The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-08-03
Asks Meaning Of Letter to
Congress Favoring
Prohibition
SOME WET AUDACITY
Ani-Liquor Views Of Business Men
Given in Reply
MAJORITY FAVOR DRY WAR

Another attempt to intimidate free
American business men has come to
light The American Brewery Co. oil
st. Louis exposes the un-American
tactics Of the vets in the following
letter to the Benjamin Electric Com
pany of Chicago:
Gentlemen: In the Congress
ional Record of June 20 appears
the following letter: Heartily
favor Prohibition. Consider it
most necessary for welfare of
country.-R. B. Benjamin, Presi-
dent Benjamin Electric Co., Chi
cago, ILL.,"
The fact that Mr.. Benjamin
signs the above mentioned letter
as an officer of your corporation
would indicate that the Benjamin
Electric Company, as a corpora
ton, is for national Prohibition.
Kindly advise if this is correct,
and oblige, Respectfully yours,
American Brewery.
Per H. r. Williams, Mgr.
The attitude of the average Ameri-
can business man not interested in
sae drink traffic is clearly and force.
fully expressed by Mr.. Benjamin in
his reply which reads as follows:
Mr.. Benjamin Replies
Dear. Strive are in receipt oil
your letter of July 18 referring to
statement appearing in Congressional
Record of June 20, signed by the
writer as President of the Benjamin
Electric Mig. Co.
This statement was made by the
writer in the form of telegram ad-
dressed to U. S. Senate, care Senator
Sherman, and expresses very briefly
the writer's attitude on the question
of national Prohibition. The writer
has been an opponent of beverage
liquor traffic for a good many years
and has sought in every honorable
way to rid the country of this curse
and will so continue. AS company
we are interested in all measures that
are clearly for the welfare of humanity
and we frequently have speakers from
various legitimate reform organiza-
tions speak to our employees and dis
seminate literature of an uplift ma
ture on various subjects, the most i'm
portant of which relates to the liquor
traffic.
Some Wet Audacity
"On one occasion after having sent
out some temperance literature in our
pay envelopes, an official of the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
tion of this city had the audacity to
call to my attention the fact that such
literature was going out in our pay
envelopes, assuming as he did that |
was not aware of the fact and that
would not permit such things if
knew it, for business reasons. | did
not hesitate in telling the gentleman
that / was citizen before | was a
business man and did not propose to
let my interest as a business man in
terfere with my duties as citizen;
and that had ample reason for fight
ing the liquor traffic and that | pro-
posed to continue it so long as life
should last. He intimated that we
might lose business as a result. l
told him that if any of our customers
were SO narrow minded as to cease to
do business with us because of my
attitude on a moral question they
could do so, and their action would
not in any way change my attitude
on the question or my activity in
favor of Prohibition, and the gentle
man has never called since.
Directors Favor Dry War
"I have no hesitancy in stating that
the majority of our directors and
stockholders are in favor of national
Prohibition as a war measure under
existing circumstances no matter what
their attitude might be in times of
peace.
"If it should be necessary that any
business in this country should suffer