Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-11-06
Doctrine of cowardiee and Retrogres
eior


How a publishing house of the
wealth to hire Arthur Bribane at $75.
900 year to write its editorial opin-
ions, can allow its business office to
lmonopolize its editorial space for
booze" advertising is more than in
telligent readers can understand. 1t
is common declaration by persons
of education and character that they
would buy Hearst's publications for
their editorials and special articles
were it not that they are sometimes
shocked by the crudity and low moral
inspiration of some of the things they
find in the editorial columns.
The devout and the profane, the
sweet and the brutal, the moral and
the bestial, the uplifting and the de-
grading are dumped in together in
such manner that one cannot be en-
joyed without being tainted by the
other.
In the Boston American of Monday
we find the following bid for "booze
trust favors in the repetition of the
doctrines of cowardice and retrogres-
sion since the days of father Adam:
"Nothing is more foolish than to say
that drunkenness Is responsible for all
the ills of society.
'sThe ills of society, on the contrary,
are largely responsible for drunkenness.
Men drink TO excess when they are
underpaids nnderfed. worried and dis
CHOSE that are foolish say that drink
causes poverty. II Is poverty that
causes DRINK.
iety and whiskey holds out temporary
relief. the man as apt to take whiskey.
when the high cost of living drives
men to despalg ana t5 they nnd It am nd
when whiskey holds out temporary hap
piness and contentment-too many OF
them take whiskey.
''It is not drink that causes poverty SO
much as poverty that causes drinking.
''rake away the high cost of living.
fight ignorance with education. abolish
poverty with opportunity, good Mr..
Chain, and you will be surprised to find
ness, and how rapidly YOU will solve the
problem presented by the demon rum .
That stuff occupying the space
where people have been taught to ex-
pect the inspiring and uplifting sim
pie phrases of Brisbane and other of
the country's best newspaper writer's
"The ills of society are largely re-
sponsible for drunkenness"
This rank idiocy and epitome Of
arrant cowardice was written as
refutation of Eugene Chains declara-
ton that the high cost of living is due
to the liquor traffic and drink
Instantly the tools of the booze trust
spring to their guns. Truth must
NOT prevail or be given wide eireu-
lation. II MIGHT save some poor
fool from his own cowardiee and turn
his wages over to his han-fed, half
clothed wife and children.
His earnings are needed by the max
ers and sellers of booze; and the pub
fishers who get good pay for booze
advertising; and the landlords who's
premises are occupied by bar-rooms
dens of white slave debauchery, anC
gambling men lOitSf anu tilS StoSh
holders of booze making and booze
selling concerns; and the ware
heelers and political thugs who handl
such elections as prevail in Boston AM
New York. and whose police an
criminal departments are one and tn
same and supported By the taxpayer
And SO the subsidized business of
fees Of the booze makers and booz
sellers order the attractive presenta