Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-07-06
spe,ks Asains, Prohibition.

Omaha, July 5.-To the Editor Of The
Bee: At a picnic last Sunday at Child's
point, composed of Bohemian and German
families, with many also Of English descent,
the following was one Of the speeches,
which have been asked to write out and
request you to print:
= Ladies' and Gentlemen: have heard
your fluctuations that the hardships Of other
days are over and that we are all happy to
be united under one flag. l am going to
digress and make an anti-prohibition speech.
for I cannot help but think how impossible
it will be for US all one year from now to
repeat these picnics. as law-abiding people,
II the prohibition amendment carries.
W have never been able to understand
why q sovereign people cannot justly make
the distinction and draw the line between
what Is natural to nature, In giving US
beverages. fermented, from those that are
distilled by the artihce of man. 1t was
such a surprise to the medieval alchemist
that he could. with an alembic or retort, get
condensed spirit from beverages fermented.
like wine and beer. and yet the best he
could do was so per cent spirit and the same
Of water, and this is known as 1oo-proof
spirit. This was so mysterious that he did
not think of It as Of this world, and he
Chlleu IL q bpIits aqua visnS VI "osSA
Of life. But In recent years the modern
chemist has replaced the old pot-still by
the column-still and that spirit has advanced
in higher Installations, through high wines
and neutral spirit to almost 200 proof, or
to where there Is no water left, and this is
what is known as absolute alcohol.
'It Is clear to me why some Of the nation
alities that make up our American citizen
ship feel aggrieved that they can be de-
prived Of what they know they do not
abuse, and that beer and wine are natural
and made by germs that are always floating
in the air, just the same as buttermilk and
vinegar and most grape juice, for nature
will make wine for us in spite Of all. They
cannot understand why some races amalga-
mated with US all, will not be educated to
beverages fermented. but prefer to dilute
back with water the product of the modern
still. This diluting back with water or
high ball." as it is generally called, often
to literally burn the stomach walls and fire
the liver. to be hob-nailed In later life, &C.
cording to the ratio of water added and
food on the stomach at the time. is none
of his affair, and yet at one fell swoop all
must suffer alike, and fermented and dis
titled liquors go together. If this step is
once taken, the state will regret 1t later.
IOT against Wudt 10 uALuIhl No law ChH ulC-
tate. If we cannot attend to this liquor
question properly and make the distinction
between fermented and distilled liquors.
there will be many surprises for us later.
and one Of them will be the legislature Of
Iowa, In few years. doing that very thing.
But Nebraska will be dry forever. for here
it becomes part of the organic law Of the
state.
ut don't make any difference where it
comes from, whether as arrack or spirit
made from rice in Japan. pulaue from the
cactus Of Mexico, or vodka from Russia's
wheat, brandy from wine or gin from Lord
knows what, the only thing that the mod
ern column still balks on, is the rum of the
molasses Of the southland. 1t cannot get
rid of that rum taste no matter how high it
carries 1t to neutral spirit. But otherwise
everything else is grist to the column still
of modern times. and diluted and favored
you can make anything you wants except wine
and beer. So that Is what we shall see
when prohibition comes. 1t will be the
small package of neutral spirit to be di-
luted back to high balls of different kinds
and the milder beer and wines will be a
thing of the past. as they can not be SO
well sneaked in. and In secret places.
GEORGE P. WILKINSON, M. D.