The Washington herald., 1914-10-04
A FLYER in Statistics.

Capt Hobson is opposed to the beer tax and he
gave the House some of his reasons for opposition
The captain by exact scientific investigation" found
that the beer tax caused 1000 premature deaths
every day in the year, or 10000 annually The
significance of this discovery Capt Hobsou did not
make as clear he might if he had given the census
figures. which show that there were $4,000 deaths
all told IN the registered Of the United States
in 1912. Had the captain coupled these figures with
those of 'the premature Deaths" he would have
shown the House and the codntry that nearly 90
per cent Of all the deaths in the United States are
premature and due to the beer tax; and this not
withstanding the fact that 2I6ooo of these victims
had pasted the age of sixty-ve and more than 1000
had passed the centenary mark before they were
prematurely cut off by the beer tax. 1t was mex
cussbie in Capt. Hobson to ignore the mortality
statistics of the Census Office when these would
have enabled him to show by exact scientific invest-
cation that but for the beer tax the American
pie would all, live to the age of Methuseah
But this was only part of the captains indict-
ment against the beer tax. He assured the House
of his own knowledge that there are now, at this
very minute, 100000 habitual drunkards in this
country, 100000 heavy drinkers, 100000 regular
drinkers, and "unestimated millions" of occasional
drinkers. Applying the captain's progressive ratio
of quadruple increase from habitual drunkards to
regular drinkers his "unestimated millions" of occa-
sonal drinkers must be between 100000 and Ioo-
100000, and makes the grand total of beer tax vic
tins I2S,oooooo Again, the captain neglected an
opportunity for employing the census figures show
ing that the total estimated population of the United
States in this year, 1914 is oS78I3z4 Had the cap
tain made comparison of his exact scientific fig
ures with those of the Census Office, he could have
demonstrated that the victims of the beer tax were
ahOut than the entire
including babes in and centenarians. The cap
tain also assured his hearers that S. per cent or
ssoooooo of the people in this country are now living
in dry territory under prohibition law and he could
have shown, that these prohibtionists must be
numbered with class the other. from habitua
druniards to occasional drinkers There is MOTH
ing like exact scientific investigation to bring out
the truth in startling colors, and the captain is the
most startling exponent of how the country is go
ing to the demnition bow-wows to be found any
where
There were some other figures in the captain s
speech which bear directly on the Democratic
economic policy. The captain boosted that he had
sent out than 100000 copies of his prohibition
speech in December, and had written 100000 let
ters the same subject The captain is ready
letter writer, and has tireless energy but to write
10000 letters allowing one minute to each letter
would require little than 1000 days, nearly
three years, working twenty-four hours day; and
yet the captain performed this hurculesn task in
eight months, mailed 100000 copies of his Speech
attended to his official duties in the House, made
campaign for the Senate, and swung around the
Chautauqua circuit His speeches and letters went
under his frank and cost the government not less
than $4,000 for postage, or at the rate of $4,000
a year. to carry such information" to the people
This admission of Capt Hobson that he has franked
than 35ooooo speeches and letters on prohibi-
ton in less than year, may give Chairman Barn
hart of the Printing Committee, some points in his
investigation to the abuse of the franking prvi-
lege, and also show item of economy due direct
1y to Oscar Underwood who is responsible for CAPT
Hobsons retirement to private life, where he will
not be able mich longer to abuse the privilege of
free use of the mails for official business