The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1915-11-26


Washington, L. G.
Dear SIR
Just why you address tn
lBernheim Distiliing Company as "Dea
Friend" and sign your letter "Sincerel
lyour friend" after heaping indiscrimi
mate abuse upon all men In our bushes
land Just why it is proper that you ma
lsend circular letters like the one which
1.-THE Bernheim Distilling Company ha
lust received from you, thru the mail
tree, don't know, but being Secretar,
Iof the company, your letter has come {,
me and feel impelled to write few
lines such as anyone in our hopse from
the President OF the corporation down
might write you truthfully. have drunk
Ialcoholic beverages In moderation all my
life so have my parents and grandparents
ard go doubtless have my ancestors for
many generations back. In this con-
nection | will say that my son knows il
land will do Likewise.
i There never has beer "drunk enness
crime, pauperism or insanity" In the
FANNY and we are, as think can pro.
We if my own statment is not sufficient
OF average intelligence, tho none OF us
ha= ever been in Congress or tried to get
4 ato the Senate. And there are millions
and millions of families Just like ours
VINO use alcoholic liquors temperate ly
and. as believe, beneficiallv to them
selves, in this and every other civilized
c)untry.
| Most OF Your statements and prem
ises are erroneous III my judgement and
/ ii am right. your deductions are equally
IL not more erroneous. Alcohol bever-
ages. ii used moderately, don't do what
you claim. and there are many other
good things in the world which If used
siongfu lily or immoderately, are as in
furious if not more injurious than al
Icoholic Deve fages when used immoder-
ately and which nevertheless, are not
ana should not be prohibited any more
than the moderate use andproper sale of
alcoholic beverages should be prohibit
I'd. ] regard your cor tention, that
'when prohibition confines itself TO the
sale, and matters relating only to the
sale even tho national, il would not in
wade any rights or liberties of the indi
vidual or home or the town or the state"
az specious and | hold that it deserves
tohe S igmatized because The manafac-
ture and sale f ale Jhoic beverages III
vsrioos forms has been going on legally
in the United States every since the
formation OF this republic and men who
have spent entire lives in their product
on and in the bui ding. equipment and
moderation Of plants of various sizes to
conduct their business in, have rights,
or OF least should rights, as well as other
citizens, and their property should not
oe confscat2d by the people or their rep
| cesentatives in Congress any more than
the property of men in other lines OF bust
cess LII you can make it out that the
prohibition of the manufacture and sale
Of any article would not virtually con-
| flee to the buildings and machinery
used in its manufacture, and especially
the ready stock on hand, you can do
lwhat the average citizen cannot do and
what, III my Judgment, is attempted
lonly by fanatics or INSCRIPTIONS men
men who are base enough to ignore the
iacl that the national government, as
we'll as the cities, counties, and states
lhave been, and are, to a great extent,
supported by the revenues collecte
from these very producers and distribu-
ers Of liquor and that the national gov
lerniuent and the states and municipal
lt;es have encouraged the manufaC ture
land sale and colossal investments which
it is now proposed ruthlessly to destroy.
In your letter to which | am abiding
to, you refer to your Scientific training
aud say something abont the poisonous
character of alcohol. May be permitted
to remind that in July, 1898, John p.
Phillips, one of the men who, with you,
sank the collier Merrimac, said
I"When we were taken aboard the Reina
Mercedes, dressed in wet underwear
which we cut off at the knees, HobsOn,
as calm az ever, walked Up to the Com
lmander of the Spanish vessel, salute
him and said: Il demand whisky for my
linen who have been long exposed in the
water"
This was reported by copyrighted cab
llegram to James q rden Bennett of the
New York Herald, from special CORES
pondent with Admiral SIMPSONS fleet
Santiago. Were you more -cient'tic anO
less sincere, or less scientific and more
Isincere then, than now? Was whis key
linen the poison which you declare 1t to
be, and if so, why did YOU mand it fol
iyour chilled and exhausted men? If il
was not, why do yOu now call it poison
lCls? 1t surely is no more SO now then II
was then
1t Is to DE regretted that letters and
arguments emanating from nOn-Con-
gressional sources, which combat your
contentious, cannot be circulated among
the people, because those who contribute
them to the controversy haven't the
ranking privilege at their command
However, l, for one, feel that this ques-
lton will be settled ultimately In accor-
dance with the justice and equity which
ARE characteristic OF the American peo-
lple. have the honor TO remain.
Very respectfully yours,
MORRIS III FLoRsHEIM,
Sect. Bernheim Distillng Co
ad