La Junta tribune., 1911-03-18

as the Nictlms OF moral poison. even
though II is self-innicted Such
are incapable OF exercising free and
longer free men Although bound
by low and selfish passion. still these
are often the ones who cry loudest
for personal liberty the very first
principles OF which they have lost
the ability to comprehend.
Second, the traffic In Its organ
lied activity In business and poll
ties is constantly and Systematically
corrupting individual manhood by
bribery and constraint. and striking
at the very heart of American In.
stitutions by corrupting men in put
lie office, all the way from vii
lage assessors TO national Legislators.
To offer TO bribe man is to in-
suit his manhood, to tempt a man
iii he falls is TO destroy his man-
hood Eut worse than bribery Is
the use OF power Of position IN busi.
ness or political office TO compel
men 70 vote another mans viii IN.
stead of his own. The most sacred
right OF American citizenship is the
freedom OF man 10 express his
own private judgment with his bal.
lot, unhindcrcd by any constTaint
other than his conscience. To steal
this right from man by threat OF
his losing his position, is not only
the most con'empubly mean kind OF
theft. uut 1t IS striking at the heart
OF the nation-it is destroying It's
manhood. And yet. this kind OF con.
straint. together with fraudulent yot
ing, is the common and constant prac
ticc OF the liquor traffic.
Lest / should seem TO some OF the
uniformed to be- speaking at ran.
dom allow me to quote few lines
from unitcs States Senate Document
No IS. siSiy.nrst Congress. Some
Scientific Conclusions Cone, rning the
Alcoholic Problem and It's Practical
Relations to Life" Howard \. Kelly,
NJ d. Professor In Johns Hopkins
Hospital. after speaking OF the pure
ly physical effects OF alcohol. says
Il have never met man or wo-
man who INDUCED freely who loved
the truth or had any clear vision OF
the value OF spiritual things Its
use is perhaps the commoncst cause
OF spiritual blindness. As citizen
| note further that u Is one Of the
most dreadful and insidlous OF all
corruptlng agents known TO men In
debauching legislatures and In rob
bing our citizens OF the results Of
their labors at the ballot box. max
ing government of the people. by the
peopl for the people farcical phrase
while king alcohol sits en,hroned In
the legislative hall. hear
the makers OF alcohol. at last arous.
I'd ty the prohibition wave. crying
out that they stand for It's moderate
use. not for its immoderate use In
reply TO this answer that II they
make It and sell IL. the use Is prac-
tically beyond their control. and
that their plausible declarations are
As ligh, as the paper on which they
are written. and can in no way at.
feet its use. whether moderate or
immodcra,e. further inquire Why
these gentlemen have been so long
In reaching this benevolent conelu.
sion. | declare that | believe their
contention and their expressed de.
sircs are specious and false. and. fur.
ther. aver that. judging by such
scientific .Nidcnc. as We nov have.
there is no such thing as a mod.
erat. use OF alcohol" lie also quotes
the New York Tribun.'s statement:
Upon what does the liquor traffic
depend Upon dcbased manhood.
~ronged ~omanhood. and d.frauded
childhood"
Then lc, me repeat. as manhood
Is the mos, valuable asset of a man,
and OF a nation. the liquor traffic Is
the arch crime of the axe. with no
cncus. for exis,.nc. outside tn. de-
bauched taste. perverted morals. or
inordina,c greed for money OF the
makers. sellers. users. and those Who
otherwise profit by the sale OF in,oX.
icattng liquors. Seeing the-. things
more clearly every year. the Amer.
lean people who hay. true patriot.
Ism In their blood are becoming
thoroughly alarmed and aroused and
are driving the thing inch by inch.
and step by step Oft III. American
continent. God sperd the day.