The Clio messenger. (Clio, Mich.) 1907-current, 1916-07-14

Arthur BRISBANE, the distinguished
editor of the New York American, re-
Gently wrote an editorial in opposition
to prohibition, especially addressed to
newspaper men, which was thought to
be so forceful and conclusive that it
was done into pamphlet form and sent,
presumably, to every publisher in the
country, at any rate we received a
copy, which indicates that even the
small fry were included in the distribu-
ton. 1t is undoubtedly presumptious
for one of such very modest attain
ments as the editor of The Messenger
to take issue with so learned a scholar,
so profound thinker and so gifted
writer as MIR. Brisbane, and yet we
venture to do so on some of the con-
illusions he reaches in his editorial In
the first place, he compares the temper
ance he claims to exist in Italy, with
its 5000, 600 of population, to the in
temperance he says exists in the pro-
hibitory state of Maine, with its $780,
900 population, claiming there is more
drunkenness in Maine than in the whole
of Italy, and ascribing the cause to pro-
hibition. Firstly, we doubt the accu-
racy of the statement that there is
more intemperance in Maine than there
is in Italy and we do not believe there
are any reliable statistics that can be
adduced to prove it. Secondly, there
is one great underlying cause for the
temperance that does exist in Italy and
the intemperance that may exist in
Maine. 1t is poverty on the one hand
and wealth on the other. If we may
believe the statements of travellers and
sociologists, poverty reaches within the
pale of civilization its lowest depth in
Italy. Maine, in common with the
other states of the American Union, is
land OF wealth and plenty. 1t takes
money to buy whisky In the success
sive stages of civilization which have
thus far marked the progress of the
human race. great wealth has been a
demoralizing influence. 1t is probably
so in Maine, as it undoubtedly is in
Michigan. 1t should not be SO any
where and possibly the time may come
when it will not. 1t may be that
the crews of black handlers, assassins,
dynamiters and abductors that reach
our shores from Italy, constituting one
of the most difficult propositions with
which the police departments of our
great cities have to deal, are the result
of the temperance which Mr.. Brisbane
claims to exist in their native land, but
in this country we find that our own
criminals of a similar grade are more
or less closely identified with the liquor
traffic. In another place the great edi-
tor says: Are you aware of the fact
that, dropped into mixture of red
wine and water such as the French sol
der drinks, typhoid germ is dead in
few moments?" Frankly. we were not,
but it may be true. because we have
observed that no typhoid germs or
other deadly bugs seem to trouble the
in our own land who use that kind of
disinfectant Systematically and live to
distressingly old age. Again. Mr..
Brisbane attempts to show that the use
of beer and light wines would attain to
the highest state of temperance posi-
BILE, and as an abstract proposition that
argument might be tenable. But in
our own country the experiment has
never been practically tried out; it has
been whisky, gin, beer, wine, and the
whole Intoxicating outfit mixed indis-
criminately under one management and
productive of depths of human misery
that are positively indescribable and
fathomless. The whole thing has oper-
ated together to produce this result and
now, regardless of theorists, the people
are about to smite the thing that has
beer the visible cause of their greatest
annoyance. The brewers and their
friends did not take their stand in favor
of temperance soon enough and now
they are reaping as they have sown.
According to Mr.. Brisbane himself
these men used old John Barleycorn as
long as he was profitable partner and
now that he is falling into disrepute
they want to dump him and continue
the better part of business which !
their selfshness has taught the people !
to dispise altogether. Then, Mr.. Rris-
bane is against confscation of brewer
les and distilleries which he assumes
will be the practical result of prohibit
ton and which may be measurably |
true. But he admits the brewers have
been avaricious enough to grow rich on
the profits of the whisky saloons they
have maintained as an adjunct of the +
brewing business, so that the people
feel they can afford the loss that may
come to them. Mr.. Brisbane admits
this principle when he says 1.-THE brew
ORC have wall deaeryad the cllt in their