The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-27


TIVE days later, on April "a. mailed
OF the essential points of this litera-
ture. Up to date. month after re-
ceipt. II has not been published by
( them. but attacks on me- signed with
Initials or pscudonyms, were published.
On May . the Richmond Evening
Asks u Question" asking about this
! letter. On May ID sent messenger to
ASKING again about this letter; the adj
| vertiscmcnt was refused.
In the editorial 9,I of April % the vir;
TO receive any information from DIR.
Meyer which Is really information."
Their continued silence. then. must be
ter OF April "a no real Information"
about prohibition. Will now let tho
information about prohibition or not
by publishing It.
OTTO MEYER.
THE LETTER NOT PUBLISHED ny
THE vIRGINLAN.
April "a. 1914
To the Editor OF the Richmond yir-
gilman:
sir.--I was shown your issue Of April
20. with my letter of April Is and your
friends consider alcohol "a poison S by
all means avoid it as ii IL were poison.
do not want to force you TO drink 1t,
you TO my opinion-that Ii is beneficial.
provided it Is properly used. On the
contrary. nothing would please me
more Than to see everybody who pro-
tesses to he prohibitionist absolutely
deprived of every drop of alcohol: that
the other hand, l protest to be forced
to regulate my drinking according to
your opinion, and protest just as much
rs III the notion should strike you to
forbid me tobacco or potatoes, coffee
or tomatoes. or to force your religion
upon me. Your reasons for your opin-
ion. that you have n right TO force me.
may be perfectly satisfactory to you
and your friends. but they do not sat
isfy me In the least ! forbid you to
forbid me; my reasons for issuing this
prohibition are the same AZ those which
created the ilaE OF Virginia. with the
Inscription: sic Semper Tyrnnnis," ana
they arc aa satisfactory to me as yours
may possibly be TO you.
While my person in tho whole mat
word Il" Is used here TO represent the
opinion of tho overwhelming majority
OF the human race; they do not want
this majority happens to be in the mi
nority-in American dry" territory
they keep ON protesting until prohibl-
before. Perhaps you have noticed 1t.
If by quoting Emperor William and
british sra, or french goyernment posters
peror. the German. British and French
governments favor prohibition. you
not dream Of Such a thing. IHts all ali
sensible people. they are opposed 10
excessive drinking, but stun moro OPP
posed to prohibition. If you take the
view that we have TO regulate our con-
duct according To the opinions of the
Emperor and these. governments, you
have to stop agitating for prohibition.
ana nave to start preaching modera-
ton. temperance.
Your praise OF total abstinence would
be an argument for prohibition only
under two suppositions-first, that tho
normal method of living OF the average
human being Is and ought to be- that
OF II total abstaincr; second. that prohi-
billion has the effect OF making them
total abstainers. Both suppositions
all over earth has a craving for ncrve-
affecting substances. which craving,
generally speaking, il satisfied by the
moderate use OF the trio--tea or coffee.
tobacco and fermented alcoholic drinks.
But deprive him OF one OF these sub
stances and something will happen. as
rule. what happens is tho appearance
OF dopcs. violent dopes or dopes OF tho
extracted caffeine kind, or both. This
what people all over the earth eat,
drink. chew. smoke or snuff In the way
OF narcotics. stiinuants. ETC.. as we'll
~ tho relations OF these numerous
substances 10 each other.
Nobody is forbidden To be n total alb
stainer, there are persons who choose
best what Is good Tor them. Tho nor
mai being. however. is man who
knows alcohol. Is not afraid OF 1t, and
never becomes it's slave; he uses It Mt
the proper time, the proper place and
in the proper way. like n useful Ser
want This normal human being ex-
lists in hundreds OF millions and In all
countries. lie faces strong drinks. or
want them. The total abstainer how
ever. is better kept away from tempta-
ton as much rs possible; he Is liable
10 II very bad tumble In either one way
or the other. The moderate drinker
not the drunkard. dope tiend. or total
abstainer Is the normal representative
of the human race.
The second supposition. that prohi-
hilton makes total abstainers, has been
shown 10 be wrong by experimental
PROOF. y State has been kept in pro-
hibttion. with all the frilis which pro-
hibitionlsts could invent, Including
constitutional prohibition. for moro
than sixty years unintcrruptedly and
the result is that this state Is now
called Drunken Maine" There are
more arrests for drunkenness In Port
land. Me, than In any other city of ita
size. All arguments against heavy
drinking are arguments against pro-
hibition. Tho Canadians have sent n
commission over the line to study pro-
hibit!on In Maine. and have kept clear
from prohibition ever since.
II prohibition prohibited Maine
would now be called Dope ridden
Maine" but Drunken Maine Is pre-.
fera blc.--Ady,