The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1911-06-29
ALCOHOL A POISON.

is the leaQlng organ VI lie HquoT III
terests, and is doing its part in trying to
defeat our prohibitory laws. Its editor,
F. M. Gilmore, in an article in the Out
look. in March, 1910, made the following
statement:
81 agree with physicians that the ex-
cessive use of alcohol is prolific cause
of disease; with sociologists, that it is
prolific cause of poverty; with penolo-
gists, that it is prolific cause of crime,
and l agree with you that mankind
should be educated either to avoid the
use of alcohol altogether or to use it in
moderation"
Thus he admits, practically, every
charge against the traffic. Now, what
argument does he advance for the con-
tinuance of the business? After citing
the amount of liquor consumed annually
in the country, he asks: "What are you
going to do with a people who consume
this enormous amount of alcohol? Would
you prohibit them?" The liquor dealers
policy is to cater TO the depraved appe-
tite of this class of people, which he ad-
mits is the prolific source of disease,
poverty and crime. The great struggle
of mankind today is for the eradication
of disease. poverty and crime. The
liquor interests, for the lust of gain, are
doing all they can for their increase. If
Mr.. Gilmore were a dealer in firearms,
would he sell revolver to man whom
he knew wanted il to shoot his neighbor?
And yet he would sell liquor to men
whom ne knows, in all reason, will in
dulge in criminal acts! Ask any father,
mother or wife which he or she would
prefer, that their loved one should die
drunkard or by the hand of an assassin
and they would not hesitate to choose
the latter The assassin is gentleman
compared with the rumseller. The latter
makes scores of victims; the former is
restrained after his first offence. Hav-
ing then obtained the. admission of one
of the chief opponents of the liquor in
terests that the traffic is prolific cause
of the three greatest Affections that
burden humanity: namely, disease, pow
erty and crime, where is the man so
dead to the best interests of our State
that would vote to allow set of I'M
scrupulous rumsellers to engage in
traffic which would increase those aff1ic-
tons which the charity, the philanthropy
and the Christianity of the State are
doing their utmost to alleviate.
But there is a class of people that
think it is necessary to have little liq-
uor in the house in case of sickness. To
show how utterly falacious is this idea,
let US quote the statement of the
'World's Medical Congress-" held in
Philadelphia. The report of the 'Sec-
ton on Medicine" concluded as follows:
mo physician should indulge in the use
of alcohol in his practice unless he is
thoroughly familiar with the dangerous
nature of the article he is dealing with
In other words. alcohol is dangerous
article, even in the hands Of an expert
enced physician. How absolutely ire
sponsible and dangerous is the advice of
the novice which we so often hear given,
to take little whisky or gin for this,
that or the other alment! lately asked
one OF the most prominent and success
tul physicians in this county about the
use of liquor and he said: 81 never use
liquor unless know the patient is going
to die. and then l only do it so that the
fam lily cannot say did notify everything;
but ! never expect it to do any good, and
it never does" A prominent physician
of Belfast was called in consultation in
case of typhoid fever and he said to
the PATIENTS wife: ''Are you not get
ting nearly worn out?" She replied:
Eyes, doctor, l am; but l take great
spoonful of whiskey three times day,
and that keeps me up" The doctor re-
piled: Don't you do it; it is the worst
thing you can do; it will lower your vi
tally so that you will be sure to break
down all the quicker
We need not base our opinion on the
say so of our local physicians; we find the
same thing asserted by the leading ply
slcians and surgeons all over the world.
There is not 10 per cent of the amount
OF alcohol used in the hospitals that
there was 25 years ago. In the case of
typhoid fever the use of alcohol is con-
ducive largely to the spread of the dis
ease. When it was so prevalent in Chi
cago few years ago the board of health
posted circulars all over the city, and
printed in all the papers similar notices,
warning all citizens to abstain from the
use of beer and liquor, as by so doing
they We're more likely to escape the raw
ages of the disease. 1t is we'll known
that in the case of typhoid fever the sys-
TEN is loaded with toxins and the desire
is to get them out of the body; now the
toxemia is increased by the use of alco-
hol, which is just the opposite from what
it is desired to effect $50 all the ele-
ments of danger are enhanced by the use
Of alcohol"
Another great affliction with which
humanity has to contend is the dread
scourge, tuberculosis. All the leading