The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1916-12-08

way iI0n the curious at MS lecture
dates has found a new stunt to at
tract attention, namely, prohibi-
ton.
HE has been travelling about
the country on his reputation of
1898 making all kinds of fallacious
and erratic statements Time and
again have challenged him or any
other dry, to meet me in open
debate, but they never comply,
preferring to "orate" to the sob
bing women, immature children
and old men who have long since
sown their wild oats, on the fraili-
ties and Weaknesses of poor man
about the juice of the grape, (Bry-
anesque) or Teddy's milk punch,
GAS Hobson had announced his
lecture here Sunday November 26
and was advertised to deliver it in
a church where he can hide behind
the seeming sacredness of religi-
Gus institution, | thought it wonld
be about the only way to smoke
the gentlemep out by challenging
him. l never believe in getting
into a word battle with public
speaker on his ewn rostrum, and
particularly have respect for all re-
ligious institutions and the build
ines connected Herewith, but am
always ready when the field is equal.
q certainly would like to meet
Mr.. Hobson and compel him TO
prove or acknowledge the falsity
of the figures he uses on the public
platform. | have the government
tai statistics which Mr. Hobson, as
a member of congress, subscribed
to, that absolutely clinches what |
contend.
When Mr.. Hobson tells the
people that two thousand persons
die every day in the United States
which would mean 730, 900 per
year, and then subscribes TO the
census statistical report of 1912,
which shows only 828,251 as the
total deaths from all known causes,
old age, contagious diseases, acci-
dents, infantile diseases, as we'll as
alcoholism, and when it is known
that there are five hundred ways
in which you can die and alcoholism
is only one, and besides that these
same statistics show that in the
year 1912 the total deaths from al
coholism was only 3,183, instead
Of 730, 900 as stated by Hobson,
the gentlemen makes himself ride
ulous Mr. Hobson knows that
automobiles kills many times the
number as alcohol each year,
"Mr. Hobson like ali the dry
speakers, he ascribes the efect
and wants to prohibit it instead Of
the cause, According to him all
the ills of humanity can be attribu
ted to drink when according 10 hi.
own figures twenty per cent are
teetolalers, seventy per cent
are moderate drinkers, and in con.
sequence neither require prohibi
tion as the absolute control ot
their habits and only five per cent
drink to excess, and prohibition
would not save them.
The late Col. Carol D. Wright,
Commissioner of Labor, at Wash
ington for twenty five years, shows
in lis report that only two per cen
of the poverty of the nation car
be ascribed to the drink habit
The late Francis Willard, foundel
of the w. c. 7. u, Just before he
,, death uttered these memorable
words, For twenty years past
have believed and preached tha
poverty is caused by intemperance
but l now know that intemperanc'
is caused by poverty and poverty
by unemployment "
This dry" agitation is purely
an economic question. The 81 la
Dor grinders" and union haters
who want lots of people out o
work so they can get cheap labo
aud long hours and make big pro
fits, are invariably dry" promin
ents For example George Selby
OF Portsmouth, who contribute
$50, 600 a year to the ti-Salool
League treasury and incidental.
the expenses of The Wayne b