Mexico Missouri message., 1913-10-09
NO INCREASE IN DRINKING.

NO INCREASE IN DRINKING,
The internal revenue report for
1913 has been widely commented upon
by the press. its figures being gener>
ally accepted as proof of an increase
In drinking, notable" alarming,
'shameless." according to the point
OF view OF the commentator. We do
not challenge the accuracy Of the re-
port, but we do maintain that tho
press OF the country has given It too
hasty consideration, and that the pub
lie has too readily accepted the con-
cluslons of the newspapers. The fig
ures given are true as far as they 20.
but It is not the province OF the In
ternal revenue commission to explain
those figures. The National w. c. T.
o., through its bureau Of publicity.
sends out the following explanation:
First, with regard to distilled
liquors, II is not so generally known
as it should be that the figures OF the
government report are based on the
number of gallons withdrawn by
wholesalers from the bonded ware
houses, and that the amount for any
the actual consumption for that year.
II happens that for the year Just
closed the amount withdrawn does
not represent actual consumption. To
the average reader the situation is
somewhat confusing, but 1t is easily
explained. Under the law liquor may
remain in bond not longer than eight
years. At the expiration OF that time
II must be removed from the govern
ment warehouses whether there is
demand for 1t or not. During the year
covered by the 1913 report a large
amount was, It Is stated thrown upon
the market because the bonding Pc
riod had expired The fact that such
large quantity remained in bond un-
til forced out by the time limit Is
sufficient proof that the sale of spir-
ituous liquors has been decreasing.
When the liquor is taken from the
bonded warehouses the government
tax is paid, and It is then officially re-
corded as consumed" The truth of
the matter is that much liquor re-
ported as consumed" from June 30.
1912, to June 80, 1918, is now stored
in private warehouses waiting a de-
mand. Those who understand the
state of affairs have expected just
such a showing as that now put out
| by the internal revenue department.
They have expected, too, that 1t
would be generally Interpreted as
meaning marked increase in drink
ing" They know that while an un-
usual amount of liquor was with
drawn last year from the bonded
warehouses 1t by no means follows
that all OF 1t went down the throats
OF American citizens.
Second, there is more or less Jug
! Cling of Official figures by liquorites.
Desiring lin their effort to discredit
the so-called reform waveO to make
the per capita increase appear large,
| they have a way of punching togeth-
er the figures referring to all kinds
| of liquors, distilled and malt. And
newspapers have way of repeating
without investigation this manifestly
unjust estimate. For example, some
wet" authority states that the per
capita amount of liquor consumption
| has risen In twenty years from 10
gallons to 81 gallons (this, of course
/ including all liquor on which tax has
been paid, and the misleading state
ment goes the rounds.
Third, in view of these facts II is
! clear that there are more total abb
stainers and more prohibitionists in
| this country than ever before and
I fn, ha % ~
| increasing consumption-that drink
ers are drinking more than ever be-
| fore. II is one of the characteristics
| of alcohol to increase the desire for
| itself, SO we may expect the moderate
drtnker Cor his children) to become
| the excessive dTinker and the exces.
sive drlnker to become more exces-
sive. II Isn't from the number OF
gallons Of liquor consumed that one
| Judges Of tho nesrness Of nationwide
prohibition, but from the rapidly
growing prohibition sentiment and
consequent number Of prohibition
votes throughout the country.
The liquor interests are trying des.
perately to hide the fact that theirs
is a losing cause, In their journals
and in their conventions their utter
ances are doleful and warningful. and
| IN the stock market there is marked
shrinkage in tho value of liquor Sc.
| curities Pessimism In the liquor
camp, optimism among the prohibI
tionists-this, despite the internal
revenue report for 1913, is the situa-
tion today.