Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1917-03-08
"But is it?"
Quite"

ACot
quite"
Mannersley turned on his heel.
There came into Smiths voice
enough of command to prolong
the interview.
cat least" he said sharply,
lyon will permit me to give you
my reasons for making this final
appeal to you-particularly be-
cause there is connected with it a
warning"
Mannersley, facing him again,
appeared affronted.
"a warning?'
Say, rather amended Smith,
"a statement of what we intend
to do"
The congressman knew enough
OF what Smith had done already.
Ii there was something more
coming, it would do no harm for
him to know it.
go ahead" He assumed in
difference.
Waller, describing the thing
afterward, said:
when Smith began to talk, he
became Immediately clothed in
the purple of sincerity. There was
upon him the regality Of earnest
ness. He a imperious-an UNI
crowned king"
The %agitator's figure seemed, all
of a sudden, more erect. The feel
ing back of his words chiselled his
features to a finer pattern.
"Then, Mr.. Mannersley," he
said, 81 ask you and your commit
tee to report favorably the resolY
ton authorizing this amendment
to the constitution. | ask it of
you, first, for financial reasons
money"
He waved his hands widely. His
smile was persuasive.
"That appeals to everybody
money. | ask-you to do your share
in putting liquor out Of the way
because the cost to the public of
caring for the crime, the pauper-
ism, and the insanity caused by
alcohol is more than So, 900, 00O,-
600 every year. Two billions every
year for housing and feeding and
clothing the world of wreckage
that is the work of rum-$2, OOO,-
100000 every - months! And
the total liquor bill of this coun-
try, the mere purchase price of
the alcohol that is bought by the
drink and in bottles and barrels,
is $4,000, 00O, 900 a year. Two bill
lions every IL months for the stuff
that is drunk! There alone you
have $4,000, 600, 000. All, don't
smile your contempt! Those are
figures that even, the whisky peo-
pie never have been able to dis
prove or combat. They are of Of
fetal and medical record. Nothing
can go behind them. Add to that
the reduced efficiency, the un-
timely deaths, the careers ruined
and cut short, the lack of employ
ment, and you have the grand,
commanding total of IS, 600. OOO,-
600 a year-$6, DOC, OOO, 900 a year
as the tribute this country pays to
alcohol! -
Mitchell, shifting from one foot
to the other, shrugged his big
shoulders and laughed.
Smith, extending his right hand
with lightning like rapidly, ac-
cused him:
You cannot deny it! 1t has
never been denied successfully!
That is what you, and the men
hike you, take away from the
American people every .year-6-,
DOC, 600 of dollars, six times
more than is used to pay all the
expenses of running this govern
ment for a year"
He turned to Mannersley, his
head thrown slightly back, his
chest expanded, his tense right
arm compelling attention.
That the money argument.
Secondly, | present this thing to
you from its moral aspects. Nine
ty-five per cent of all the cases of
lawlessness and crime that crowd
our court dockets today were
caused by men being put back to
lower levels of mentality and emo
tionalism by the use of whisky.
Ponder that in your spare mo-
ments! Out of the whisky bottles
has come IS per cent of our ma
|tional disgrace!"
Mannersley stirred ~uneasily,
like a soldier who realizes for the
first time that bullets are falling
too close about him.
"Oh,' he said impatiently, II
don't believe all this stuff"
~. &C YNl.gZZ ~ ~ N N@N E YrEHL 80