The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1914-08-28


Grunkard.
Prohibition in trying to prevent a
man from buying a drink makes it
possible for him to buy a drunk.
glance at the record will convince
every reasonable person that prohibit
ton wherever tried has utterly failed
to prevent the consumption of liquor.
On the other hand, the consumption
has increased despite the fact that
in the last sixty years more than 100.-
900 saloons have been abolished and
one-half the geographical territory of
the United States placed under pro-
hibitory law.
The official records show-and l
defy successful ontradiction-that in
1850 when the first great prohibition
movement started, the annual per
capita consumption of alcoholic
beverages in the United States was
fraction less than four gallons.
Ten vars later it had risen to nearly
six and one-half gallons. This en-
couraged the drys, and they made a
desperate struggle for ten years
more At the end of that time the
consumption increased to seven and
| three-quarter gallons. Of course, this
aroused still greater enthusiasm
among prohibition workers, and in
1880 consumption reached ten gal
Ions per capita. Inspired by their
wonderful progress prohibitionists
redoubled their diligence, and, not
withstanding they abolished thous-
ands of saloons, the consumption of
liquor ten years later had increased
4 70 fffoon ond poho1f Ool1nnc
About this time the drys organized
the Anti-Saloon League. They enlist
ed vast number of preachers and
many churches in their crusade, but
despite the abolition of legitimate sa-
looms the per capita consumption OF
alcoholic liquors reached seventeen
and one-half gallons in 1900.
This seemed to inspire them with
boundless zeal, and with one grant
onslaught they placed city after city,
county after county, State after State
in the dry column. Notwithstanding
this fact the latest internal revenue
report shows that, instead of consum-
ing four gallons per capita, as in
1850 when prohibitionists started u
save us from the demon rum, we are
now consuming twenty-four gallons
per capita.
Prohibitionists by making One-half
the geographical territory of the Unit
ed States dry have increased the con
sumption of liquor from four to
ltwenty-four gallons per capita. Great
Cod Now, if the drys can prove
that the more man drinks the less
apt is he to become intoxicated they
can show that prohibition is a rem
edy for intemperance. If they sue
seed in demonstrating that PROPOSE
ton | agree to prove that the less a
man drinks the more drunken he be
comes.
While prohibition cannot promote
temperance, it does breed sneaks
liars, hypocrites, perjurers and petty
criminals any one of which is q
greater menace to manhood, a greater
menace to morality than the worst
saloon that ever existed
We oppose prohibition not only be
cause it is a failure, but because in
trying to suppress one vice By force
you create five others more deadly
than the one you would destroy.
We have already shown that prohi
bition is wrong in principle. This
is true whether applied to one hun
dred people or one hundred million
When thing is fundamentally ant
morally wrong even success can MOI
make it right.
A Menace to
the Church.
Prohibition it not only powerless
as remedy for intemperance, il is
also menace to the church-to true
religion
The Federal census reports show
that in wet New York 43 per cent OF
the people belong to church In wet
Rhode Island "a per cent of the PEG
pie belong to church. In prohibition
Maine less than 80 per cent of the
people are church members, and in
dry Kansas less than 20 per cent are
affiliated with any church. In the
northern group of States, to which
Kansas and Maine belong, the aver
age percentage of church member
snip is A.
The reason for this condition in
prohibition States is apparent to all
who think
! Men naturally resent the efforts Of
ministers to interfere with their pri
vate affairs.
They refuse to go to church to
hear a prohibition harangue instead
of gospel sermon.
They decline to support a minister
who appeals to the law of force in
stead of the power of love.
They know that every preacher
who calls upon the police to save men
discredits the religion of Jesus
Christ.
! The spirit of intolerance manifest
ed by advocates of prohibition drives
I, people away from the church. Ere
quently the members are told by the
pastors to vote dry or resign. their
membership. Unable to convince men
by reason that prohibition is right the
drys frequently resort to the social
or business thumb screw to compel
others to accept their views. People
I yyho hnn