Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-04
LOOK UPON THE PRISONER.
YE WITNESSES, AND SPEAK:
rs THE DRINK TRAFFIC
WORTHY OF DEATH?"

Call up William e. Gladstone, the
greatest statesman of the nineteenth
century. rs the liquor trade safe
for the people," And that wonderful
voice answers: at has done more in.
Jury to England than war, pestiIence
and famine, all combined"
Cal up John Morley, his greatest
lieutenant. rs the liquor trade safe
Tor the people," He says "EnaIand
must put stop to the liquor traffic
Or It will put a stop to England"
Call up the late Lord Chief Justice
A'verstone of England. rs the liquor
/ ,rafflc safe for the people?" And the
astounding statement comes into this
record: IF sifted. nine -tenths of the
crime of England and Wales could be
traced to drink"
Call up Abraham Lincoln. .Is the
ilquor traffic safe for the people," And
the deep pathos of that mighty voice
replies: The liquor traffic is a can
Ger IN society, eating out the vitals
and threatening destruction. At
tempts to regulate it will not ONLY
prove futile, but will aggravate the
evil"
Call up William Mckinley. as the
| liquor traffic safe for the people ."
Ana the most genial and charitable
,of statesmen answers: 1.-THE liuuor
traffic is the most degrading and ruin
Gus OF all human pursuits. BY legal
izing this traffic we agree to share
with the liquor seller the RESPONSE
bilities and evils of his business.
Every man who votes for license be-
comes of necessity a partner to the
liquor traffic and all it's consequences.
Call UP Theodore Roosevelt. rs
the liquor traffic safe for the peo-
ple?" And. like steel bullets from a.
gun. comes his opinion: 1.-THE liquor
traffic tends to produce criminaIity in
the population at large and law
breaking among the saloonkeepers
themselves"
Call up Terence Powderly, the old
grand master workman of the knights
,of Labor rs the liquor traffic safe
for the people?" And his answer is
ready: Had I ten million tongues
and throat for each tongue l would
say to every man, woman and child
here tonight. throw strong drink
aside as you would an ounce of iquid
'S'' - SSIiS tiiC So1oSlSIitt, II Qe-
stroys everything it touches. It
reaches into the family circle and
takes the wife you have sworn to
protect and drags her down from her
purity into that house from which no
decent woman ever goes alive. 1t in
duces the father to take the furni-
turne from the home. exchange it for
money at the pawnshop, and spend
the proceeds for rum. 1t damns
everything it touches. l have seen it
in every city east of the Mississippi
river, and l know that the most
damning curse to the laborer is that
which gurgles from the neck of the
bottle. l would rather be at the head
of an organization having one hun
dred thousand temperate, honest.
earnest men than at the head of an
organization of twelve million drink
ers whether moderate or any other
kind"
Call up John Mitchell, leader OF
the labor world. rs the liquor traffic
safe for the people?" And his calm,
careful words respond: II have no
sympathy with the statement, so
often made, that the manufacture and
sale of liquor has contributed to the
industrial development of the nation.
On the contrary, believe that liquor
has contributed moro to the moral,
intellectual and material deterioration
of the people and has brought more
misery to defenseless women and
children than has any other agency in
the history of mankind"
Or face about in the other diree.
tion and inquire.
Consult the oracle of the ALLEYS.