Daily Kennebec journal., 1914-02-03

! invited. But Congress in these days
has its limitations, both as to wit ana
chivalry
| However, Mr.. Bartholdt, as might be
expected quite misses the point as to
prohibition. The prohibition amend
ment to the Federal constitution will
be adopted, and it will be done so
soon and SO decisively that Mr.. Bar
tholdt will never know what happen
ed. In fact his present jocularity is
suggestive of the optimism of the
Irishman who fell from the nineteenth
floor of the building, and remarked
to his friend as he was passing-"Well,
| l got as far as the tenth floor all
right" The liquor business in this
| country is on the way from the nine
| teenth floor to the scrap heap, and
such comfort as it can get on the way
should be cheerfully accorded to IT..
And the whole thing could be stop
ped even now, if the liquor interests
had anyone to read to them the hana-
writing on the wall which is so plain
that everyone but they has under
stood it for a long time.
The adoption of prohlpltloh
amendment to the Federal constltu-
ton will not be accomplished on NOR
al grounds, and temptation" viii not
enter into 1t. So we will not need TO
consider Mr.. Bartholdts suggestion
concerning the abolishment OF women.
Although, in all candor, 1t might be
suggested that in the vile way that
was evidently in Mr.. Bartholdts miho'
woman does not become nearly so
menacing q temptation to poor, Weah
frail man before he has succumoea
to the temptation" of the demon
rum, as she does afterward. That is,
I think even Mr.. Bartholdt woulo
agree that If we first abolished intoxl-
eating liquor we wouldn't have to
abolish nearly as many women. AS
Billy Baxter philosophically puts 1T.
Last night she looked fine, but thls
morning-she won't CO."
The adoption of the prohlpitloh
amendment will come because the
people of this country have made up
their minds to clean up this govern,
ment-root, trunk and branch. Anu
the liauor interests stand today as the
foulest stencil of governmental corrup-
ton in nation, state, county city, VII
lage and township. From the saloon
keeper to the brewer--the serf 10 the
baron-they violate with impunity ana
immunity more laws more times than
all the inmates of all penal lnstitu-
tions multiplied by thousands. They
are individually and in the aggregate
the greatest force of civic corruption
in the world And upon that rock
they are going to destruction.
And. despite the many good fellows
among them, they will go unwept, un-
honored, unsung.
Yet. even now, if they would take
the money they will spend in paenelty
campaigns. bribery and blackmalllns'
and put it into a thoroughly organ
lied campaign to enforce to the last
letter and the full of the spirit, every
exise law in every state-license or
prohibition, they would accomplish as
much good for the country as a pro-
hibition amendment would, they wouio
save for themselves all the business
they ought to have, it wouldn't cost
them a quarter of what their present
system of graft and corruption costs
and it would remove the incentive TO
vote for prohibition amendment from
just the class of citizens who VIII con-
stitute the necessary maJorlty-tnose
who are fair minded enough to judge
between the lesser of two evils
The liquor business today is the
greatest evil we have. 1t could be
made a lesser evil than prohibition
could easily be made so. But it won't
be. And 1t won't be simply because
of the greed of millions for nickels-
them that has wants.
And so, not through moral revul-
sion or pedantic bigotry-but because
of the relentless greed of this fright
full octopus for the last nickel in the
pay envelope-the whole thing will be
wiped out, and wiped out as we used
to say in my old home town-slick
and clean.
And here's to Hobson and Sheppard
and Works and anybody else that will
help give US a swipe at the worst evli
that now assails the real accomplish
ment of popular government.