Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-03-30
Windle Tears Dry Arguments to Tatters
Wrong Prncp
I'm in Characte rand espotc Gin Practice

to your reason they try to assas-
s.nate your character.
They belong to the same crowd
t2at branded Cardinal Gibbons of
Baltimore as a bartender. and de-
ncunced President Wilson as the
chief brewer of America because
he refused to accept their war
time prohibition program.
The Iibelers of Rock Island be-
long to the same crowd that SLAM
dered the good name Of our SOL
diers in France They published
in the official organ of the Metho-
dist National Temperance Alliance
the malignant charge that our
army over there was honeycombed
with immortality; that our heroes
in untold numbers were nothing
but wrecks of their former man
hood, deceased, vile. sodden and be-
sotted by booze.
The prohibition press gave wings
to these infamous lies. They cross
ed the seas. entered our homes,
where like unclean vultures they
tore at the heart strings of faith
ers, mothers, sisters, wives and
sweethearts, melting more fear and
agony, causing more pain, and bit
ter tears than could be charged to
the liquor business in an age
General Pershing, his officers
and the army chaplains promptly
denied the charges, but the mis-
chief had been done. The SANDER
had helped promote the dry cause
helped to dethrOne reason and
arouse hysteria.
Stars and Stripes" the official
paper of the American expedition
airy force in France, in refuting the
charge made by the prohibitionists
said:
BE assured that these sensation
al stories are nothing but myths.
Listen: the percentage of Yenereal
disease in this army is three-tenths
Of one per cent-the smallest per-
certage on record for any army
or any civil population in the
worlds history. The statistics in
tho possession of the judge advO-
generals department prove
there have been fewer cases
unkenness among its members
has been the case with any
whose records have been pre-
d. Now take@ specific in
erals is quoted in a dispatch
the United States to the eff
that 1,046 men from the
eastern states were locked up
guard house, following their
pay day, for drunkenness"
rat is the story; here are the
nee the troops referred to
to France, the total number
cir men locked up in the
house for all offenses-nct
drunkenness alone-has been
ly 134 to date. Bear all this
nd good people back in Gods
ry, if you hear any more
about US made up out of
lme whole cloth, write to our
anders, our chaplains. our
$, anybody in authority.
will back us to the limit"
t, ladies and gentlemen, is
nswer of our brave boys in
who were so vilely SLAM
by tie dry agitators in
ca.
=, cause that must resort to such
methods cannot be right. Argu-
merits based upon insults to cities
or citizens, libels hurled in the face
CT courage, patriotism, decency
and honor ought to be enough to
forever discredit the monstrous
principle for which the Grys con-
tend.
So much for prohibition cam
paign methods. Now let US exam
inc the principle underlying the
dry crusade. Let us apply the acid
test TO some of their stock argu-
ments and contentious.
Nothing l have said against pro-
hibition applies to temperance.
l believe in temperance, preach
il and practice it.
Some people imagine tnat tenn
perance and prohibition mean the
same thing. They remind me of
the old lady who said she did love
to hear a violin but couldn't stand
an old fiddle. She imagined that
the violin was one thing and the
fiddle something entirely different.
She was mistaken, but not more
30 than the person who thinks that
prohibition and temperance mean
the same.
Let me illustrate the difference.
I temperance is a Christian princi-
pie Prohibition is a political fad.
Temperance has to DO with SELF
control. Prohibition mas t0 do with
the other fellows control of you.
1t is wrong in principle.
Temperance is self-imposed AMI
self-enforced. Prohibition is i'm
posed by the other fellow in spite
OF your protest and enforced with
poIlceman's club.
temperance implies use even IT.
moderation.
Temperance and prohibition
stand against each other like fire
and water When two principles
are Numerically opposed to each
other, both cannot be right.
We know that temperance IS
right and by the same logic and
reason we know that prohibition is
wrong in principle
You can no more promote tenn
perance by brute force than yod
can make love with a brickbat.
When a proposition is wrong in
principle, intelligence cannot frame
in 81 aaF