The Alaska citizen. (Fairbanks, Alaska) 1910-1917, 1912-12-30
Travelling With a Thirst
WATER AND WHskEY REGULATED TRAINS BUT PASS
eNGERs ARE STILL ALLOWED TO cUss

We are travelling. We are seated
in the smoking compartment of the
sleeper With US in the compart.
ment is a man with long whiskers
and thick eyeglasses. He is evidently
a foreigner. From time to time he
dra,s d leather-covered note book
from his pocket and jots down
something.
He rrfreshes himself occasionally
with a draft of water from the
cooler, using he glass in such cases
made and provided by the Pullman
company.
Eventually the porter enters the
smoking compartment and removes
all the drinking glasses Our friend
however, does not observe this
A few miles further along he il
again thirsty. He cannot find the
glass. He rings for the porter
and asks for it.
Yves in lllinoy now. sun" ex.
plains the porter. Its gin de Law
to have de glass heah. De bod O
health d Ian me in de lookup eff
let yo' have it."
The foreigner mods his head grave,
ly and the porter withdraws. We
take it upon ourselves to expla!.l
to the stranger the why and where
tor, telling him that the public
drinking cup is illegal in Illinois.
"One may obtain drink of liquor,
however" he asks.
Yes In the dining car
He goes forward and obtains his
drink and returns with an express
sion OF satisfaction on his face,
Soon the porter comes in ana
replaces the glasses.
Yves in Indianny now, sub" he
explains in response to the mute
inquiry. No law on the public
drinking cups in dis state. Soon's
we strike Michigan, though, hat
ier lock dem up once mo-. Michigan
law don't allow dem
IN go back TO the diner and ge'
another real drink" states the for
eigner.
Soon he returns this time visibly
aggravated
How is this?" he asks. "A few
moments ago | was served drink
of whisky in the dining car Now
they tell me We are in some kind
of territory and they cannot sell 1t
to me-
I'VE are passing through chain
of local option counties" we ex
plain. 1T is illegal in them to sell
intoxicants; therefore. the buffet de-
partment is closed until we reach
what is colloquially termed wet ter
ritory. There is no wet territory
until we cross the eastern boundary
of the stae of Indiana"
I'ut Can uiillh "dtcl lloli lAio
public CLASP"
oh certainly in this state.
but not in some of the others"
The old man sits in deep medta
ton for time. stroking his long
beard thoughtfully and blinking
through his thick glasses At last
he asks:
How does the law do it,"
DO what?" we inquire
How does the law make it dan
gerous to the health to drink from
a common cup in Illinois or Michi-
gan. and yet safe to drink from the
same cup in Indiana?"
why. you have the wrong i'm
preston of it. The fact
And how does the law make it
right to drink intoxicating liquors
in one county and wrong to drink
them in another county? If a thing is
wrong in one place it is wrong
everywhere. " it is right il one
spot it is right in all spots Right
and wrong are elemental principles
! do not see how your law can
change them"
But the law does not change
them: it simply means"
And how can law affect the
health of community? Does the
law put germs in the glass in Illi-
nois and Michigan and take them out
in Indiana? If ! cannot drink whisky
in Indiana, and can drink water