Martinsburg statesman-democrat. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1906-1921, 1912-01-05
w. Va. Lumbermen.
Out for the Prohibition Amendment and
Have An Organ To Defend Their Cause

l lOhtlICnt WCcb Virginia
men and their business associates nave
formei stock company and taken
over the Tygarts Valley News, publish.
ed at EikIDs. The following, therefore,
may be considered as personal reply
Of the lumbermen TO recent editorial
in the Wheeling Register, sihce it is
taken from that paper.
"We observe the attitude of the
| Wheeling Register towards the Lumber
Industries Associations stapd on the
prohibition amendment, and we arc
quite convinced that novice wrote
the editorial. The idea that we most
have license forlthe purpose of paying
Off debts and saving taxes is such
stock In trade argument that we did
not think the same would be used by
any up TO date writer. If Novice had
been present TO listen to the discussion
Of the men com posing this organization
he would have heard in substance as
follows:
| WHAT DRINK COSTS THIS OPERATOR.
That it isn't necessary to show us
| that theorists have demonstrate the
fact that if laboring men take even
glass OF beer a day it lessons their
capacity for work, because we know
from experience We know from expert
ence that il men drink IN our employ
they do not do as much work or as
good work as If they are sober. We
know from experience that If a man
drinks while off duty then the liquer
is lying III his system while on duty
and he does not have the energy or the
alertness that he would have If he did
not drink. We know from experience
that if man drinks on Saturday night
and Sunday, or any night, and wrecks
his physical nerves, he cannot on the
following day file saw as expertly
as if he had not been drunk, and we
know from experience the saw wont
cut as much lumber as if properly
filed, and the loss is upon us. We
know from experience that If man,
through the use of alcohol, causes the
displacement of a piece of machinery
or breaks the same, and thereby shuts
! down the part or all of the mill opera
ton, it entails heavy loss upon US.
We know from experience that If the
engineer operating our log train s
drunk, or from a drunken spree of the
night before Is nervous, he cannot SO
safely handle The train with its load of
logs on the necessarily heavy grades of
the West Virginia mountains, as he
could if sober, aud we know that if,
| through drink, the train runs away it
causes heavy loss to US OH account of
the machinery, and especially in the
delay OF our operations. We know
from experience that if the crow in the
woods are addicted to liquor and fail
TO supply logs, the mill is shut down
or delayed at heavy loss. We Know
from experience that if, through the
use OF alcohol, the men are delayed as
much as even half an hour each day It
| y
! So ne ofthe plants work as high as 500
| men; if the wage average is $500 per
day (Which IS smalI the loss on as-
count of each man would be ten cents,
and 500 men would be $4,000; and
allow 300 working days in the year
would mean loss of $50 900 per year
for this one li'tle item alone. We
know rom experien re that if the men
i'll our employ are permitted 10 spend
all their money over the bar, then if
they get sick or an accident occars, or
for any reason their work stops, their
family is in distress and ii we do not
take care of them the public is ready
to call us inhuman, and as matter of
fact we are compelled to and do care
for them
DOES PROHIBITION PROHIBIT
"rhis Novice says that the lumber
men tacltIy confess that prohibition
does rot prohibit. We say that a
ham mer does not drive nails, but il is
a mighty convenient tool with which
: a carpenter can drive nails. So is pro-
. hibitlon mighty con genient law with
which law abiding citizens can protect
their homes. OF course prohibition
will not prohibit in the hands of sa-
loon keepers, brewers, and editors Of
papers who are in favor of the liquor
huSIDeas If prnhif ition il mt the
means o: decreasing the use of liquor
why are all breweries and saloon.
Keepers opposed to prohibition? Say
Mr.. Novice, be consistent for once and
either say that you are opposed tc
prohibition because it is effective, or