Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-06-26
OTHER SIDE OF RUM QUESTION
To the Editor of the Telegraph;

To the Editor of the Telegraph:
My attention has been called to a
communication in your issue of Fri
aay. June 22, by 7. NJ Gilmore. who
signs himself President Model Lii
eense League" The liquor people
have organized quite a number of as
sociations, to which they have given
nlgh- sounding names. and this So
OF them, though it is hard to under
stand how any league that stands at
all for the license of a traffic that
destroys men can be a real model. OF
Slsts, 1t is impossible to say. Not so
Long ago the reported attendance at
one or its meetings consisted OF the
president" himself, who took unani-
yocated by the president" Whether
there be other members, or whether
II be modelled somewhat after the
pattepn OF President Gibboney's Law
and Order organization, of PhiIadeI-
pnla, your correspondent saith not.
Mr. gilmore is correct in saying
tnat This liquor. problem :. is
really a imomentous question" He
u IS not chargeable with, and he
leaves out much of the real cost to
the people entailed by it.
1t is true that states. counties and
municipalities" have willingly sur
dollars Of revenues" that the liquor
traffic would have been glad to pay
for the privilege of carrying on its
murderous business (?), and in this
sence it has cost them these: but
IN every case they have been very
Iarge gamers along every line by
doing so. not excluding gain econom-
really by decreased taxation and in
creased revenues from the former
users of intoxicants that came to
mem IN m instead te of going into the tills
1t is true that mo compensation"
mas been paid to those who had been
engaged erSa in this murderous traffic
cease thus to kill and engage In some
business of profit to the state, but il
Is sot true that the State thereby
GO i1scates valuable properties. The
pensate it for it's loss through their
selling of drink, nor does she lay
her hands upon the property. She
simply says that 1t shall no longer be
experience has proven that the prop
critics can easily be turned to other
uses which. give employment to many
more people and bring much more
wealth into the community.
If 1T has done more than any other
question ever did in this country
TO divide communities into hostile
camps" camps it must be because of the
traffic itself, for it's opponents are
! always found to proceed with due
respect TO law. The liquor trafnc is
as it can possibly do so without peing
caught at 1t. defies the law, and seeks
every possible plan for transgression
by stealth. 1t Is just because OF this
/ character that it is practically true,
as witnessed by the Internal Revenue
Report about to be published for the
year Just ending. according to The AS
soeiated Press in the TELEGRAPH
columns few days ago, that after
all of these years and all or this
| legislation, the people Gas whole,
! but not everywhere) are consuming
Just as much wine. beer and whisky
as they ever consumed in our his
tory; But It is not true that none
| of the prohibition states have bet
/ tered their conditions" by the enact
not "a panacea for all ills" and has
never been offered as such. but 1t has
proved to be mighty good panacea
for the many ills that come to the
economic. political and moral. And
It comes with very bad grace from
any one connected with the liquor
traffic" as Mr.. Gilmore admits him
the. ground that hprohibition doesn't
! prohibit" for 1t is the admission that
the liquor traffic Is an anarchist and
/ ought to be treated as an outlaw
Mr.. Gilmore declares that prohibit
ton would result in the Illicit manu-
facture of much liquor. Can he tell
us why, then, more than ninety per
cent OF all such liquor captured by
Government detectives and confscated
is captured in wet" states. accord-
ing to the. Internal Revenue Report
for 1915. II this be true? His asser-
ton that about ninety per cent OF
the homes in this country contain
alcohol which is being used in the
form Of beverages" is so absurdiy and
evidently false. that it is scarcely
worthy of contradiction; and the lie
can be palliated only by considering
that as "one connected with the liq-
uor traffic" he. with the rest OF his
class. finds little access. perhaps, to
any other than liquor homes. The
same Is true of his statement that
wine, beer and whisky are as gem
orally used as tea and coffee"
He seems to forget that the bus
mess OF government is to do its ctti-
zens good and keep them from doing
themselves harm. No man has the
personal liberty to in1ure either
| himself or anybody else. Every mans
personal liberty" stops right where
the liberty of the State or of his fell
| low-man begins. IT is the States in
| herent right to demand of it's citizens
| their very best. 1t is the individuals $
inherent right to demand full protec-
tion by the State against all harm.