Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1915-08-26
BIG DRY" CAMPAIGN
IS NOW ON
Effort to Cut Out Saloons in
Aennepin County.

dry" has started in dead earnest
and mass meeting at the Auditor
ium was held. which was addressed
by number of prominent speakers.
The audience showed interest in the
movement by remaining for three
hours to hear the arguments of the
speakers. The voting occurs October
4. Among the speakers were for
mer governors John Lind and S. R.
Van SAINT and Congressman John j.
Lentz, of Columbus, Ohio, also spoke
as well as Judge Pollock of Fargo.
John Lind spoke in favor of pro-
hibition, although not a prohibition
ist, his argument being against the
saloons, which causes the abuse of
alcohol. The economic side of the
question appealed to him in the
waste of money which is spent for
drinks.
Judge Pollock gave an account of
the change wrought in North Dakota
under prohibition. Nearly all the
lawyers in territorial days were
heavy drinkers, he said, while now
nearly all are total abstainers, and
only. one in his district is even mod
crate drinker. The State Bar asso-
citation recently declared for nation
al prohibition and indorsed the
Webb-Kenyon law. He read letters
from prominent business men of
Fargo who opposed prohibition when
it passed, but now declare conditions
are far better and they would never
go back to saloons. One was from
leading merchant, another from
big owner of Fargo real estate, and
third from a hotel man who used
to have bar in his place. Now, he
says, no one would fight harder
against restoration of the license
system than he would.
Congressman Lentz spoke for the
Business Mems Educational League
of Hennepin county. He declared
that many saloon men are quitting
the business and few people today of
any prominence are found defending
the traffic. He gave medical statis-
tics and mortality records. A study
OF 5,S45 families in Finland showed
an infant mortality rate of 13 per
cent. for abstainers' children, 23 per
cent. for moderate drinkers, and 80
per cent. for daily drinkers. OF 600
children born Of 12O drunken moth
ers in England, 335 died in infancy,
while of 500 born of 120 sober moth
ers, many of them relatives of the
others, only 143 died in infancy.
Professor Rudolph Demme of Berne,
Switzerland, looked up the 81 chill
dren of 10 total abstaining families,
and found that died in infancy and
were mentally defective. OF the
81 children born of 10 drinking fam
lilies, 25 died in infancy, and % were
mentally defective.
Forty-three insurance companies,
with a record of 100000 insured
lives, show a death rate of 10 to the
1000 among total abstainers, Is
among moderate drinkers, and II
among saloonkeepers and bartenders.
Expectancy of life for man Of 35
is 80 years for total abstainer, and
only % years for moderate drinker-
Moderate Drinking Worst.
Don't you think four years Of life
are worth more than few drinks?"
Mr.. Lentz demanded. He declared
that moderate drinking, consumption
of three or four drinks day, is prov
en- to be worse than getting drunk
occasionally and then letting drink
entirely alone for awhile. 1T is
social drinking that shortens mems
lives," he said. I represent great
business corporation that has paid
out 100000 too early in death
claims because of the saloon, and
that is why am preaching the doc
trine of safety first,' the same doc
trine that the railroads all are en-
forcing, and that manufacturers one
after another are taking up."
The argument that saloons lower
taxes has been exploded, Mr.. Lentz
declared. Georgia, since it adopted
prohibition, has reduced it's tax rate
10 per cent. Ohio has reduced the
number of it's saloons from 1900 to
$500, and reduced taxation at the
same time. None of the saloonkeep-
ers who quit business have starved,
either, he said. They have gone into
better business.