Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1916-09-01
PROHIBITION IS
HELP TO BUSINESS
MIR. Howard Presents Stats
tics to Prove His Assertion
As Above

Russell ii. Howard, founder and presi-
dent of the Anti-Saloon league in his
address last evening at the First Chris
tian church, declared emphatieally that
big business throughout the country was
in favor of prohibition.
Mr.. Russell had statistics from large
steel foundries and from coal compan-
les that employ large percentage of
foreign-born labor, showing that the
general efficiency of the men had in
creased in some cases IL per cent and
that the accidents in the mines had
been reduced fully so per cent. The
statistics also showed that while form
only the mills and mines where short
of men on Mondays, known as the sob
ering up day, with prohibition the out
put of the mines and mills ON Monday
averaged with other days of the week.
All of which the mine owners said
was due to the fact that liquor was
not so easily obtained by the man.
In discussing the proposed amend
ment permitting the breweries to re-
turn to the state, Mr. Russell declared
that the return of breweries would in
part destroy Oregon S latest industry,
that of manufacturing loganberry juice.
And for this reason, he felt that ev-
cry loganberry grower should vote
against the beer amendment.
DR.. Russell claimed that since Ore
gon became dry, local arrests have
been reduced AZ per cent, drunk arrests
n per cent, disorderly arrests SO per
cent, and vagrancy arrests So per cent.
The meeting was presided over by
Dr orl nnnntv -
Willamette university. The prayer was
offered by the Rev. F. T. Porter and
r. p. Hutton, of Portland, introduced
Mr.. Russell.
Oregon dry has reduced our importa-
tion of beer at Portland to one-tenth
what it was when we simply imported
what we needed to piece out after alb
sorbing the output of four big local
breweries. The Internal Revenue Of
flee says we imported 10000 barrels
last year. This year, if we could turn
every two quart importation of whis-
key, brandy, rum and sacramental wine,
and alcohol for family use, into "a
quarts of beer, and add it to the beer
which is imported, we should still have
but one barrel where we used to get sew
en- barrels of imported beer to pour into
our stomachs which already held the
output of the four large local breweries.
Benton county records disprove the
statement that the decreased consump-
tion or beer has been purchased at the
price of increased consumption of hard
liquors. The decrease in Benton coun-
ty is all the more remarkable, as Ben
ton had been dry for so long under To-
cal option that it was felt that state
prohibition would make little change
Benton county had had such rigid law
enforcement that even her prune trees
dared to produce nothing save evapor-
ated prunes. Yet here is the compar-
ative record. After being cut off from
the liquors formerly imported from In
dependence by wagon loads, auto loads
to say nothing of stomach loads-the
records show the following decreases in
favor of 1916 and Oregon dry:
"Beer from 5,73l quarts to 2,l46
quarts, 80 per cent decrease. Whiskey
l,407 1-2 quarts to 1888 quarts, q so per
cent decrease. Brandy from seven
quarts to four quarts, 45 per cent
decrease. Gin from 10 quarts to two
quarts, an so per cent decrease. Wine
from 399 quarts to Gl quarts, an So
per cent decrease, or 95 per cent de-
crease after counting off 40 quarts
which were imported for sacramental
use.
Furthermore, prohibition gives the
lie and a black eye and knockout to
the brewers assumption that prohibi-
tion increased bootlegging. For the first
five months of last year, while Ore
gon was still wet, Benton county had
l3 cases for illicit liquor selling. For
the first five months of 1916 under Ore
gon dry she had five cases, four of
which were hold overs from 1915 wet;
so the ratio stands Is to l, which 13 is
unlueky for some one, and that some
one is not the drys. Vote "315-X-
No" against the amendment to open
breweries; and "permit the manufae-
ture and regulated sale of malt liquors
containing four per cent or less of aleo-
hol.' ~ Kill the brewers amendment
and keep Oregon dry"