Norwich bulletin., 1912-09-27
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
The Liquor Question.

Cnlel cause, IS IL CHe paramount cause No one will deny that the tariff needs revising, but if 1t Is the cause, why do other nations where free trade has been in action have the same cry about the high cest of living? There must be some other cause for all the suffering and misery which is filling our poorhouses, charitable institutions for the destitute, sick and insane full to overflowing The Health Congress, now in session at Washington, throws a most Illuminating information upon this very subject. The men who have made this congress possible are not self-seeldng politicians, but studious men who have given their time and best energies to consideration of how to prolong life and how to render the few years humanity spend on this earth the most comfortable and prof itable. Among the exhibits which were visited last Sunday by ten thousand people was the exhibit on the extent of the use of alcohol, which is illus trated by a carefully prepared outfit of tables, charts, dummies, etc., from the Social Museum of Harvard univer- sity, and from other sources. One chart gave a table. showing the ex- penditure for drink in comparison with incomes on the part of the New York wage earners, which is unquestion- ably true of the wage earner every where and deserves the careful atten- ton of everyone interested in the well fare of our laboring class. This chart shows that the heaviest drinkers are among the middle classes in the wage world-those earning two dollars day or thereabout.
 "As a whole" says the chart, "the families of these drinkers could add at least one room to their overcrowded homes if the money spent for intoxi- cants and tobacco were devoted to rent"
 If every laboring man in Connecticut would examine his own expenditures in the saloon he would find that he would not be so keenly conscious of the high cost of living if he spent that wasted money on the necessities of his family. Why do our political aspirants never refer to this leakage in CUT eco- homie conditions They have made a great hue and cry against many trusts, but the liquor trust seems to be in- mense, and yet the United States Brewers association represents eight hundreds millions of invested capital and consumes annually one hundred and eighty million dollars worth of grain and hops. which does not go in to the dinner pail of the workman, eX- cept to debase him mentally and phys ically. It is fact that even organ ized labor clearly recognizes that drinking is a proper cause for dis charge. Public service corporations do not employ .intemperate men. The teetotaller is marked man and is in demand in all grades of labor today. foo otc ioI, nc, absolutely ignore, and have apparently drawn a charmed circle around the liquor trusts. None of us have to go far for the reason why. It is fitting that. this Health Congress should hold this enlightening exhibit near the capitol of our great nation, where our national laws are made and where very few are made to cartail the power of the liquor traffic. Uncle Joe Cannon knew this, and voiced it in the following: Several congreSsmep were discussing the like lihood of a prohibition bill for the Dis trict of Columbia being passed. Uncfe Joe was an interested listener the papers told us, and when one of the representatives declared he did not be- lieve such a measure had the cnnotest chance to become law, Uncle Jsa saia>, 'I won't go that far, but I will say that when it comes to voting on the whisicey question there is only one thing that is more cowardly than a congressman. and that is two of thenl.' Uncle Joe knew politics and politicians Probably no disaster in recent times has so shocked and agitated the public
 mind as that of the Titanic, and yet 1t | is a fact, shown at this same congress 1 that while the Titanic carried down to aNQuick death 1,662 persons, alcoholism | Is estimated to carry down the same | number every ten days, and so indif- | ferent is the world to it that it scarce | ly causes a ripple in the feelings of the l masses. What were the sufferingS of l the Titanic victims in comparison to | the prolonged misery of the victims o1 alcoholism? The drinker is not the only one to suffer, which was shown i by another placard which declared thai 25 per cent. of the paupurism and 4f per cent. of the cases of child neglect | in the United States were traced tC intemperance. Thus we see the worst
 burden is borne by the children in more than one way. The germ eel
 that is to be evolved into another be- l ing is the most highly organized od
 all cells in the body. Alcohol lessens | the nutrition of these cells; hence the | defective cell cannot give birth to 6
 healthy child. These mental and de- | fective children are growing into de- generate men and women Examina-
 tions made in New York schools show. | ed that 90 per cent. of the children wh( used alcohol more or less were mental | ly deficient; 70 per cent. were morally
 injured. These are hard facts, and tht 1 Health Congress is doing a grand ed.
 ucational work, for what is true O New York is true of all America. Sh, is facing decay and ruin just as Rom, and other nations did, and history il ever repeating itself. It is also fac
 that within a period of fifty years tn, population of the United States in.
 creased 330 per cent. while the mum
 Der of insane and feeble minded in creased $50 per cent. This Healtl
 Congress says this is practically due t.
 the prevalent use of alcohol. It doe
 not require a particularly bright min,
 to see that unless something radical i
 done, the fit will be sWamped by tn.
 unfit, and America will share the sam
 fate as Rome, Whose fault is it an,
 what is te be dehe? Tins Health Cen gress points the way, fer it has ahaths
 placard wiieh bears the question
 How did you start drinking f' Tw
 hundred and forty six alcoholics q
 Bellevue answered as feiiewsi Fer se
 ciabiiity, 5a per cent, taught by elders
 per cent; nature of eeeuRatieR, De
 cent! trouble, 12 Der cent; out c
 work, per cent; medical use, 9.3 De
 cent; desire to appear tough, 1.2 pc
 cent. If there was no saloon thes
 temptations would be largely removed EIt is easy to see from the exhibit a ! this Congress that the saloon is a bi } factor in the question of the high cos
 of living-a factor that can be cor ] recsted only through politics, and "
 shall never have clean politics unt
 women are allowed to bring thei
 scrubbing brushes and brooms into tn l, voting booths. Men have had the pow , CT in their hands all these years, ye , the savants from all over the worl
 have clearly demonstrated in thi
 Health Congress at Washington the , alcoholism is the cause of the greate precentage of insanity; from to 1 , per cent. of all accidents are also al , tributed to the same cause. Of 30,0( l prisoners committed to the jails
 New York state last year, 95 per cen