The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-11-04
Prohibition and Freight Congestion Are
Linked, Says Congresswornan

idea OF total abstinence long ago
went his way 10 make place for tho
Inoral!st.
The moralist In turn has given up
the riddle As to whether the personal
liberty of tho drinker shall have pref
erenCe over the personal liberty uf
the drinkers family or the social
liberty Of those who pay tho public
costs Of drunkenness. and the scien-
tIst, Following UPON the heels OF the
moralist, has closed the discussion Us
to the possihle medicinal value OF
alcohol 10y research which appears
lhcnhtr"seritbia and has left tho
field clear to the economist
And now the cause OF prohibition.
stripped of its sentimental aspects
and isolated from It's moral and
scientific aspects. has been before
Congress, to stand or fall upon it's
purely economic merits
THIS sort of consideration Of the
prohibition question has been forced
by the Immediate necessity Of mobil-
izing the food resource OF this com
try In order that we may feed our
selves and those nations which are
depending upon us in the present
war.
We have viewed our food supplies
askance and have listened with en-
thusas,tc ears to the cry for piEch-
ing economy in our kitchens in orde"
that the extra per capita slices OF
bread and portions CT meat on our
family tables may feed several other
countries, and mean~ lille ten millions
or our own people in America are
going hungry and have oeen going
hungry for years. while apples wlther
and dry on the trees In rural COM
munitics. while vegetables rot on tho
ground and while secs. SOC. 900 pounds
nd ct bar
molasses are used In single year in
the production Of liquor. And we
are told TO eat less at time when
we need more than ever before
strong well uourished bodies ana
clear minasi
IT instead OF encouraging our chill
dren and our men and women to est
less we simply refused to allow any
grains or foodstuffs to be used for
the production OF liquor, we would
not only avert the destruction which
commonly results from the COY sump-
ton OF liquor but we would save
enough grains to supply continuously
the bread ration for our own army
and The combined armies Of our Al
hes.
But the converting Of grains into
food products instead of into liquor
would not stop In It's beneficial results
WITH the mere increase OF food sup.
plies. II would touch the heart OF q
problem OF food distribution which
has been long begging for solution.
II would mean the release Of freight
cars which would facilitate the trans
portation OF food with an effective
ness this country never before expert.
enced.
According to the United States sta
tiStical abstract for 1916, there are
In this country e,S66. S3s freight cars.
There were consumed In chis country
In 1916 almost 5000 carloads OF
liquor. including more than IS. 900 car
loads Of wine and spirituouS liquors
ara more than $4,000 carloads OF
beer.
OF course much OF THE liquor ~.
consumed in tho same locality In
which II was produced. 50 that per-
haps Sle. third OF II. or even one-hsiI
OF II, never necessit&ted the use Of
freight cars tor conveyance. On the
other hand. every bushel Of barley Or
grain used In the production OF LIQUOR
has beer hauled by freight in favor
Of grain that might otherwise have
been hauled for the production OF
food. And II II conservative indeed
to estimate that the transportation OF
LIQUOR II the United 6tAtee requires
tho Use ct 10 per cent at the freight
cAzA available fos usa In this oo0Qtr,,