The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-10-01
Nebraska Voters to Cast Bal
lots For Prohibition at
Coming Election.
ARGUMENTS OF VETS
ARE SHOT TO PIECES
Declares Saloon Has No Moral
Standing and That 1t Is Hin
drance to Real Business En-
terprises; Costs More Than
It Brings.

Fremont, Neb.. Sept 3o,-Elmer ].
Hurkett Of Lincoln. former United
States Senator, Joined the dry boost
ers' excursion at Fremont. In dry
rally here he delivered q masterful ar
ratgnment Of the saloon business. He
maintained that there is no moral or
economic ground for maintaining the
saloon. He said in part:
Some persons will vote for the
prohihitory amendment this fall on
moral grounds, and some other per-
sons Will vote for 1t upon economic
grounds. but l shall not be very dis
eliminating in nay reasons and Will
vote for Il upon both grounds. Either
ground would be sufficient excuse to
me 10 warrant my voting for the pro-
hihltorY amend ment. but together the
two grounds make me doubly certain
That / am right. have never heard
i'm All my life anyone defend the sa-
loon upon moral grounds, and that
convinced Ine long ago that 1t had no
defense that could appeal to the de-
cent side OF mankind, and recent ex-
pertcnces in dry States have pulled off
The mask of economic defense that
he saloons haze sought refuge behind
fer SO long a time. everywhere.
Has No Moral Standing.
The saloon debauches our boys,
acEfades our men, and demorahzes
society. It caters TO human passions
end thriyes upon human weaknesses.
and no one anywhere. so far as | have
known has ever pretended to defend
the saloon on moral grounds.
But the last five years have given
ua a wealth Of education upon the
economic phase of the saloon-rnore
than during all our previous history,
perhaps We have had the facts
brought to US III more compact. con-
else ana convincing forms than ever
before The reason for this perhaps.
is that We have kept more records
and nave compiled more statistics.
t both nationally and in the several
states. in recent years than ever be-
fore The facts are now kept with
elaborate detail and scrupulous ex-
actness until today we know where
/ formerly we guessed, today we calcu-
! late where formerly We estimated, to-
/ lay cur conclusions are based upon
rertnlnties, where formerly our ideas
/ were largely the products of buster
/ ing assertion.
Twenty-Five years go the state
/ nents Of the self-styled and misnamed
! Prosperity League of Nebraska in its
defense Of the saloon on economic
grounds might have been accepted,
| bat today the immutable facts of his
/ tory in nineteen dry States refute their
eophtStry and misstatements. What
/ ever OF speculation the Prosperity
! League may put forth, we in Nebras-
ka know today that more criminals
come from wet towns than come from
dry towns, we know today that there
Is more insanity from wet counties
than from dry counties; and We know
today that taxes are higher in wet
States than ln dry states. 1t is no
longer speculation but historical
facts
Shot to Pieces
The old school faaa argument is
shot 70 pieces, with the details and
records of crime and poverty and in
sanity and divorce. and their accom-
panyiDg expenses. We know today
that while Nebraska has been gather
Ing in s. for the school fund from
saloon licenses It has been expanding
SIS from the general fund for the
evils for which tho saloon Is respon-
sible, and every man who pays his
taxes is able to compute with almost
definite precision from his tax receipt
the tribute he Is paying to the saloon
We know that 80 per cent of the cost
OF policing the State is the result Of
booze, and that more than twice as
much police force per hundred popu-
lation IS required IN wet towns as In
dry towns.
l. I'VE know that so per cent Of the
divorces n Nebraska are granted be-
cause OF drunkenness, 90 per cent be-
cause OF desCrtI0n. and IL Ia per cent
because Of non-support, and that no
man ever failed to support his wife
until the saloonkeeper had pilfered HIS
pocketboCk and booze had palsied his
brain and scared his conscience. We
know that "a per cent Of the poverty