The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-03-19
HenRY u kALJEneacn
PERSISTENT


clalD.-With the Hobson resolution n
the calendar OF the house of repr,
sentatives, the question of prohibitio
Is real one. The Hobson resolutio
proposes an amendment to the fedora
constitution which, if adopted by tn
state legislatures, would give nation
wide prohibition.
The members Of the National Whole
sale Liquor Dealers Association. il
annual convention here, appreciat,
that nationwide prohibition is a rea
issue. In their meetings the subjec
has been given serious consideration
Joseph Dollar, secretary Of the asso
citation. today made a report to hi:
organization, in the course of which
he discussed the prohibition question
from the viewpoint of liquor trades
men. He took a business view of the
important matter
Mr.. Debar's report calls attention to
the fact that allied liquor interests
paid into the federal treasury the i'm.
mense sum of three hundred and fifty
million dollars per year in taxes. He
says that prohibition will put out of
work one million heads of families in
the allied liquor industries, and that
unless the government works out a
system OF compensation, millions of
dollars worth of property will be con-
fscated.
In his report Mr.. Debar said:
From nowhere in the personnel of
a great government does there come
any proposal of compensation to the
tremendous financial investments
which the pending resolution in con-
gress seek to destroy.
From nowhere and from no one in
the assembled craftsmanship of the
nation is there any hint of from what
sources the tremendous annual federal
income Of $25O.00O,OOO now derived
from imported or domestic liquors is
to be replaced
THE appalling feature Of this pend
Ing nationwide destruction of private
property and federal income is the
ignorance of the masses of our people
concerning the whole subject.
1T is of vast significance to us who
are practical partners with the federal
government in the manufacture and
sale Of liquors in this country to have
the true nature OF the pending contro- |
versy made plain to the voters of this
country.
II the people Of the United States
have reached the conclusion that the
government OF our forefathers is
founded upon erroneous principles.
and that the machinery of the govern
nent as provided by the constitution
and laws of our country are made
luate to the perpetuation of a free
country, We have no power and no
wish as manufacturers and merchants
% interfere with this conclusion.
LAS manufacturers, merchants and
American citizens we insist that IL
here is a dissolution of the partner
hip between the government and our.
elves, which has existed for over
lxty years Of national life, under con- a.
IluonS OF harrassing restrictions 10
ourselves, but with tremendous fnan.
ial gain to the government of our
ountry, it be fairly and honestly dis
olved. [
The federal government In its ex. I
hange for the revenue paid by our in $
ustries has specifically legislated in )
ongress and by special rulings of the
reasury and internal revenue depart. o
tents for the maintenance. protection D
nd right conduct OF our business. p
The man who obeys the federal $
lws is protected in the production of d
lstilled liquors so long as he pavs D
lie prescribed per gallon tax. %
The man who attempts an evasion u
infraction Of those laws is punish. %
and his plant and product is con. VI
seated. 1t is useless for any honest rs
ind TO attempt to deny the existence u
this co-partnership. and il the peo- tf
e OF the United States have deter 81
ined that they no longer desire IN di
lrchase and use our products. We
peat that all We ask is a dissolution u
this partnership upon terms eyinc. 81
g integrity on the part OF the gov "a
nment and upon terms of justice TO pe
rselves.
What Switzerland Did. "a
When the government of Switzer. re
ID decreed the abolition OF absinthe CD