Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-01-29
Thursday, January 20, 1914.
Beer Trust Holiness.

The beer trust is fearful that some
one may crave its literature and De
unable to secure it. In a Press Let
ter. Just sent to editors, Secretary
Fox writes from the Union Square,
N. Y, office:
Since it has become known that the
United States Brewers Associallotii ilio,,-
ON the various aspects of the aicohoi
question. we have been Hooded with IA =
quiries for data, from journalists anu
students. Our Year Book, which we are
sending you, contains the record ana ms.
tory of the period it covers, ana q. digest
of excise legislation. II is evident, now
ever that there is a demand for more
irnmediate information, and we have,
therefore. concluded to issue monthly
press letter, which we submit LOT s S;h
consideration. You are, OF course, q, AZ AZ
erty to use any portion of 1t that you de-
sire.
Then follows voluminous status
tics" Here is specimen:
IAN incident of the Calumet strike,
that has quite escaped the press, is the
action taken by the brewers of the dis
trict-July gath, last-the day after
the strike was called. The miners left
their work by the thousands, on july
23d. and on the morning of the 24th,
the brewers of the district met at
Lake Linden, with representatives OF
the Shipping brewers who did business
in the Upper Peninsula. Discussing
the strike situation, and the probabli-
itv of riots and violence, the brewers
resolved to sell no beer. or denver
none, into the strike zone, while the
strike lasted They declared that in
this instance, at least. they would not
be held accountable for any violence
that might follow in the wake of the
strike.
in connection with the action of
the Upper Michigan brewers, it is IN
teresting to note, that of the "a W.T.
nesses examined at the Coroner's IN
quest, over the "a victims of the Xmas
eve disaster at Calumet, all declared
that there were no drunken men in
evidence, and that no liquor had been
sold. either in the hall or in the terri
tory, on the fatal Xmas eve"
From such Statistics as that one
might gather the impression that the
brewers were almost human in their
instincts-were it not for the colossal
confession embodied.
These men are piling up fortunes
and promoting business that creates
violence and ineites riots. If their
product is not dangerous to men and
communities, why did they suppress
it? From other portions of their
statistics one is impressed with the
never ending solace of booze. Those
men out of work, their families on the
ragged edge of starvation, and cold
weather coming on, needed the com
fort of booze if ever men did. Why
did these heartless brewers take it
away?
And again part of the beer doc
trine preached necessarily by such as
the Maine rum press is that the
cutting off of the beer supply only in
creases the consumption of hard
stuff" And then, too, shutting off
the supply of good stuff. always re-
suits in the use of poison" in its
place.
And, still, there may have been
another selfish purpose in this act of
the brewers, for we are told that pro-
hibition increases the booze trade
everywhere, and that the only reason
the rum trust opposes the law is be-
cause of its (the rum trust's) interest
in humanity. They always desire to
regulate" the traffic SO that prohibi-
ton may not make the sales SO large
you know.
But these booze traffic promoters
have some queer ideas, if you believe
their other claims. For instance, the
operation of the Bangor pian," was
suspended at the time of the Bangor
fire. The rumshops were promptly
closed and kept closed by the police
The grocery and clothing stores were
not closed, yet the rum trust and the
government of the United States
claim that selling intoxicants is
legitimate business. Why suppress it
instantly in time of unusual stress?
oh, the hypocrisy of such men and
such business! And their brazen lies
still deceive the unwary.