The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1913-04-02

1I1II Il ANN LIN: Al h1A Il,
| though it might be absolutely wrong,
[ and they might think it abso-
| lutely right. There is the sentiment
| for this proposition and there is the
| source of the sentiment in this State
for this proposition. Now if there was
! this great wave of sentiment, what
puzzles me is this,-you all know that
| when men become intensely interested
| in a subject that they at least will
| take pains enough to study that sub
| ject thoroughly enough to be able to
| discuss it intelligently before such an
| intelligent Committee as we appear
| before to-day. If the State of Connec-
ticut desired this legislation, you
would have men here with facts and
figures and who would discuss it in
diligently and show you different -rea-
sons than those based upon sentimen-
tality. You can't make intelligent
men to-day think that kind of stuff.
This world is unfortunately full of
sad things. Many men come before
this Committee and hurl such I'M
kind statements against the men in
this kind of business. If those good
men in their anxiety could only pic
ture the happy family, the magnificent
boys and girls and the magnificent
homes of the men whom you are abus-
ing would you for a moment set them
aside and say they are not in my
class as has been suggested by men
from time to time, even here this at
ternoon, a remark was made 1 am
anxious to see what kind of men will
appear in behalf of this BILL Judge
not lest you be Judged [ try to be
honest and honorable and ask the for
giveness of Divine Providence for the
mistakes I might make, just the same
a. you people do, and want to say
to Judge Mathewson of New Haven,
that I believe, in my humble way L
do as much for the community in
which I live, and shall continue to do
50, as many of the men who are
against the interests which L repre-
sent, and I represent the liquor in
terests of the State of Connecticut.
HsI have here a chart prepared and
issued by the Manufacturers and
Merchants Association of New Jersey
for the purpose of going over the rec
ords, comparing records OF other states
with theirs. We have here the City
of Newark, New Jersey, for the year
1908, population BAT, 1863, total arrests,
S61S; arrests for drunkenness, 1904
Atlanta, Georgia, dry, Savannah, Geor-
gia; Augusta, Georgia; Athens, Ala
CANA, all dry, with population OF
275, $50, total number of arrests 34,977;
arrests for drunkenness, 1857. Jer-
sey City, population 267,779; total ar
rests $3.50; arrests for drunkenness,
POT. Dry cities, Charleston, South
Carolina; Anderson, South Carolina;
Bangor, Maine, population 263,571, to-
tai number of arrests, q, 807 as against
$3.50 for Jersey City; arrests for
drunkenness, s,8O1, as against 2207.
.'The loss to New Haven County in
dollars and cents through the enact
ment of this bill would approximately
be $272, 10000. Who is going to make
up that deficiency? The loss in Fair
field County would be approximately
1898. $50. 90. They are asking you to
wipe out of existence over fourteen
hundred places in the State of Con- |
necticut and drive out of business and
employment over seven thousand men
who are supporting their wives, sis |
tiers and brothers, over fifteen thous- |
and people in the State of Connecti- |
cut. Do you offer them employ |
ment? I want to say this for the
benefit of my good prohibition friends. |
just as long as the beautiful green
grass and trees grow underneath the
great blue canopy of Heaven, just as |
long as the dews and the suns ripen |
the seeds into full grown fruits, just |
as long those juices will be com |
pressed and men and women's appe- |
tites will crave and long and desire |
the sweetness of the flavor that comes |
from those juices. You might wipe |
out all your saloons, you might tie up
all the licensed places, and in their
place you will have the blind tiger
in it's worst form, and these magni1-
cent little children will be brought up
in the surrounding and places where
they make drug fiends, instead of 1e-
ultimate open, honest places, and you
will bring upon your State the same
kind of thing that runa-ridden Maine
has brought to the fame of her State,
a condition which the people, have
been trying to get away from for
years.
The arguments were summed UP by
John J. Sp1ain, of New Haven, who
was opposed to the bill because it
would be class 1egisla ton; it would
tend to increase drunkenness, it would
bring the saloon more into politics
than is now the case and it would
change the best excise law the state
ever had.
Mr.. Splain said that year after year
since it became profitable to turn the
germ temperance into a, commercial
commodity the liquor business has
been assailed. 1t is just as DR.. Potter
says it will be give these men what
they ask and two years hence they
will ask for more limitation and 50
On until statewide prohibition with all
It's impracticability is forced upon the
state
The limitation tends, as you know,
% produce monopoly, but the times
ire out of joint with monopoly