Monroe City Democrat. (Monroe City, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1917-07-13
BY THE LOBBY'SLEAVE

President of the United States has
appealed to the chieftain Of the
lobby to allow the passage of bill
OF vital consequence Of the safety
and defense of the Nation
In this instance the lobby is known
ss the Legislative Con mittee of
the Anti.SalCoD League but it is
meme the less a lobby. 1t is made
up to some extent of reverend gen.
tlemen who long ago found politics
more coneenial than religion and
lobbying decidedly more profitable
than preaching.
The Food Control Bill, admitted,
one of the most important of war
measures has been hopelessly OBJ
structed by the demand of this
Legislative Committee that nation
wide prohibition be included in its
scope. Except for the wiles and
threats of this Legislative Committee
the bill, carrying reasonable restric-
tions upon the liquor trade, would
have been passed long ago Unless
both Houses of Congress shall re-
store the measure to a semblance
of its original from its enactment
must be delayed Indefinitely,
The Prohibition lobby would like
to have it appear that the contest
at WashinetoniS between righteous
ness and sin, between water and
whiskev, between temperance and
iDttnLeIaLce, between churches OH
one side and distileries and bre-
weries on the other but that is not
true. he real issue is between the
frantic ard arbitrary leaders of a
social Iti,Im ami The great mass OF
the people who never have accept.
ed that reform.
Illustrating the spirit in which
the lobby undertook to force its
will uIUn the American people III
time OF war We quote here TWO sen
ttLtes iILm a letter written by a
reverend gentleman and printed in
The World a few days ago.
IF you are fighting Germany ana
the Kaiser, 90 ahead and don't
bother with us We aIe fighting
hell ara the devil ard have no
time for your puny little wars
ConlrCnlil & the most powerful
and unscrupulCuS autoCraCy ever
known, we are engaged in puny
little war-a puny little war for
natitual defense, perhaps national
eXistalCe: a puny little war for
human rights, a puny little war
for the establishments If a peace
which 10 Kaiser nav break
II We are fighting for these funda-
mentalS of civilization. don't both
.r,esibe Prohibition lobby at Wash
instop, fer that lobby is fighting
he'll al d the devil'-Ihat is to say,
the military measures OF ii nation
atNar, the revenues uilhe Treasury
Rhe property and employment Of a
ffeat industry and the Costr ms ul
f6ns Of millions Of people Since
" Con GTess Was halted fer many da' 5
ID lis puny little war upon auto
= cTaCy by IA lobby engaged in the
q more pressing Work Of fighting
he'll al d the dGNil' as ItprCStnttc
BY TIT lIlby's fellow Citi2CrS, whl
Can wonder that the PTesidon'
81 deemed 1t his duty to eAPostuIatG'
Yet tie Pres dtut is lot tie on'!
Cnt having Il Guly N tins matter
EVUN american WHO ltsouts tt
idea that ihc leader ri a social re
form, whether desirable i'll itself O
/. not, may properly selZe upon va
as an olporlunty to bully Con
l ertss is under equal ohh}aticn t,
Il speak The Prohibition lobby ha
been heard ircm. The liquor orEanI
zaliuus have been head frCm A
interest vastly mCIe mpcrau
y 'htU Gll tror both. which is tn