The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-09

liar conditions and limitations, act
like foods. yet are never classed ~
foods, but a pcisons. Strychnia, bel
iadonna. Aisenicum, cocatne n 9TH
ers might be mentioned among the
number.
>otice the distinction between 4
food and . poison; . food u . sub
stance whose nature II Il. when alb
sorbed into the blood, to nourish the
U0dy and repair it, wastes without
injury to any part thereof: whereas
u poison Ii n substance whose ma
ture It 10. when absorbed into the
blood. to impair one or more parts
" the body, injure health or destroy
life. Alcohol comes under the latter
description.
a Choice Bit Of sophtstry.
II It be simply affirmed that alco-
hol u u poison, some ignorant critic
will ut once reply that there are pol
sons In everythinS-bread, meat, milk
and water. 10 this the skilled retori
should be these things people do not
eat and drink for the sake OF the
REQUIRE that p~eoisons be eliminated
from foods an tar N possible. On
the other hand. rnen drink liquors
for the sake Of the one poison in
! them ali that makes them maj fhev
are. that ID, alcohol. When this 4
eliminated they will. not drinklWhaf
IL left. The place Of alcohol among
/, the poisons Ii therefore 1undamentni-
" important IA throwing light upon
how Il should be treated by society
n by go~versGnent,
C1assAfcAti0n Of PoasonA.
There are three general classes of
, poisons; The narcotics. which afrect
the membranes and tissues. and the
narcotic-irritants, which do both. Al
cohoi belongs to the latter class. and
hence finds a place equally arnonx
/ the narcotics and irritants, Concretc-
, ~ considered. alcohol m \ narcotic Il
In the xame list a. cocaine, choral,
morphine and opium. The losic Of
| this classification compels u TO treat
| alcohol socially and l~estsiatiyely. the
same as We do treat the drur mar
| cotics with which II In classed. Theae
| being thrown out OF the cate~orv at
proper iuxuriep. and the pale of the
same legisia lively prohibited for 40
.ciai purposes. alcohol must be ais.
posed OF In the same way. The fol-
Lowing positions are. therefore. i'm
pregnabie: First, there Ii NO more
reason n d srtsnce for The
/ beverage uss OF aicohoIicsl iiauor
than there II for the am Use OF
opium. morphine. or cocaine. second.
! the appetite for LIQUOR n ~ abnor-
NAL. unscientifc and inexcusabIe n
| and the user of LIQUOR ought 10 be
{ a. much ashamed Of hfs habit a. Il
the user of moyphine. Third. there IL
| no more reason in modern science
| for tha leraIfxation ~ TIA s.Ie os
| liquor for beyerare purposes than for
| The le~gnitxatlon for The - 4 puruose
| Of opium, No 4 ouestions the ac-
| curacy or The prohibition principle in
LEGISLATION which Il invariably applied
to cocaine and opium. II betrays
dense ignorance OF the facts 70 apply
| any other principle Or legislation to
alcoholic beverages. Fourth. 4 nloon.
therefore. b ~ much out 81 place In
modern civilization a. would be an
opium Joint Or s cocaine den. rfth.
| alcohol. beipx a narcotic-trritant be-
comes doubly effective. while cocaine
| being exclusively narcotic. will
! lower the mental. moral and physical
| tone OF in user. he ,eldoms becomes
rashly vicious: whereas. alcohol COM
! bAAinr In itself both q narcotic and
irrisant quality, II apt to make Its
! User vicious. and when he goes home
| under tn influence. he 10 likely to
! shed innocent blood. So that, for
| every argument for h prohibition
other like druws. there arc two argu-
ments FOR ne prohibition OF the vale
and use OF alcohol g 4 double poison.
The Fatal Pnrsllcl.
Arguments against license and for
| contributions prohihition have often
been weakened by the use or parallels
that are not parallels. J But here we