Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-04-11
LAUNCH CAMPAIGN
FOR PROHIBITION
AS WAR MEASURE
Advocates Urge President to
Blot Out Evil as in Russia,
France and England

ihteHueIt Oh the 1nteTHutlOhdi INe-
form Bureau, launched a two weeks
campaign for national prohibition as
war measure last night in Grace
Methodist Church,
They will speak mostly In wet"
strongholds. Philadelphia, Lancaster.
York. Coatesville, Pittsburgh. Balti-
more and other cities, Mr.. Howard
gave one of his humorous yet earnest
lectures on 1.-THE Immediate Execu-
ton of John Barleycorn" In which
he declared that President Wilson
could as an act of war without a tax
abolish every saloon, brewery and
distillery In this country, as President
Lincolrr abolished slavery.
Wants U. S. To Follow Step
DR.. Crafts introduced the CAM
palgn In an address which was in part
rs follows; "Have you noted the an
tecedents of Russia's bloodless transl-
ton from despotlsm to democracy,
the greatest triumph of the war, of
the century? Professor Harper, OF
Chicago University, lecturing to the
National Geographic Society, said the
bloodiess revolution would have been
impossible but for the prevailing
temperance conditions, And we do
not forget that the national prohibl-
ton brought on suddenly by the war
was due to the defeat of Russia In the
preceding war with Japan, which
Russian statesmen charged even more
, to 'the little brown jug" than to the
little brown men. Vodka had so de-
layed mobilization and manufacture
OF munitions, and so fuddled the Rus
sian naval commanders, who became
the laughing stock of the world for
f<4o 1t prif trav n
anese warships, and so confused the
Russian army officers who left litter
of bottles In their frequent retreats TO
explain them, that Russia's first act In
the new war was to execute John
Rarleycorn as the nations worst foe,
with the result financially, that Rus
sia has grown richer in spite of the
war, while all other warning nations
are piling up unspeakable debts; with
the result physically, that Russia is
the only nation where enough boys
are born to take the places of the men
killed; with the result POLITICALLY
hest of all-that the people with
brains unfuddled. refuse to be kept
longer In the political nursery in care
of autocrats, and calmly take their
long-lost crowns as sovereign citizens
Drink Greatest Foe
"And have you noted that Emperor
William prophesied that Russia will
conquer? In 1911, he said to his
naval cadets. speaking of ''the next
war;: THAT nation which takes the
smallest quantity of alcohol will win.
And that link in our historic chain
leads back to the worst defeat of the
war the defeat of Britains uncrowned
King George, whose first name is
Lloyd, who said that Britain's great !
est foe was not Germany but Drink, |
and proposed that Britain follow Rus
sia in national prohibition; but now
al
cutting off but the edge OF his robe |
instead of cutting off his head.
viii the United States repeat John |
Rulrs surrender to John Barleycorn, |
or follow in national prohibition the |
two newest and biggest republics?
Congress is talking OF increasing /
its internal revenue from rum to |
nay the costs of war. but this blum
der. excusable in 1851, would be in |
defensible in presence OF the proofs /
that this war has afforded in the ex-
perience OF every belligerent that
drink is a drag on every military
agency.
"The British army in India. long
before the war. proved by expert |
ments with whole regiments on the |
hills that cold water regiments had |
better endurance than those rationed |
with whiskey or beer. Switzerland |
nroved by many experiments in target |
er than moderate drinkers. Germany !
gave us a lesson when the march to |
Paris was fatally delayed by the wine |
cellars OF Belgium. which also stained /
the nations honor. Britain gave Us
a lesson when the supply of NUM-
tions was seriously slowed UP by the
workmen's drinking. And our own |
figures have shown long since that |
nickels of revenue cost the people a |
dollar apiece. II We add to two bill
lions we spend in retail purchases OF
drink. the two billions more It costs |
in crime and poverty. and the billion /
lost in impaired efficiency.
More than any other nation. we |
need 20 remember in our mixed popu-
iation that IL is the rule OF reason TO |
close saloons in riots-much more
should we close them for the war. es-
riots in our rear. not only bread riots
hut draft riots and even peace riots.
These are but few OF hundred patri-
otic arguments for immediate prohibit
tion by statute as a war measure
which should not interfere with the
submission OF the Sheppard Randall |
bone dry constitutional prohibition |
that was reported favorably to the
Senate in the last Congress. Not
sooner than 1920 could that be car
ried through the needed thirty-six !
Legislatures. Meantime let US do to
DOoZS Whatever may De OOIe Dy SIaI-
ute. We can prohibit 1t in all our
Islands. reservations premises and |
ships. We can prohibit liquor ship
ments 20 Africa and other missionary
lands. We can prohibit all interstate
commerce in liquors and so dam the
liquor traffic at every State line. And
we can prohibit whatever liquor SELL
ing would remain anywhere by imme-
diats national prohibition for the Pc
riod of the war.
'"rhe Reform Bureau believes
moral preparedness should go much
farther than prohibition. including
also in its negative work the suppress
sion by law and law enforcement of |
other commerciaiized Yices-gambling |
and prostitution; also providing sub
stitutes, such as clean motion pic
lures; and fundamental work for
character by the State. for the half |
of our population that do not attend /
either church or Sunday school, such |
as restoring and improving daily BIZ
bile reading in public schools and the
the posting of the Commandments in
schools courts and mills. Not alone |
in prohibition are we gaining but in |
most other moral reforms, Piracy. |
slavery, dueiiing, the lottery are ex-
tinst, and other social fees have been
tried and condemned by public epin-
ion and are in process of execution,