The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1916-07-28
Magazine Writer Denies Prohibiionists'
1s,s Wild Theory of Crime

Alcohol ninety per of oil crime" cries pro-
hibtonist and ninety of the people the absence of
Gently have impartial Investigators questioned these absurd
statements OF the dry oaors The actual facts which have
been revealed fail to enhance the reputation of the prohibition
leadership either as to veracy or intelligence.
The recent expose of the prohibition faacy that
ho d Sv M f1S ose pr s
number. Mr. Blackwood says in part:
The origin for this popular belief concerning the relation of
drinking crime Ito b. found in the natural desire of the
criminal 70 avoid for his wrongful acts The man
OF weak will crooked tcdcncc who violates the laws that
society has made for its protection hopes TO sympathy
by saying, 1 net 70 blame drn weakened my will and
led me 30 commit this crime Whoa was found that credn
ou juee and adces were inclined 50 look upon criminals
drinking habits &C reason io oe the plea became highly
popular thct N o. tire became the customary
thing Tor prispnsr 49,: drunk drink made
criminal Al jennings .ao Gaacca train robber, relates in
his auObCdraphy tina 10 NcV ct always told the
warden visitors taa, ccr the cause OF their going
wrone but That in pTvee eve atom with him they would
Get them out OF Jail sooner.
"a second reason why the use of liquor popularity
cated with crime is the inspuabe fact that many who
eighty per cent OF ali the adult males kind of aco
hoc beverages shows that according the law of averages
absolutely nothing 10 eaSlb Connection between their
drinking habits and their criminal traits The fact that
criminal drinks, does prove that drinking made him GRIM
nal.
Convincing proof ha LIQUOR drinking docs crime
found IN the statistics :,ns to the number OF persons who
State liquor There nearly 100000 adults in that state
OF whom 0O0 drink The OF the State Commissioner
of Prisons (pass 5S for 1914 gives the number of males
eneed mprisonent after conviction during that year
1928, less than ONC per cent Two million four hundred
thousand drink OF these less than cent commit
crimes liquor makes criminals of the per cent why
does not have the effect the nnetynne per cent?
"The prohbitons reply the figures above quoted that
liquor only makes criminals pcopewh weak Wills and that
this the why such small percentage OF the liquor
criminals. fth 10 does il not show that il
the lack of moral character of econo that leads both
excessive drinking and to crime? That nnetynne cent
of liquor drinkers not criminals that II the weak
will of the per cent that is responsible for their criminal
If liquor drinking of itself the of crime. all
drinkers should be criminals When the prohbionists say that
qlor drinking makes criminals only OF the wiled they
admit that is weakness Of will that the of crime.
remedy for the crimes alleged be due the use of
liquor the prohbonists advocate the enactment OF laws for
hoic beverages Pass prohbcry laws they say and crime
wickedness evil will be greatly dminhcd not altogether
abolished In support of this claim they give what purpor
be statistics showing that prohibition has decreased crime in the
states that have tried it.
Unforunatel fox the prohboniss the reports from the
various and drydo support their claims Thus
the United Sacs Census Bureau reports that Maine which has
had prohibition for average Of sentenced
prisoners per 100000 population. Wisconsin, wet state has
only 78 Kansas prohibition fc forty years. has GIL prison
e per 10000. Nebraska ncihborine state with almost
the SOIL climate and character of population has only
$751; North Dakota dry for twenty years. has 636 prison
eH per 100000 The sister state OF South Dakota wet has only
per 100000 New York State said to be the wetet in the
Union has only 1873 These figures show conclus that
prohibition does not diminish crime. and dcred the
tons to the contrary by the prohibition propaganda
tbs advertisement authorised BY
x 81 :: the Indiana Bre,yers association.