The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-27
DOMAIN OF TEMPERANCE
THE UNCONVENTIONAL ARGu-
MENT FOR PROHIBITION.

Some time ago the front page of the
Baltimore Sun was filled with list
of names of the most prominent bust
ness men of that city, members of
the merchants and manufacturers
association" who made a plea for the
continuance of the reign of King
Alcohol DR.. Howard A. Kelly, non
Catholic, noted gynecologist of Johns
Hopkins University, replied to them
in the following letter which is a
good presentation of the economico-
moral argument for prohibitions:
To the Editor of the Sun-Sir:
What a melancholy list of best citi-
zens' in thursdays Sun pleading to
perpetuate the grip of alcoholics on
this poor State. How many do you
think within 10 years time will feel
utterly ashamed of having lent their
| names to uphold this dreadful traffic?
And what reasons do these friends
and fellow-citizens aIlege? Money,
money, only money. eff you take
away liquor you will increase our
taxes. You may destroy our sons
and daughters, you may rob the poor
and fill the courts and the peniten-
tiaries, and impose all manner of in
| direct burdens and taxes on us, and
we do not much care, only don't do
that which may send up the tax rate
for year or two, during the period
of readjustment."
| A million dollars month, it is
said, is poured down mems threats in
| the form of alcoholics in Baltimore
city and it's surrounding territory.
| Think of it, conceive of the city as one
| big composite man who to quench his
| Unsuitable thirst drinks a million
dollars worth of alcoholic poison.
| All of it goes to his higher brain cen
tres and benumbs his judgment, it
knocks out his stomach and his
| liver, it inlames his kidneys and
| poisons his heart and blood vessels,
and in the end, even though he is
only a moderate drinker, he usually
dies years before his time, after COM
hitting crimes innumerable and being
arrested and incarcerated thousands
| of times.
| Big business, railroads and corpora
tions are shy of this moderate drink
er, SO he goes through life compara-
lively inefficient. He never really
cares much what becomes of his
brother, and cries out boldly like Cain
of old Am / my brothers keeper,
But in the end we hear Gains last
cry. My punishment is greater than
| can bear
But the worst Of all the alcoholics
is utter moral blindness. Some of
the men on that sad list in the
Sun have lost those nearest and
dearest to them by alcoholic excuses,
and yet they vote to continue to en-
| throne King Alcohol. We shall lose
money, money, money, is their cry in
the feeble argument called Pertinent
| Questions for Sensible Men to An
swer."
How about this as rough,and-
ready economic argument in rebuttaI
of such folly-a million dollars
month is literally poured down the
sewers in and around our city, and
we have to pay police, magistrates
| and courts to deal with the alcoholic
crimes, to support almshouses, peni-
tertiary and Jail and insane asylums
| galore to accommodate the alcoholics,
not to mention the Indebtedness of the
| drinkers home and the misery and
dwarfed lives of his children. And
all this we do that few brewers and
distillers may pile up enormous for
tunes at our expense Where are the
| economics in such stupid course as
that? r4;j
My friend, do you think it is pos
sible for old Satan to elaborate such
an argument "for sensible men" with
out showing his claws or hoofs at
some point? 1t is hardly likely.
Look at this hoof mark straight
| from the brewery in the last para
graph in the Sun read it, mark
it well and note it, never to forget it,
| and ask yourself just what weight do
moral issues have with this forlorn
army? These are your very words,
gentlemen, Finally, it is an easy task
on only moral claims to abolish liquor
| licenses, but is it sensible? Is it
practical? Baltimore is facing a
terrific debt"
God in Heaven, Whom we call
| Father, what shall we answer to these
men who say that the moral argument
| for temperance and for taking this
awful stumbling-block out of the way
| of our brethren is an obvious, easy
and unavoidable one, and then dare
to ask if thing, which is obviously
moral and right, is sensible and
practical?' Words fail me to de-
scribe the iniquity of such an appeal
There are two great comforts in all
| this-the first is that it is invaluable
| in any moral crusade to get people
| labeled and to know where they
stand; the second, | rejoice to say, is
the certainty that before very long
many Of these signers will regret their
stand and become staunch upholders
of total abstinence.
-Howdyd A. Kelp.