Norwich bulletin., 1917-09-26
LAUNCHED ATTACK ON
 THE DEMON RUM
caIifernia Man DeIivGed Stirring Ad- dress in Interests of No License Campaign. .I1

caIifornia Man DeIivGed Stirring Ad-
 dress in intsrssts' ef No License Campaign. a In a gripping. intensely interesting address before an audience of a hum dred men and women in the town hall Tuesday evening, James H. Woerten- dyke of California, launched an attack on the demon rum in the interests of the license campaign that is being carried on in this city. This (Wed- nesday) evening another prohibition speaker, J. F. Cunneen of Chicago, will be heard. The meeting was presided over by o. E. Ryther. who has the local cam paign in charge. After few pre- l iiminary words MT. Ryther intro duced MT. woertendyke. Liauors Destructive, Power.
 Tn his opening Eemar.ss MT Woer- power of liquor. He gave an illustra- | blooded, energetic boy of IS into a horrible example of the drink evil. The speaker asked his audience to consider the whole problem without prejudice | should do with the liquor traffic. He spoke of the liquor trafnc as one of the most thoroughly organized bodies in the western world. The ultimate
 
 struction of the welfare of the people. We have a federal government, state government, municipal goyernmen and the individual units of govern ment, the voter.
 What is the purpose of the indi- vidual units in their relation with the government. The purpose of govern pent Is the protection of the welfare of citizenship.
 1t must be plain that these two forces cannot walk arm in arm unless the government be willing to sacri- flee some of it's objects.
 There are millions Tn this country who have never fully considered the liquor question. Let us consider the liquor traffic a moment in its potency and power of destruction. Liquor Business Morally Bad. It Is freely admitted that the saloon business is a bad moral business. MT. Woertendyke said that no government ed questions and settled them on the basis of morality.
 Our government. doesn't reach ques- rions and settle them on a moral basis. chattel slavery? We didn't reach 1t as a moral question. It was as an economic question. How did we set tie the question of polygamy- Never once did the government refer to 1t as moral question but as an econ omic question.
 A Political Question.
 The liquor question being with us all this time and being a moral aues- ton we must find the angle through which it can be reached by the gov ernment Is the liquor question po- litTcal one? Certainly. While the dis tillers and brewers acknowledge that the question is political one. yet they deny that the government has the right to prohibit their traffic.
 The government has the power to prohibit. If the government has that power then the individual units of the government have the right to exercise that power.
 Not Commercial Business.
 Commerce is divided into three great classes. The first class is busi ness. Business is the investment of for the benefit of thes individual for profit ~-. /, -...
 :; The second class is commercial charity. the investment of capital and manipulation of property, for the bene- fit of the people without profit.
 The third class is commercial crime, the investment of capital and nanipu lation of property resulting in harm for the people with profit.
 The liquor traf1c is not business. It is not commercial charity. There is not person in this hall tonight who does not know that the liquor traffic IS commercial criminal.
 Nearly Three Billions a Year.
 The speaker went on to point out that the liquor traffic Is taking out of tue pockets of the country almost three billions of dcllars a year and is giving back less than four hundred million. challenge any liquor man to refute these figures; said Mr Woer- Mir. Woertendyke said he hoped every voter would go to the polls next Mon day with firm determination to drop into the ballot box a ballot registering traf1c.
 No Representative Appeared.
 MT. Ryther then announced that the representative of the local retail li- quor dealers expectation might take the platform and present his views on the petition. Nobody responded.
 In his explanation of his announce ment MT. Ryther said that on Mon- day while he was in New London he man who said he represented the Nor wich Retail Liquor Dealers associa- ton and who requested that he might be present at the mass meeting Tues day night and state the liquor dealers side of the question. MT. Ryther said that he told the inquirer that he could have at least twenty minutes if he de- sired and made good his promise when he made the announcement at the meeting last night.
 Objection to Petition.
 He then went on to speak of the superior court proceedings In regard to the petition.
 What are some pertinent facts about this petition?
 The law requires on this question (but on no others) that at least ten per cent. of the registered voters whose names appear on the last vot- ing list of the town must first sign a petition. You say instantly 10 per cent. isn't much. Well. 10 per cent of ten cyphers5 isn't much. but 10 per cent. of 5.s24 is 5s3. and if YOU don't think getting that number of sigma lures is some job. just try tomorrow to get five, let alone the hundreds and Measured by the vote of 1907 in favor of no-Iicense it was 10 men out every 13 who voted no, Meas ured by our largely increased vote of