Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-07-09

try that West Virginia is now bank
rupt. The little lickspittle news
papers have echoed the howl from
Maine to Mexico-West Virginia about
to revert to wilderness. her people
starved-that is, all that cannot get
away into contiguous booze territory
and her institutions and homes
rotting tenantless, because she has
refused longer to allow her sons and
daughters to be exploited by the rum
trust.
At the national convention Of the
Anti Saloon League at Atlantic City,
Wednesday, Fred o. Blue, state COM
missioner Of prohibition Of West Vir-
ginia, said:
West Virginia has been so success
full in the enforcement Of it's drastic
prohibitory liquor law, which went
into effect just a year ago, that the
state is permanently committed to it's
new policy, and not in the slightest
danger Of giving way to the anti-pro-
hibition pressure which has been
brought to bear upon it, Mr.. Blue
said West Virginia had demonstrated
that prohibition will prohibit-that a
prohibition law can be enforced, and
quoted testimony from both the en-
ployers of labor and the heads of labor
unions to the effect that conditions
had been remarkably improved. He
charged that the liquor interests were
spending large sums Of money to ere
ate the impression that West Virginia
was bankrupt because she no longer
collected revenue from the liquor
business.
West Virginia is not now, and has
not been, a bankrupt state. The state
is in as healthy a financial condition
as any state in the Union"
Referring to the recent decision Of
the Supreme Court Of the United
States, the effect Of which is that
West Virginia shall pay to the bond
holders of the state of Virginia the
sum of $4,000, O0O-which debt has
been a matter of controversy since the
separation of West Virginia from Vir-
ginia-Mr. Blue said:
IF we have to pay Virginia's bond
holders this sum Of money, we can do
so-the state of West Virginia has the
resources to do it, and citizenship
that has met and solved her problems
as they arose-we only have to pay
the debt once. On the other hand, be-
fore West Virginia became a dry state
there was annually sent out of the
state for intoxicating liquors the sum
Of $4,000 0OO-$3, 100000 more. every
year, than the amount of the adjudica-
ton in favor of Virginia's bondhold-
ers. Such financial drain for intoxi-
eating liquors upon the people of the
state, went on for years and would be
going on now were it not for the pro-
hibition amendment and laws pursuant
thereto.
Already the liquor interests in the
nation are publishing broadcast-na-
ton wide-that West Virginia will be
sold at the front door of the Nations
capital to pay decree of $12,000,000.'
l want you to know that the great
liquor interests Of the nation are ac-
lively trying to hold out-and wilfully
and falsely hold out-West Virginia
to the world as financially troubled
state-a bankrupt state-a state that
is about to be sold OUT The liquor
interests, through their journals and
otherwise, are misusing West Nir-
ginia's fair name, and misleading the
citizens of the nation, for the pur-
poses, among others, of trying to lead
the states citizens to believe that they
must go to intoxicating liquors for
revenue, and to deter other states
from becoming prohibition states.
Men. not money, are the real assets
of a state. The happiness and the
general welfare of its citizens are the
first obligation of a state. The gen.
GRAFTON growing up in West Virginia,
it's future men and women, will grow
into the full stature Of manhood and
womanhood without knowing the open
saloon, having healthy bodies, clear
minds, and clean morals, will be worth
more to the state than all the material
wealth. Compare, if you can make
such comparison, the $65o,OO0 of an
nual revenue formerly received by the
state from the liquor business with a
generation Of boys and girls; men and
women. that knows not the saloon.'
The Sing Sing trusty who rescued two
persons from drowning deserves some
recognition of his act. But what form
shall it take? A shortened sentence?
He is a third-termer. What assurance has