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

80 L8A
most complete possible liberation Of
our people from the destructive ct
ffects Of the use of alcohol. This VIII
70 obviously strengthen the compete
tive power OF q people In the world's
markets that ! do not hesitate to make
| this assertion: That nation which b
Nrss e free itself from the injurious
eGects Of alcohol will thereby attain
marked advantage over other M
TONS In tho amiCabse yes intensive
struggle for existence
II this be good doctrine for a ma
ton, II must be good for a state.
Herodity md Race Degeneracy.
II snouid he Remembered THAT all
| n~arco.lIs IN acting ups nerve SUD
staace pnS si.at, niental Ahu
iuuI VI weahhSsSus wnstii IN ."ih Ate
u-AnsInitleu. unuer tne laws OF LIE
reu,ly, TO the xenei a.ions
Aiconoi going mo me blood ctrcu-
/ ta..on unGnanssu Aoin the s.oiha~h IL
carried 0Ii ec.,y to tho cetis wnefe Al
! blossoms the psotopiasm. Waicn Eux-
! icy naA SAD Is Inc physical uasas oil
I uie." Ii mere becomes d posaoH az
the very fountainuead OF are. lhe
geueraLIve cyll uves not escape IL
a.laek. 1nis being poisoned, uesiLai-
izeu. no otner result couiu DE IniaStft-
ed than mat the OiIspiinS Wouid SUI
, fer from pnyslcal aiid nervous 0ss-
tQrders. Hence ueSitai,zeu pou,es. ue-
fotmity, epilepsy. insanity ana tne
Ike, and Al last race uesenes asy.
This is the case of Emma IN her
great night against opium. 1t Is the
same win france IN ner battie against
| auslnthe anu tcohoi- Hence ner
warning 10 the Ieople against alcohoi
By great municipal poster TO be read
| by. every ps.ss~tsSs~ v.;s~ississsa.~ssl -
| chrome poisoning, resulting from the
! hapi,ual use OF aieonoi, even when
| this is not taken in amounts sunn-
Gent to q drunkenness, lit Is
! uaerui to nobody 1t - harmful TO
| ALL.
Aptrnpos to this, Is a bin recently
/ offered IN the virginia Legislature.
| winch forbios the marriage Of drunk
ards and drug iiends ana provides a
! penalty of 400 and one years inn
trisunment for the clerk who issues
license to such persons. and for the
minister performing h
Tie object of the biii liz to legally
I check the inherited tendencies toward
] drunkenness, immortality. and physi-
cal ueSensracy. No man, unless he
be found mentally and physically
| sound, will be allowed to marry. NO
woman under 40 ears OF e. can
become a party to q marriage con-
tract until she be given similar assur-
!. anees.
| This In an argumentum ad hommem
| to be sure, but II. indicates an awak-
eK ing on The relation OF drug mar
cotics to physical and race desen-
efacy.
Traffic Non-Rssulativs.
Juxf hecause IL la the inherent sna-
fure of alcohol to unbaiarce men q
! minds and produce physical anc
moral degeneracy, resulting in TIE
commitment of crimes. the traff1c can
! never be regulated 80 as TO prevent
/ harm being done In o1herI Mords, YOU
cannot regulate the nature OF a thins
out of that thing. Yen can reguiate
| food values according to quantity. You
can regulate the sale of good eggs
so that too many may not be sold
TO one man, thus preventing a posi-
| BILE ACCIDENT; but cannot regu-
1 late thu sale OF bad eggs SO as to make
| them safe OF decent to sell ofes., any
/ counter.
Fifty years ago alcohol was sup
! pos eddy the good egg, when We calico
it a food. Then We began tho policy
! of regulating its sale to prevent u
1 which was good logic In those days;
but, In the light of modern SCIENCE
alcohol la the had egg o can nc
more regulate the dne ou OF al
cohol, and make X safe to be SOLD
over a counter tor beverage purposes
! than you can regulate the stale quality
out of a bad egg, M make IL a de-
cent article for commercial purposes
All regulation schemes, like taxation,
I Gothenberg system. or State dispen-
sary. are scientifically wrong, hence,
| morally and politically wrong. as a
| violation OF Gods iaw In nature ex-
pressed in science. Proh<tion OF the
| sale OF a drug like aicoaoi. Is se.e,,-
! ,ifcaiiy right, hence. morally and
politically right.
II clearly follows that h ptinci-
ple of home rule" tor cities can
! not he made to Apply in case OF =
drug like alcohol.
A serious problem OF u continued
| existence as a self governing nation
| is involved In the rapid influx Of pop
| uiations, particularly OF foreign born,
into the cities II Ia difficult enough
to absorb these heterogeneous eie-
ments. involving ignorance and su-
perstition. when conditions are most
favorable. But how much more oifii-
) cult, IL not utterly impossfbfe to con-
i troll and uplift this mass OF human
ity when narcctized by alcohoi.
Give local seif-government to a city
| with a majority In favor OF legalizing
/ the sale OF cocaine or opium and
how long would It continue to move
; M the scale Of progregsy Or how
long would il take to get rid OF such
! vices? The more the drug Ia used
| the less would be the ability to gov
ern I'm the interest Of law n order,
| and the greater the demand for the
| use and Regulation OF the same, un-
til the city would be carried oown
i the degenerating scale Of intelligence
| and morals into sedamfc d~epravfty.
{ ., Cocaine 3, hendss. do. nat sEefnKns
| themselves. A drugged citizenship
viii not call for reformatory meas
| ures that will destroy the drug to
! which It Is enslaved. Local self
/ government In such q case would be
indescrtbab bly, ridiculous.
The nature and history Of alcohol
| Is the m An alcohoiized citizen
ship will never cure itself, and, on
| the degenerating scale OF physical,
| mental and moral conditions which 1t
produces. ran never he trusted with
/ the pelicy~ak anltiattvA. ana referen-
dunn. ON ANY aubiect. much lesa thai
NJ the destruction Of the liquor traf-
fic.
The larger that cities become the
greater their dominance In the po-