The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-03-10
LABOR MAN MAKES
STRONG ARGUMENT
FOR A DRY STATE
shows That Liquor Traffic Is Not
Friend But Foe of True Inter-
ests OF Worlmcn.
NAILS A FEW LIES
PUT OUT BY VETS
+. j. keenan, Declares That Putting
Out saloons Would Mean More
Work and Money for Men Employed
In the Legitimate Trades.

Protective and PuDuClty AsSoCtdti"h'
an organization of labor men which
asst fan did a great deal on behalf
Of the statewide prohibition amend
,nent. has issued the following state
ment.
The labor movement can never
rise above the character OF Its MEM
bers The above organization and
lrs members are organized not TO
take anything away from the mem
beers. only that which is injurious TO
them. and in return to educate In
way that will help them physically,
! mentally and socially.
IF / have 500 TO spend, and /
Z spend il for booze. the worktngman
receives So Nine dollars will employ
three men one day at 50 per day
one hundred dollars spent for the
uece ssaries Of life will give the work
irrfnan s2l. Twenty-one paid out OH
The same basis as the So will employ
seven men al SO per day for one day.
( These figures were taken from the
. Government report of 1905. The Gov
eminent report Of 1910 gtves practi-
II rally the same average, which is Eli
per cent.
According to the above statement.
every business agent OF every labor
/ union If he acts according TO the
I pledges he has taken, Is compelled to
support the position this organization
} takes. for the reason that he La pledged
70 secure employment for his idle
I comrades and fellow workmen, ana
This same pledge not to inture fel-
low workman, is taken by every
I labor union man. The statistics TAX
en- by the United States Government
{ show that there are more men en-
ployed per 81 invested In tho manu-
facture OF any and all products, and
7 there Is also more money paid to the
/ workingman in the production of all
( lines Of commodities than there Is
paid to the workingman In the manu-
facture of alcoholic drinks The above
statement being true, according to
Government reports, the question re-
solves itself into the proposition as
10 where we would advise men TO
spend Sl00 more or less. spending
il for booze employing a less number
~ men. or spending 1t for the neces-
saries OF life and the comforts of
{ home.
''70he plea that is being put forth
, by the brewery interests and the
} men who are hired by the same in
tercsts, is a misstatement of facts.
They make the claim that there will
he so, 900 men in Ohio thrown out Of
. employment by prohibition The
E
the official report from the Brewery
Workers Union for 1914, there are
;. in the Brewery Workers Union in
n the whole United States 51.lSs men
g EN- ployed. The plea that there will
=, be thrown out OF employment, car-
- penters, plumbers, stsamfitters, en-
. gineers, Rlassworkers. etc. has no
. foundation for an argument. except
. In the minds of the brewery inter-
T. g.
Z booze could he spent for clothing.
!. shoes foodstuffs, building homes.
: buying more furniture. for the drink
a ing mans wife and home. it would
Y employ more carpenters to build
- homes. more plumbers and steam
- filters, electrical workers. painters.
rte to- fit up the homes. 1t would
require more -box=makers,-c oopsrs
4 aud packers to box and crate this
K material for shipment. 1t would re-
Q uuirc more retail cierka Transfers
e etc. to see that these goods were
packed and delivered. and instead OF
"A having misery In the homes of many
e a nottingham as IT Is at the present
r.me. there would be happiness in
these same homes.
y Instead of the wife and children
" waiting in fear for the father and
y, husband TO come home, they would
ue ready to greet him with smile Of
, affection and happy countenance.
n no money were spent In sa-
Iools, would there not be more good
~ rade and Tess bad debts business,
p and more comfort in the homes?
a Would anybody be hurt by hav-
Y inK these places shut up? II so.
II who. and how would they be hurt
Il Would some men be better off to-
s. dav Il they had never been in a sa-
= loom
Would some women and children
d Toe better fed and better clothed =?
V Would some homes be happier?
!. Would anybody who is dead be alive
II today?
Would saloonkeepers themselves
aud their families be better. happier
@ or more useful in some other bust
( ness?
y Statements of Some of Our Great Men.
q Terrence Y. Powderly, formerly
Grand Master Workman of the
Workmen of the Knights of Labor:
TIE most damning curse to the Ia
- 1orers is that which gurgles from the
n neck Of the bottle
y r. r. Traveller. formerly rresi-
. dent National Labor Union: The
uac ~ liquor ard its Influences have
. done more to darken labor's homes.
tWur ITS energies and chain II hand
and foot to the wheels Of corporate
g aggression than all other influences
p combined.
For every dollar paid the echool
e a. cultivate the intellect of this
- c1putry. 50 are paid the saloon to
blight that Intellect,
Abraham Lincoln: The liquor
traffic is q cancer in society, eating
~ out the vitals and threatening de-
n str8ction. and all attempts to regu-
.afe II will not only prove abortive,
t.ut will aggravate the evil. There
must he no more attempts to Fegu-
u late the cancer. IL must be eradt-
20 sated, not a root must be left be-
~ iard fer until this Is done. all class
0 es must continue in danger OF becom-
s ing victims OF strong drink.
= II N is crime to make a coun-
Z forfeit dollar il is ten thousand times
worse crime to make a counterfeit
" man,
q -iah Stevens foresaw that the IL
o quor element was a dangerous eie-
= ment in the ranks OF the working
4 mon. and al that famous gathering in
v Philadelphia in 1858 they drew up
he YtAp ba ,i1of Of a