Catoctin clarion., 1918-01-10
WILL THEY DO IT?

thing. The same should be SAID
of the great newspapers of the
country. We hope and predict
that the time will come in Amer
lea when the word of a news
paper will mean as much as we
demand of the individual. 1t is
not always so now. We expect
q man to stand right on moral
questions. Why should we not
expect the same of the news
paper which comes into our
home?
The Detroit Times, of Novem-
Der 2Sth, contained a letter
written by Mr.. James Schemer-
horn, editor and owner Of the
paper, declining to enter into an
advertising contract with tho
Brewers Association, although
three other prominent papers IN
Detroit did accept and publish
advertisements in defense OF
beer.
The offer of five thousand
lines CT advertising matter at
the regular rate is a very tempt
Ing offer and the value Of the ad-
yertising to the brewers is not
In the conversions they expect
to make but in the silencing OF
the press which will have a Pc
cuniary reason for not speaking
out against the beer crusade,
The brewers have entered upon
an attempt to silence the press
of the United States by adver-
tising contracts which will be
made with all the papers UNI
scrupulous enough to accept the
bribe.
There are many papers in this
country whose editorial columns
could not be bought but it is
not always easy to pick them
out.
/ 1t Is no wonder that motives
are questioned when editorials
favoring booze appear almost
simultaneously with big beer ad-
yertisements. Even in Baltimore
this has occurred. Editorials
giving advice to the Anti-Saloon
League to kill the hard liquor
traffic but to save beer; that
this legislature was not elected
on this issue despite the fact
that the Personal Liberty League
had advertisements in the same
papers before the election saying
that the question is an issue.
The fact remains that the fight
against the liquor traffic will
continue to be an issue until
every saloon, brewery and dis
tillery is closed for the booze
business for all time.
We are at war. Yet 55,000,O00
pounds OF sugar and 100000
gallons Of syrup going into beer
each year. Saloons hindering
the output Of coal and breweries
still using this necessity by the
train load. Grain wasted in
booze. Transportation facili-
ties taken by booze. Munition
and other industrial plants, upon
which we must depend to win
this war, shutting down for lack
OF coal and schools in some
sections shutting down for the
lack of coal. The German-Am-
sican Alliance which is simply
an adjunct OF the brewers Or
ganization still In operation,
Baltimore's great papers actual
ly carrying these facts but never
a suggestion that the breweries
and saloons be closed at previous
sessions of the Legislature, some
of the papers tried to save hard
liquor, now they want to save
beer. They were wrong then.
They are wrong now.
We are not going to say that
brewery advertisements have
anything to do with this. Neither
are we going to say Baltimore
reporters do not gather the
news. We know them to be cap
able men and know that they
are in possession Of the facts.
This Is a time when every in
dustry and every man should be
at the very best. We will approach
this in proportion as the con-
sumption of liquor decreases.
Lot us step out and openly
strike at the whole liquor bust
ness which continually under-
mines the public health and pub
lie morals. The great news
papers of Baltimore can easily
throw Off all ground for suspi-
cion.
Will thov do ~