The Red Cloud chief., 1913-03-20
The Great Destroyer


Ilobs9n Of Alabama in the United
States House OF Repre- on
Feb =, 1911. The speech at the time
made n profound impression on the
mt niUers Of the House and is consider.
ed one OF the best brief statehien n u
ever made Oh the whole Liquor quest.
ion. It was during the Boer war that
the British government found that the
average Englishman did not measure
up 10 the standard of recruit ing aud
the average soldier in the field mani.
Tested low plane of vitality aud ell
duraI,ce. Parliament was alarmed
and Instituted An investigation 1t
was found that the cause of this ma.
tionM degeneracy' was alcoholic pois.
oning As result the British Govern
ment piacardcd the streets OF one
hundred cities warning the people and
appealing to them Ia the name of the
nation to desi,t from drinking al.
coholic beverage The French aud
German Governments soon followed.
In the summer of 1919 MI interna.
tional conference on alcoholism wa,
held ia London to which most of the
great nations sent delegates. After a
most thorough investigation the re-
preventative medical leaders OF the
conference drew up a report in the
fo'm of n statement defining the ma.
ture OF alcohol as follows: Exact
laboratory, clinical and pathological
research has demonstrated that alcohol
Is protoplasmic poison, and its use
rs Il beverage is destructive und degen.
Grating to the human organism.
Therefore its use should be re tricted
and limited In the same way AS any
other poisonous drug. 1t Is well
known fact that the white corpuscles
In the blood under ordinary conditions
attack aud destroy the disease germs
that seek lodgment in the body. Al.
cohOl, even when used ia small quan,i
ties paralyses these .corpuscles and
renders them ineffective. 1t Is nc
wonder the mortality statistics show
as they do, that total abstaincr ha,
nearly twice the hold ON life that the
average drinker has and about three
times the hold OF heavy drinkers snt
those engaged In the liquor traffic
The comparative figures show the az
palling fact that alcohol is killing of
us many Americans every year as al
the wars Of the world have killed il
battles in $500 years. In the Unite,
States are about one million confirme,
druukards OF whom three hundi Q,
thousand die every year. Alcohol /
the curse Of the red man and the blacl
man. 1t has conquered some Of tn
noblest white men. 1t is the evershad
owing cause of crime, paupcrism an
insanity. 1t biights the progeny q
man. by scientific tests it is estimate
TINT the wide use of alcoholic beveI
age In this country causes u loss G
fully 81 percent in the efficiency Of tn
Nations producers. The prvductio
Of wealth is at the rate of S32, ,OOO, 600
OO0 yearly; the loss due to lowere
efficiency is therefore fully ss,5OO,OO0
0CO, The economic loss of those cut o.
untimely is estimated at $500, ,OUO, ,O0(
Again 1t is estimated that the cost G
providing for the added crime, paupel
ism, idpcy and insanity produced b
alcohol In the United States and pal
for by direct taxation exceeds $4,000
\ 0O0, 600. Adding to this our annu,
liquor bill Of $4,000, 900 900, we find tn
the total economic burden laid upo
the Nation by King Alcohol is betwee
sixteen and seventeen billions Of dol
! ars, more than half OF all the wealt
produced by the nation. But alcoh'
is not only destroying the wealth {
the nation but the nations life is ,
stake. II the nation degenerat,
another will rise to take her plac
This has been the history OF the worl
since national history began. Amerit
} Is the hope Of the world. The star
Empire hitherto has made its wa
westward, But there Is no longer an
westward. In America the star ,
Empire finishes the circle of the worl
Here II anywhere we must develop
thoroughbred race of men. But no
can this be done when the great d
! stroyer strikes the families down /,
fast as they rise.
Last year on an average every saloo
In the United States was the cause
the death OF three men. This ye,
I also each saloon will kill three me
! Each saloon In the United States h,
ON IN average 70 men made hes,
J drunkards who are mortslly wounds
Each saloon, on an average has Il
men made regular drinkers who n