Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1914-12-09
PisheadednessN Killing BarIeycorn.


fresh instalment of booze logic
must have been sent into Maine, if we
are to Judge by the sudden wave of
defence of the business and the fierce
assaults upon the Maine law. Monday
evening the Biddeford Records lead
er" was a long booze editorial on
Rum in the Country" Its second
long editorial in the same issue was.
Russian Prohibition" and the next,
Make Haste Slowly" the same being
a lengthy disquisition on the necessity
OF delaying national prohibition. In
all, 81 inches Of rum trust inspired
sophistry in single issue. The ed:-
tor must have enjoyed rum trust
pat or else he has booze on the brain.
lie has become fanatical on the sub
1ect OF the poor prosecuted little bust
ness of making poison and drumming
up market for it.
Gus heart seems to be torn with
pity for the bleeding rum traffic. He
is standpat of the standpattest kind,
trying to live as in the old days; try
Ing to hold the common sense and
reasoning power of those who read his
labored efforts, down to the con-
vivial notions of half or three-quar-
tiers Of century ago. He will not
admit the evidence of all his one
time senses. He wildly waves his
arms and shouts his denial. He could
not understand such good -natured
admission as the Chicago Journal has
Just made, as follows:
There is doughty fellow. prime favor
who is getting in bad" with the present
generation all over the world His name
Is John Barleycorn
Peace and war;, foreign climates and
John. In the United States, he lodges
around the corner at the mention of votes
Tor women, and has been evicted from
several states where women do not vote
N RUSSIA, he Ii exiled on the plea Of
ulilitary necessity. In Germany, he finds
himself out of favor with the kaiser: in
France. he is jailed on suspicion of lack
OF patriotism; in England he is tolerated
chiefly that he may be taxed, and is
dubbed a lowbrow. even then.
1t is not like it was in the good old
Gays, when a mans rank as a good
fellow depended on the number of bottles
OF wine he could drink at dinner without
slipping under the table.
Nor could the editor of the Bidde-
ford Record understand how the devil
ish business itself should suffer hon.
esty enough in it's declarations TO
frankly admit that it sees the end.
Such as he. in their blind intolerance
of all but their own selfishness, have
builded an early extinction of the
liquor traffic, because in their greet
and bigotry and persistent dishonesty
they have gone too far. There was a
time when the better elements Of
civilization would have been glad to
compromise with the evil but that
day has passed, and now the bids for
compromise are coming from the traf-
fic
Mr.. A. ]. Sunstein of Pittsburg, dis
tilier and wholesaler of liquors, pro-
poses that the Legislature limit sa-
looms 10 one for each $50 of the popu-
iation, that it forbid the financing Of
saloons by brewers, distillers or
wholesalers, that 1t stop all trade
solicitation. Mr.. Sunstein, who is ons
~ the national leaders of the liquor
industry, believes that the time has
come in Pennsylvania when something
must be done to check the rise of pro-
hib.tion sentiment.
Concerning the proposition of Mr..
sunstein that the liquor trade reform