The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-12-02
Elimination of Drunkenness Rather Than Abolition of Sale of Drink Is His Belief.
Especial to The Farmer,).

New York Dec. 2.-Declaring that the prohibitionists were on the wrong track and needed to be set right in their propagandas Col Jacob Ruppert addressed the annual convention of the New York State Brewers asso- citation at 109 East T 5th street, New York city yesterday aftern con. In his address Col Ruppert said he felt his study of the question had shown that the real purpose of the Prohibit tionists was the elimination of drunk enness and that it was not their pur- pose to penahze persons who do not use beer GOT wine to excess In his address the colonel said:
 The brewers of the State of New York are assembled in a Convention which is to deliberate over the prob leIns and prospects, of an extensive and important industrysI welcome you to the de1iberationsr and; gladly share with you the ,laborS and the duties which lie before us, They are { many and grave
 -Az industry which represents an investment of oyer Three, Hundred end Fifty Million Dollars, consumes annually millions of dollars worth of commodities, employs thousands of persons and pays directly Twenty-one million dollars per year to the Fed era1 Government and supplies a busi- ness which contributed this year 14Eenty-two million dollars to the
 
 < financial, industrial, commercial and labor problems and troubles. There should be no legitimate cause for complaint anywhere about the way we meet and handle them. As -busi- ness men and citizens the brewers strive to carry on their business with every -consid iteration for the progress, prosperity and welfare of the State. This is so, although at times condi- lions are not altogether to their Hk- T0T1ri arg fair and their relationship with the business world and with labor is upon a most cordial and satisfac- tory basis They stand ready to CO., operate in any movement which
 makes for sound business methods. r. They only ask the consideration and recognition which belong to men who are engaged in a business of long standing and of great magnitude and they exercise their rights solely along the lines indicated by law ant justice. Not alone is their business directly a heavy coptr1butor to the State and National Treasury, but as individuals they bear a considerable share of the real <and personal property tax, the Franchise and income tax. Yet they are continually confronted with d disturbing and menacing movement that threatens the stability of their da1estnents and aims at the ultimate obstruction of their property So we I7ud that the sQet1D0rauOnS or the brewers at this time have to deal not only with the commercial and eco homie questions that occupy men in other lines, but the brewers must bear with problems that are presented by the frantic and spectacular efforts of theorists and takers who seek or pre- 4end to find a short cut to the mil 1enium through the medium of prohi- ] bitions But I am confident that the continuation and further development of fhe policy of keeping the public posted on the fa1lacy and impOSSl- bfIfty of prohibition and renewed de- ! termination on our part to help in eliminating the abuses and elevating l the tone of the liquor trade, will even ] tyal1y put at rest this farcicaI and inn practical movement
 seThe prohibition movement in the United States bears most directly up- { on the social welfare as well as the : individual freedom of the people. The 1 actual aim and purpose of it's ad- Hocates and the real consequences fol- lowing upon their success are probab- i 1S less understood than any other question which is before the public. I Otherwise, II am sure that the pro hibftfou movement would not enroll anongxfts supporters a sufficient num- , Der of the kind of persons required to make it a. live issue. Many fol- lowers are gained for it a result of blind faith rather than from convic- ffon based upon reason My study of 1 the movement and experience with ! most people who sympathize with it | brought out the fact that they are f aiming at the prevention of drunk ! enness and the. elimination of the |. abuses and evils attendant upon the use of alcoholic drink. It is not their i intention or desire to deprive the in- { divfdua1 of the right -toS have his beer { Or wine when and how he wishes, but to save him from getting too much But in their effort to reach the fel- low who takes too much, they forget about the thousands who know when 7 to stop. In their vain pursuit of the 1 drunkard they pena1ize the unoffend- { ing persons who constitute the great bulk of the population for no reason ! whatsoever, unless 1t is their purpose to punish the innocent for the short confngs and sins of the wicked. Ger &ainIy we cannot ascrtbe such a mo- tive to the we11-meaning and -consci- entious supporters of an alleged re- form. No. They are simply on the lsurong track and must be set right. { And they will see the problem in it's correct light when they learn to draw a line of demarcatfon between the offender who abuses alcoholic drink l and the person who harn1lesslys con 1, Rumes it. They must see the neces- i sity of applying the proper cheek or cure to the former without trampling upon an innocent Indulgence and l right of the latter. They should deal ! with the drunkard but let the sober man alone.
 sIn the case of those who are will Hhg to deprive the great masses of a right because it is abused by a few, we can demonstrate that prohibition Is based on sentim lent but not on facts. A study of the subject will show that 1t has failed wherever it has been tried. There is not sufficient time for me to review the history or sta eisties of the prohibition movement in the United States. But both history and statistics will justify and support the assertion that prohibztion never nut down drunkenness nor suppressed iauy of the alleged evils of liquor. No appreciabIe improvement has ever Heen noticed in the moral. financial,