Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1915-03-18
THE ENEMIES OF BOOZE.

Theodore III. Prices Commerce and
Finance is designed presumably only
for the financial world. and yet Mr..
Price fills his weekly journal with fas-
.cinating treatises on many human inter
est themes. hc mixes stock quotations
and forecasts with wideawakc discus
sionS of everyday occurrences. Ills
PHILOSOPHERS have To- do with securities
and society. finance and farming. bonds
and booze
I'm the current issue he notes that the
decline Of the demon rum continues.
France has sworn off from absinthe and
liquors are coming under the ban. both
ia France and Germany. Russia d So
curely cnsconced on the waterwagon
and England il catching the new spirit
of liberation from John Barleycorns
bondage. in America the transforms
tion is steadily unfolding and the whole
country Is drying up. One OF the best
indications Of this statement = truth u
the constant reports Of failures Oh the
part of distillrrs and brewers. Mr.
Price SAYS the movement has even reach
ed gay old Gotham and that there are
today four HUNDRED fewer saloons there
than was the ease four'ycarS ago. The
profit has gone ont of the liquor trade,
hc concludes demand il daily weaken
ing aud the booze that once found i'm
viting palatcS today congeStS ware
houses and finds sluggish u%ovenent IN
the martS Of trade.
Iowa has passed = bill for statewide
prohibition: Montana j. headed in the
same direction; West Virginia yeStcr-
ldav went under the operation Of 2 pro
hibition law Alabama has followed suit.
South Carolina j. 10 vote on the issue
this Summc and IN Raleigh the legiSla-
Iturc h. arguing 4 bin To- finally divorce
the express ear from the dcmiiohn. Mr.
Price brings forth \ novel theory a. to
the strongest contributing factor To this
nationwide change 81 sentiment with
regard u John Barleycorn. lie con
cludcS his review 81 the situation with
this statement
As has hccu pointed ont III these
columns before tn decline WI The saloon
W America ~ not due w much IA u be-
lief in prohibition ~ ~ the development
VT \ great institution that attracts n fair
number of men who formerly went ~
the saloon. not ~ much because they
wanted To drink w. because they cravrd
companion>hip. That institution Is the
moving picture show. IN i one of the
greatest agencies I'M the world today for
Temperance and this without design on
the part uf those who are in the motion
picture industry
Undoubtedly the movie has divert
nd the minds of many mon from the en-
VI tirrmcnt> ofrrrd mo the wine table. hnt
we think. aside from the moral force be-
iEind the movement. the greatest reason
for the gam nf tn movement In the fact
THAT Business and Booze arc disassociaf-
ing themselves. When the big railroad
heads annFnc'd that dram drinkers
need not look r. them for employment
and when factories and shops All over
the country decided ~ hire TO men who
drank. then II was that liquor started
more rapidly on the downgradc.
This II J day when efficiency \
stressed ah"vcv all things ~ business.
and The krcnnrSS VI competition has
made il necessary that thr best efforts
81 workmen ~ pat into their work.
Efficiency and booze never got along to-
gcthc rwclI. They cannot sleep IN the
same bed. Where one II established the
other has generally vanished.
MOI only AZ u moral issue. but aS n
strictly business proposition bpozr "
losing popularity at u Strikingly rapid
rate not alone III America but through
ont the world.