The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1918-05-30
PRESIDENT IS
P0WERLESSIN
BoOSE REIGN !,
Says, ..HH0B:S0N !
AVYN nnGVARv
Merrinac Hero Declares Arm
Of Nations Head Paralyzed
& by Liquors Clutch.
CITES MILLIONS NEEDED
3D.. CARS HAULING BOOZE
Small Fraction Rules Nation; ;
Asks If This a Democracy;
& & |: Novel Viewpoint Taken. !:

s -
!. {: !; Novel Viewpoint Taken. =:
/! r. i, -. -:
= The government would take long
stride forward toward winning the
war If it would use the thousands
upon thousands of cars for hauling
coal and food stuffs instead of let
+ ting the brewers and distillers have
the precious cars for shipping beer
and booze. >-,
Fuel could be shipped to points
where badly needed if the cars were
used for that purpose and not al
lowed to be used for carrying beer
E and other brewery products through
out the country. =
~ The food problem would be nearer
solution if the cars were used for
shipping grain and other food prod
ucts instead Of being loaded with
=, products of breweries, the grain
\ needed by the people being used to
debauch the morals and bodies Of
the youth of the nation and manhood
in general.
Ships that are said to be so vitality
needed for sending supplies to the
American fighters in Europe would
ibe more available for that purpose,
but instead are being used to send
huge cargoes of liquor. to England
and France. - 49,
:, LIQUOR Hinders Nation. 60
-: These were but31,few instances
which Captain Richmond Pearson
Hobson, hero of the Merrimac Incl
dent in the Spanish american war,
cited last night in his address at
the Methodist church in support Of
the national Constitutional amend
ment abolishing liquor manufacture
and traffic during the war, and he
gave startling figures as to the num-
ber of cars used in this nefarious
business when the, country is crying
for cars and sthe'4 government 7ex-
cusing lack of facilities on the
grounds of car shortage. And the
same goes for shipping.
President Powerless.
Declaring that the arm of the
president was "paralyzed by the
power of the liquor interests Of the
nation" Captain Hobson showed the
hand of the liquor interests clutch
ing the very throat of the nation.
He asserted that only one-third IF
one per cent, Of the country con-
trolled the liquor interests and in
turn had the arm of the government
paralyzed.
"And they call this democracy
calculated Captain Hobson.
Takes New Viewpoint.
m, %l1
tion from an entirely new and novel
viewpoint. He is scientific and
technical man and he analyzed the
effects of liquor on human and
then took into consideration the mil
lions affected by it's use. He spoke
of. what goes with the liquor game
and cited statistical figures of the
shocking number of infected, and re-
called the startling facts of thou
sands upon thousands Of soldiers af-
fected in England at the outset of
the great war. He told of the effect
upon@the human family and its dire
results on offspring of this horde
b and Its effect upon recurrent gen.
erations.
Education Not Effective.
~~"No nation ruled by liquor ever
survived. declared Captain Hob
son. 'No nation however educated
survived Education. is not the
mark of permanency.. Rome was
the best educated center in the
world. Yet it fell by the curse IF
liquor"
The speaker also cited the rise and
the cause of the fall of the ancients,
recorded in historic annals, and in
each instance history records the
reign of Bacchus as the cause Of
their overthrow. And he pleaded for
the people to rise and take control
of their own nation and free it from
the domination of the liquor inter-
ests.
Audience Follows Closely.
The large audience sat in silence
and followed closely every word of
the speaker. At times spontaneous
applause burst forth in volume. 1t
was an address that weighed heavily
upon the hearers It was not the
usual scolding address, it was an
education and the analysis was clear
to all, being substantiated by the
highest scientific authorities and the
records of the government as to the
hugeness of the liquor traffic and
it's throttling grasp upon the help
less people.
4 Pledges for Work.
J.. J. Opsahl presided and intro
duced the speaker At the close, Cap
tain Hobson received pledges for
support of the Anti-Saloon league
- az