laws. In the south the theory had fail.
ed, and liquor was to be had there
not only by whites, but by blacks, ano
marked increase I'm the drug habit
was noticeable.
National wide prohibition, he said,
would mean n loss OF 5000 900 OF
revenue a year to the government.
would seriously affect the farmer and
the laborer OF the country, because
the brewers and masters and distill-
ers consumed si09.00O.000 worth OF
grain a year. Prohibition would par
alyze business. cripple railroads and
hurt every walk OF life. II would de-
prive people of personal liberty: and
all for no purpose, except the fanat-
lcism Of the prohibitionists. The may
or urged sane regulation as the true