The Washington times., 1917-12-10
The Presidents Order Solves the
Temperance Problem in
the United States
The Question Is Will Wel-Meaning Fanatics PERMIT the
President to Use His Judgment?

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| President to Use His Judgment?
Congress faces the nsistent prohibition lobby
determined to accept nothing but submission to its will
And Congress- reassembng learns that for those really
desiring temperance and not demanding the right to rule
their feowman the drink question has been settled by the
President already.
No beer shall be made containing more than two and
three-quarters per cent of alcohol
(. man drank ten quarts of such beer-physicaIy
impossible would absorb less alcohol than the ordinary
whiskey drinker takes with few drinks.
The ordinary workingman, drinking pint of beer in
the day at his hour in the evening absorbs with
that pint LESS THAN HALF AN OUNCE of alcohol great
g diluted In other words his drink one part alcohol and
hiryone parts water Any doctor who knows will tell you
that boy could without harm take in daily entire
Of alcohol diluted that exen-or double the amount the
worker VIII get with his pint of beer under the Presidents
ruling.
The beer of which the President will permit the brew
ing Is literally temperance drink workman drinking a
full quart Of would absorb less than of alcohol
It is for the full workngmen Of the United States
temperance beverage weaker than that which the children
Of Germany have been taking for generatons-and without
any visible lack of German efficiency in this the
result
Weak as it is in alcohol this beer will keep workngmen
COMMENTED 1t will avoid the resentment and dssatisfac
ton that would have been caused had extremists had their
way and the wongmen been ordered to do their best
plain ice water.
The President as usual acts with wisdom and modera
alton At the last session of Congress he forbade absolutely
the future making Of distilled spirits the poison that causes
drunkenness and that ruins men and their families.
The result Of that order has been marvellous diminish
ing Of intemperance in States where prohibition does not
exist but where the price of whiskey has increased thus
causing consumption Of beer in place Of whiskey
The Presidents latest order forbidding the brewing of
beer containing than two and three quarters of
alcohol will solve the temperance problem in the United
States if the prohibonis will kindly allow to be solved
than NINETY SIX PER CENT OF DISTILLED WATER.
There small of food solids and two and three
quarters per cent OF alcohol barely as much as required to
preserve the beer keep In condition. and make paatabe
important matter during the he has exercised the power
entrusted to him carefully conservativey, and wisely
The moment he had authority he stopped the manufac-
ture of alcoholic poison, distilled liquor.
After careful thought he put such restrictions the
brewing of beer would reduce the of grain nehd
and allow the only OF such beer as half grown
boy might take without injury At the time and
wisely he avoided the extreme that would have
caused great dissatisfaction among workmen that would
have put the Government in the false position of allowing
minority of earnest enthusiasts to impose their will upon
the hard workers whose efforts must bring in this
war.
The question is will the prohibitionsts will Congress
allow the President to solve the problem along the lines Of
real temperance Or will Congress decide that intolerance
not wisdom shall rule Must the war situation in the United
States be complicated by nation wide fight constu
tona amendment having for its object the coercion and m
tstion Of millions Of workngmen?
The prohbitonists say that because are at we
are too poor to let the workngman have his beer even
be harmless.
Belgium is poor yet in Belgium beer is still made for
workers.
England has problem serious than Eng
land gets her grain from U.s. and glad send it, And
England still brews beer for her workers. knowing well that
they not be dscontented And she gives to her work
beer stronger in alcoholic contents than that which the
President permits here.
The Germans have been hemmed in for than three
years sxtyfve millions Of them in territory the size of
Texas yet every German soldier at the front has his supply
of beer and German workman at the factories has his
supply.
You do not observe when you read Secretary Bakers
report today that the Germans with their beer lack energy
or that the French Italians with their light wines lack
staying power.