The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1916-11-02
MEREDITH HAS
FOUGHT SALOON
Record for Many Years Is Against
Liquor Interests.
NEVER HEDcED ON STAND
Paper Has Maintained Constant Op.
position to Booze as its Editorial
Policy.

E. T.. Meredith, democratic candi-
date for governor, presents to the
voters a clean-cut stand for prohibit
ton backed up by record of years
of opposition to the liquor interests.
His present position is not based
upon political expedlency but il
in accord with an established prin-
ciple which he has upheld publicly
for many years, and which he has
voiced regularly through the columns
of Successful Farming" his great
agricultural publication.
He is an advocate of prohibition
because he believes the legalized Ii
quor traffic to the economically I'M
sound, and an institution which i'm
poses moral and financial loss upon
the community.
Rejects Liquor Advertising.
His publication, Successful Farm
ing" one of the largest in Its field
in the United States, has been edi-
torially committed to prohibition
since it was founded by Mr.. Meredith
in 1902. It has never accepted IL
quor advertisements and its policy
throughout its existence has been
one of opposition to the saloon.
Its columns record Mr.. Meredith's
position on the liquor traffic time
and time again, and utterly refute
any argument liquor interests may
raise that Mr.. Meredith is prohibi-
ZIONIST for political purposes only.
'Drink Greatest Tax
"The greatest tax on prosperity
the world has ever known is the
curse of drink" he states in "Suc-
cessful Farming for April, 1908.
: Again, in February, 1909, in an
editorial, 1.-THE Inheritance" he
called attention to the evil influence
which the liquor habit exerts in
heredity, and cited scientific data to
show that parents, through even the
moderate use of liquor, penalize their
descendants "even unto the third and
fourth generations"
In March, 1910, he attacked the
old plea of drunkenness as an ex-
cuse for crime in the following ar
raignment Of the use of liquor:
''Let not the law be nullified by a
plea Of insanity. Henry Blank and
every other drunken brute of man
is responsible for getting drunk, or
for ever taking tho first glass know
ing that intoxicants kill the affec-
lions and paralyze the brain and will
power and make brutes of men,"
In the issue of December, 1911, he
attacked the alliance between brew
ers and distillers and the federal
government through high federal
taxes for the right to manufacture
intoxicants. In part he said:
"The government has been the
protecting angel of that nefarious
business for To-. these many years.
There is no dry territory in this coun-
try where it's blightng influence has
not been felt
In 1912 the same policy of opposi-
ton to booze was continued in the
columns of Successful Farming"
The January number, in an article
upon the treatment of tuberculosis.
contains the following attack upon
alcohol by DR.. B. ]. Kendall:
ut is we'll known fact that the
habitual use of alcoholic stimulants
is sure to undermine the health soon
er or later and the constitution be-
comes so weakened in such a person
that he is almost sure to contract
consumption"
Readers Know His Stand.
There never has been any doubt
in the minds of the readers Of Mr..
Meredith's publication as to his atti-
tude upon the liquor question. For
instance, the following letter may be
found in the November, 1914, issue
of Successful Farming"
II wish to say that your topics up
on the road question are fine, those
upon government and state are bet
ter, but best Of all are those upon
the liquor traffic. Remove this hor-
rible crime and the others, all others,
will fall in line as a natural conse-
quence. III! A. Kruse. Oregon.
In March. 1915, he published his
now famous article. "Bamboozled by
Boose,'' attacking the liquor traffic
from an economic standpoint, and in
an accompanying editorial said:
''Ths liquor business has been tried
and found wanting. This is no new
discovery on the editors part. but
after nutting in one nan of the hal