The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1914-05-22
INJURING TEN P ER A N @ E
CAUSE BY GROSS BXAG-
GERATION.

ASNNiitiJ hCuF0iCh an dNNi CSo DIT tliC
Presbyterian Church in Germantown
Pa, in which he stated that, counting
all who have been killed or wounded in
battle in all of the wars from the Mace
donian Wars. 300 years. B c., down to
the present time, he estimated that about
| 2, 800, 600 Americans were killed by alco-
hol in one year, or more than the sol
| diers sailors and others OF all nations
sacrificed by war in ?, 800 years; and he
said that more than 1000 American cit
liens are slain each day by alcohol"
| Captain HobSon also stated that il was
shown that only the total abstainer lived
beyond the age Of 65; that the average
age of the moderate drinker is ST, while
the heavy drinker lives only to the age
Of SO.
The "Public Ledger believes that the
cause OF true temperance is damaged,
and not advanced. by such gross exag-
geration and misrepresentation. The
most effective temperance propaganda is
| the method employed BY business. COM
mercial and industrial houses, which re-
| qure absolute sobriety among their en-
! ployes, holding that the sober man is the
better man in all Of the practical affairs
of life. This infleXible rule is doing
more to advance the cause of temper
ance than can ever be done by such
| superheated utteranCes as were made by
Captain Hobson
A study of the census mortality sta
tistics for 1912 shows the assertions of
! Captain Hobson to be ridiculous. In
the registered area from which health
statistics are received, representing two
thirds of the entire population, there
were 8332I5 deaths in 1912, or about
one third as many as Captain
Hobson attributes to alcohol. OF the
total 2o4, $50 were children under years
of age; SIC, GS4 were persons who had
passed the age of IS; 900 died be-
tween the ages of S and IA. Deducting
this from the total leaves $50 600 deaths
between the ages of IA and 65. As I42,-
900 died between the ages of so and 65
| this would leave total of 249, 600
deaths Of people who would come within
the darger line of al ohol, from mod
crate drinking. Applied to the whole
country it would show that the total
deaths between the ages of "a and so
would be 572, 900, or a little over 1000
every day from all causes, instead OF
! 1000 every day from alcohol The Cen
sus Bureau, however shows the follow
ing causes Of death:
TubercuosiS.... 90, $50
Cancer. 46,53
| Typhoid fever. 100
| Measles and scarlet fever (almost) 10000
| Whoopng cough............. (over) 5000
Heart disease. sa........................... SIS, 600
Pneumonia Observation-Disclosures. SIG
Accidents...... Observation-Disclosures. 1000
Suicides. 10, 600
IIOo,,ciJac OOO
Alcohol ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 3,IS3
Captain Hobson, in his grossly exag
grated statement, says that alcohol
causes g. 900 American men to murder
their wives each year and $500 to kill
their children. In the census bulletin Of
prisoners and juvenile delinquents for
1910 1t is shown that there were $500
prisoners in the State penitentiarles.
January I, 1910, sentenced for grave of.
fenses or for murder; .S64 OF these were
from the nine prohibition States, which
have IS per cent of the total population,
while 1889 were from States-MaSsachu
sets, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin,
Missouri and California, Licensed
States, which have So per cent of the
total population. In the nine prohibition
States, II were convicted of murder for
every 100 900 population, and in the II
licensed States, SO Ia 100000 were con-
victed. These figures would indicate
either that alcohol does not cause MUIR
der. or as is more likely, that prohibit
ton does not prohibit
Kansas had ga prisoners condemned
for murder; New York. 43; Pennsyl-
vania, TO- New Jersey, 10; Georgia, a
prohibition State, us; Mississippi, pro-
hibition State, 5o2; Tennessee, a prohi-
bition State, I2S; North Carolina, pro-
hibition State, Io2; Oklahoma, a prohib-
ton State, ia.
Such exaggerated statements and falsl
fications of statistics do a worthy cause
more harm than good. There is strong
temperance wave sweeping over Penn
sylvania, and unless the Vaccinations of
the Penrose Organization captures
working majority IN the State Senate
the State of Pennsylvania will doubtless
enact local option law at its next ses-
sion.
The Public Ledger firmly believes
that the best interests OF the State would
be subserved by properly drawn local
option measure allowing the people of
county to decide whether or not they
wish licensed saloons, but the temper
ance question must be handled with dis
cretion and conservatism. The prohibi-
ton hysteria which swept over the
Southern States has not accomplished its
purpose, has been fruitful cause OF
malignant, narrow. unreenting partisan
ship, has divided communities in the
States affected to their serious detri
ment and in addition has woefully failed
of enforcement, and causing disre-
spect for the law, which always accom-
panies the non. enforcement of a statute,
and lamentable and deplorabe under
mining of confidence in courts and public
officials.
To..-..-z. g.