The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1913-10-10
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Conducted by the National Woman's
Christian Temperance Union.)
NO INCREASE IN DRINKING.

NO INCREASE IN DRINKING.
The internal avenue report for
1918 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 the
press Of the country has given 1t too
hasty consideration, and that the pub
lie has o readily accepted the con-
illusions of the newspapers. The ng-
ures given are true as far a. they 90,
but II Is not the province of the In
ternal revenue commission to explain
those figures The National W c. T.
O., through it's bureau Of publicity,
sends out the following explanation:
First, with regard to distilled
liquors. It is not SO generally known
~ 1t 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number of gallons withdrawn BY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 hat the amount for any
N year may or may not represent
the actual consumption for that year.
It happens that for the year Just
closed tho amount withdrawn does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
It must be removed from the govern
ment warehouses whether there is
demand for 1t or not. During the year
covered by the 1918 report a large
amount was. 1t is stated, thrown upon
the market because the bonding pc
Rod had expired. The fact that such
a large quantity remained In bond I'M
til forced out by the time limit is
sufficient proof that the sale OF spir-
ftuous 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 80,
1912. to June 80, 1918. is now stored
mand. Those who understand the
state Of affairs have expected Just
such a showing as that now put out
by the internal evenue department.
They have expected, too, that It
would be generally interpreted a.
meaning a marked increase In drink
ing" They know that while an vi
usual amount Of liquor was with
drawn last year from the bonded
warehouses It by no means follows
that all Of it 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
rs so-cal1ed reform wave") to make
the per capita increase appear large,
they have a way OF punching togeth-
u the figures referring to all kinds
Of liquors, distilled ana malt. And
newspapers have a way Of repeating
without investigation this manifestly
unjust estimate. For example, some
wet" authority states that the pei
capita amount Of liquor consumption
has risen in twenty years from 1s
gallons to II gallons tthis, Of course
including all liquor on which tax hal
been paid, and the misleading state
ment goes the rounds.
Third, IN view OF these facts It Is
clear that there are more total alb
stainers and more prohibitionists ir
this country than ever before, and
granting for the sake of argument the
increasing consumption-that drink
ers are drinking moro than ever be
fore. It is n Of the characteristic,
Of alcohol to Increase the desire fol
itself. so we may expect the moderate
drinker Tor his %children) to becom,
the excessive drinker and the exces
sive drinker to become more exces
sfve. II isn't from the number o
judges Of the Of nationwide
prohibition, but from tho rapid,
growing prohibition sentiment an
consequent number Of prohibition
votes throughout the country.
The liquor interests are trying des
perately to hide the fact that their
is a losing cause. In their journal
and in their conventions their utter
ances are doleful and warningful. an,
in the stock market there IL marke,
~shrinkage in the value of liquor q
curities. Pessimism in the liquo
camp. optimism among the prohib
tSonists@this. despite the interns
revenue report for 1918, IL the situa
ton today.