The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1914-07-17
PROHIBITION
A MENACE TO
WORKERS.

The fight against alcoholic drink,
not the sane efforts to eliminate
certain drawbacks connected with
the saloon business as at present
conducted, is a reactionary class
movement 1t is perfectly we'll
understood that prohibition has
never prevented him who had
money from getting such beverages
as he wanted, nor i'll it have such
effect if established on national
basis, for, if he cannot import the
goods, he can get them from un
derground scources or prepare what
he wants himself. He can buy it
by the case, the box or the barrel,
and have the necessary ftKnlture
to keep it for use when wanted.
But what about the workingman,
or the common people in general.
Few people, comparatively, can, or
at least will, invest several dollars
at a time ii stock of drink.
They want it when they want it,
and not at other times. The salts
faction lies, in part, in having it
Just at the right time. And when
they want it, they want TO spend
nickel or dime, perhaps quarter
If there is no place to buy a drink
the common people are shut out
from having it.
The enjoy ment of alcoholic drink
one of the ancient inheritances of
the human race and a precious gift
cf nature, to be used tenn nerately
and wholesomely by the great ma
iority of mankind, thus becomes
privilege of the wellto do. An
other privilege is added to those
possessed by the classes as against
the masses. Local option" says
labor paper, and it might as we'll
have said it of prohibition in gen
eral, is indeed a workingman S
question. Trade unionism is not
compatible with the principle of 10
cal option, for the aim of the latter
is to prevent citizen or several
citizens from exercising a peronal
inherent righ the exercising of
which only concerns his or their
own personal tastes" AS TO those
who abuse the right to indulge in
alcoholic drink, that publication,
with keen insight into the whole
drink problem. remarks: "This
small minol ity would be drunkards
under any conditions, prohibition
or otherwise. They simple live to
debouch in some shape or forE3.
Labor as whole certainly does
not want the general community
to be fettered and shackled because
Of these few men.
Speakers and writer's have tried
to rdicule the description of the
saloon as the poor mans club.
Such jests become foolish in the
light of the fact that settlement
and charity workers and other in
vestigators of social conditions who
have examined into the fun .tions
of the saloon, have quite generally
indorsed the idea. In it's volume
on Substitutes for the Saloon"
the so called Committee of Fifty.
consisting of group of the most
eminent divines, scientists, scholars
philanthropists, charity workers.
bankers, professional and busine SIS
men, states that IAN unbiased
study of the saloon as it exists in
our American cities, compels the
conclusion that il is acting today
as social center. The longer one
searches for just the right kind of
a substitute for the saloon, the
more one despairs of finding it.
And yet such places are a positive
necessity, for the social instint that
demands and finds its satisfaction
withil the saloon is reality. To
satisfy the social needs of thou
sands of our laboIing people, stands
the saloon ready to welcome them,
and admirably adapted to such an
end. =