The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-05-03
NATIONS GREATEST MEN
DEMAND WAR PROHIBITION

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A growing demand for war prohibition
10 coming from wholly unexpected. in
fufntial business sources. Governor
Harris Of Georgia after consulting
with other governors, has sent out a
call for a governors congress 70 meet
in tho national capital on May +th TO
consider effective state prohibition
purely as a war measure.
kilograms urging naunal war pro
hibiiion have been received OF the cap
itol from governors Brumbaugh Of
Pennsylvania, Aldrich Of Nebraska,
Cats Of Florida, Alexander Of Idaho,
Capper Of Kansas and Bilbo of Missis-
sippi, while more than six hundred
Geographic demands have been recoiv
ed within the last week from such men
Ms Howard Elliott, President Of the
New York, New Haven and Hartford
Railroad, +, A. VANDERBILT, President
OF the National City Bank OF New
IVYts t'asiu TuiEhtli Nlbthto 'h"~
ing banker, Joseph Boyer, President
of the Burroughs Adding Machine
Company, II. c. King, President of
Oberlin University, r. l.. McVeigh,
President Of the University Of North
Dakota. n. f. limit, President Of the
Washington and Jefferson College,
Geo. f. Bogardus, President Of the
University of Southern California,
Simon Patten, economist, Of Pennsly-
vania. Among a big contingent Of
editors demanding prohibition are Van
Valkenburg Of the Philadelphia North
American. Schermerhorn Of the De-
troit News, Buttenheim OF the Ameri-
can City and Holt of the New York
Independent Out of group of near
ly fifty authors may be named Upton
Sinclair, Booth Harrington, Ray Stan
nard Baker and John Burroughs.
When the Democratic caucus by a
vote Of 81 TO 60 declared for national
prohibition during the war, the world
was dazed and amazed. There is no
occasion for II. 1t is the logic of ev-
ents. The nation is confronted with
an alarming food shortage, and we
must feed not only ourselves but our
allies. Prohibition will divert enough
foodstuif from the waste of the liquor
traffic into its legitimate use to give
every one Of the twelve million men
in the armies of our European allies a
pound loaf Of bread every day.
The best actuarial authority was
brought to Washington and asked
what effect moderate drinking had up
on life, and told in the cold calcula-
ton of science that $50 men die
among moderate drinkers for every
100 that die among abstainers. We
need men. This presented practical
proposition. No sentiment. No NOR
alizing. This is language that the
brusque business brain grasps. We
ncCu more men LOT IdTlls, idClOflts,
and the ranks. Congressman were
told that there are some hundreds of
thousands Of men engaged in the man
ufacturc and sale Of liquor which, with
the traffic prohibited for the war,
would help meet the labor crisis.
In addition to this il may be said that
the use of liquor decreases the eff
cheney of labor from Is to 30 per cent,
Then the doctors came with the
testimony that the liquor traffic is
largely responsible for those forms Of
contagion that are most prevalent and
most disabling among soldiers. The
demand for war prohibition comes
from newly aroused business interests
that are seeking, in a practical way, to
help adjust the nation to the strain
and stress OF the war
Committee on War Prohibition,
Irving Fisher, President, 4
Washington, ID. c. J.,