Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-07-02
Booze Rescued.


The beer booze crowd has tri-
umphed.
A half dozen words tells the story
that carries deep regret and indigina-
ton to millions of Americans. We can
only admit the facts, deplorabIe as they
are.
When the United States Senate had
at last reached point of full response
to public demand, the President inter-
vened to save booze.
The people had made known their
determination to conserve the food
wasted in making brewed swill; to
conserve the manhood of or armed
forces, wasted by drinking all kinds of
intoxicating slop: to conserve the de-
cency of our communities and homes,
wasted through the Establishments and
thirst-exciting methods of the booze
makers and sellers.
The National House had responded
to the messages from home; the U. S.
Senate had begun to turn away from
the powerful influences of the liquor
interests, recognizing the determined
tone of the peoples voice. Senators
needed only the slight excuse of a word
from the White Houes to dump the
whole responsibility of denying the
people upon the President.
And Saturday mornings Washington
dispatches indicate that the President
has come to the rescue of beer;
That the President has SAVED
$500, 900, 900 in revenue:
That the President has heard, above
all others, the voice of personal lib
erty" to whom Gods pure water and
unintoxicating drinks are not good
enough;
That the President deems the ne
cessity of revenue" from the trafdc is
worth more to the nation than a high
er moral standard and the greater ef-
ficiency of booze free fighting force
back by people clear-headed and I'M
hampered by the cost of beer or
whiskey:
That the President considers the res
cue of the beer business outweighs the
waste of the labor of 100000 farmers
whose entire product is turned into
booze:
That the President wishes to impress
upon every land toiler the necessity of
producing every pound of food posi-
BILE; of impressing upon each and every
consumer the solemn duty of conserv-
ing every possible pound of food
while he, with a word, sweeps more
than three and one half billion pounds
of food stuff into the hoppers of the
beer manufacturers.
There is Consistency for you in the
men we trust with government!
Here are a few facts fer your con-
temptation. They were prepared by T.
n. Carver, Edmund E. Day, William z.
Ripley, and Edwin F. Gay, professors
| in the Department of Economics,
Harvard university, and Irving Fisher,
professor of Political Economy, Yale
University. These figures are correct,
and prove as absolutely false the state
ments that have been put out by the
liquor interests and their tools in
Washington and elsewhere. And these
figures also have been placed in the
hands of the President and his ad-
visers as we'll as in the hands of ev-
cry Senator and representative:
In the year ending Juno 80, 1916,
Brewers used 1856, 103,596 pounds Of
foodstuffs.
DistiIers used a,777,eos,74s pounds
Of foodstuffs.
But in the case Of distilled spirits,
quantity equivalent to about 50 per
cent. Of the years output was used
for denaturation, government, and sci
entifc purposes, or export as alcohol
This reduces to 1885, 804,874 pounds
the foodstuffs used by distilIers for
alcoholic beverages. Tho Brewers used
1856, 1o3,596 pounds.
| Thus the brewers used in making
alcoholic beverages nearly twice al
much foodstuff as the dstiIlers.
Besides, the brewers used 37,451 sic
pounds Of hops. These are not food
but on the basis Of the last census
acreage, the lands used for hops il
/ planted to potatoes would produce over
100000 bushels Of potatoes.
IF WAR PROHIBITION is To
! SAVE FoODSTUFFS 1T MUST PRO.
HiBlT BEER AND OTHER MALT
LIQUORS AS WELL As THE DIS.
MINDS