Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1916-02-08
WHISKY AND PARIS GREEN.


The wise old sage who tries to run
the Humboldt Republican asks this
startling question: How are you go
ing to make it legal for one man to
use liquor and for another not to use
liquor? Just like you handle the paris
green question, Bro. Jaqua- Just be-
cause one man buys II and kills him.
self with II is no reason why his neigh
Dor should be denied the privilege of
buying it for the purpose Of sprinkling
his potato vines. and you wouldn't
think Of making such a prohibition
The liquor would not have been one
tenth the issue II is II II were not TO.
the fools on both sides Of the question
We find II easy TO prohibit a man from
getting q thing which we know he in
tends destroying himself with and let
ting other people with normal minds
and appetites have 1t. It is no new
thing in legislation. The great trouble
with the liquor business il that we
have tried to pay the running ex-
penses OF the government with it ana
exalted 1t in many other ways. The
men who make and sell 1t have made
fools of themselves and so have the
other fellows-Rolfe Arrow.
Whisky and Paris green do not form
parallel cases. II old topers WOULD
give their lives for Paris green. would
starve their children, deny their wives
and go TO Jail and damnation for a bite
of 1t, there might be a fair COMPARE
son between the two. The trouble Is
that men don't like to eat Paris green.
1t does not appeal to them II it did
the laws governing it's sale would be
more Of a farce than the old prohibi-
tory law was.
g. It is so very easy to glibly say:
why, just handle the sale OF in
toxicants like you do the sale Of
poison" 1t sounds so good and means
so little.
The muict law provided somewhat
stringent methods OF selling tfoxi-
cants. II provided that before sale OF
liquor could be made the citizen must
first by fair sjcr!+y request its sale.
Then the seller must conduct his sales
in a room OF but one entrance or exit,
and that must open on public street.
The bar had to be in plain view OF all
passers by, and the windows could nos
be screened or painted. There could
be no chairs or benches or other furni.
ture in front OF the bar. There could
be no gambling. music or dancing or
No female could be employed about
the place. There could be no obscene
decorations on the walls. Liquor could
not be sold to minor. 1t could not
be sold to anyone In the habit Of be-
coming intoxicated 1t could not be
sold to anyone whose wife, brother.
parent, sister. guardian or other rela-
tive sent written notice to the seller
protesting against such sale. It could
not be sold to anyone who had ever
taken a so-colled cure for drunken
ness.
Can Brother Bruce suggest any
further preventive precautdon? Are
these conditions as stringent as the
laws that surrounded the sale OF Paris
green. And yet Paris green is sold
properly with lax laws, and with all
these precautions booze was sold in
Fort Dodge openly and fagranfly to
drunkards, minors. and who-so-ever
cared to ask for it. Drunks reeled on
the streets every day. Autoes driven
by hands inspired by Fort Dodge
booze, crashed into passenger trains
at far of stations like Humboldt. They
turned turtle on the road, came to
head on collisions skidded on grades
and left death and disaster in their
wake.
Handle it like poison? Why, man. It
has been handled like poison In Iowa
for thirty years, and look at dts re-
suits.
And we don't find it easy to keep a