Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-01-22
Thursday, January %, 1914.
Why?

Does il not seem to be a queer thing
that ninety million people, dWeiiils
together in a very rich and very proao
land. with the power OF government.
absolutely in their own hands, silouio
tolerate SO much wrong as EXISTS III
America? Why do we submit 10 lhe
iniustices that oppress US! Nhy-uo
we sanction instead of slay the perlis
that face us? Why do we to4lo"' III
s,,ob numbers. the leaders and the IN
Auences that will in the end inVoiSe
us in ruin?
Consider some of the foolish Things
do We often elect dishonoraple
and greedy men to rule our commun-
tiles and make our laws. We tolerate
vices that sap the physical, mental ana
sr,iritnal life of the nation, spreading
disease and death. We submit TO IN
dustrial and commercial unIairhess.
We allow thousands OF young "oiiieii
TO be caught in the meshes OF an uh-
speakable business, which, we are
told is conducted in cold-oloooeo'
eeol-beaded fashion like an ORDINARY
commercial enterprise.
Why are all these things SO! 1hey
mood not be so. They are so because
the American people want them 10 DC
so for the foundation principle OF our
government is that the people can nave
1v,,ot thew like. We are getting what
we like. Why do We ike u!-lne
Christian Herald.
"why?s Perhaps first because eF-
erv evil is woven into our commercial
fabric. because every evil has It's spe-
eial excusers and special pleaders, and
we tolerate them, on one pretexe OF
another. because money-getting rules
the world and we are in 1t. our per-
sonaI individual selfishness "convin-
ces" us that this thing or that is a
"necessary,' evil, and that something
worse would happen if we insisted on
its suppression-because it suits our
nurnose. we easily "believe" the So
nhistries of these special pleaders.
Every evil under the sun bases Its
excuse for tolerance on the claim that
something worse would take It's place
If II were annihilated. That Is the
doctrine which 1t suits us to belieVe,
and every promoter of evil knows 1t.
When the "unspeakable business OF
.x,.oiting the bodies and souls of girls
and women comes near home we shud-
der and complain, otherwise we look
on indifferently and let it go on-be-
cause there is money in it and, IN one
way or another, we reap some OF the
gain.
We elect dishonorable, greedy, graft
ing men to office, because we are gull
ty of some selfish purpose that is thus
served, or, we sometimes refuse TO
take actual part in electing such men,
so we stay at home and let their evil
organizations elect them.
Yesterday we received another bun
die of literature from the National
Model License League" Do you know
what that is? Perhaps not, but quite
likely you have had your mail de-
bauched by the presence of its litera-
ture (Which the U. S. government per-
mits II TO do for the postal revenue
there is in it). The National Model
License League" is the publicity bu-
reau of a great and powerful group
of booze makers and sellers. 1t Is
special excuser and pleader of these
rum interests.
Well the president" of this booze
organization has written another one
of his notorious letters which he wants
to get in the press. OF course if we
would publish it. it would give the
business that much free advertising,
and they are only putting in a few mill
lin response to the demand" of course
In submitting this letter of Presi-
dent IT. NJ Gilmore, the publicity de-
partment of the combination. writes:
Now that prohibition has become
national issue. threatening not only to
destroy 5000 10000 worth of property
and to throw 100000 heads of families
put of employment but also TO prohibit
the sale OF beverages demanded by the
majority Of the people, the enclosed let
Ter by Mr.. Gilmore discussing the econo-
mic, social and religious phases of the
liquor question may be of timely inter-
est"
There, of course, is the first consid-
eration-it always comes first in the
argument of any branch of evil
LOSS OF PROPERTY. If the two
billion dollars claim were within rea-
son. which it is not let us look at the
Jffset. Last year more than two bill
lion dollars worth of worse than USE
less booze was consumed in this coun-
try-and without a shadow of doubt
one billion, five hundred million dol
lars Of that amount of dead loss to
the nation. was brought about through
the advertising. sophistries, double
dealing and downright lying of such as
the National Model License League .