Oxford eagle., 1918-07-25

Try OF the money of depositors or
stockholders has been risked on a
gamblers chance. Indeed il has
scarcely had a gamblers chance. for
intelligent men everywhere sbo,,ld
have foreSeen that the moral sen+i-
inent OF the world had determined to
destroy the liquor trade just as thoro-
ughiy as the moral sentiment of the
world prior to 1861 had made inpos-
sloie the continuation of slavery.
Even slavery had many things To
ITS credit In that the slaves were
clothed fed and, housed, and the Old
South did between 1900 and 1860 the
greatest piece OF missionary work in
the worlds history, in that it civilized
several millions Of slaves, many OF
them fresh from the barbarism of
Africa, and Christianized hundreds OF
thousands 10 the point that in those
days there were as consecratad, de-
voted Christian men and women
among the blacks as have ever been
found on earth Slavery, therefore
1nNlse from every possible point OF
vleW, as i was an economic wrong to
the South a. well as a moral wrong to
civilization, had much which might be
put 10 the credit side Of Its ledger.
The liquor trade has not one single
thing TO is credit Ii has held in sub
gec1un millions and tens Of millions OF
slaves under 4 ruthless slavery more
obstructive 70 body and mind than any
slavery which Afucz has known. and
b the side Of which the slavery OF
the South was a. daylight 10 dark
/ ness
The heuor trade h2s never clothed
nor fed noE housed It's slaves. Il has
destroyed them physically, mentall,
and morally. IL has lessened the
eitlclencg of every drinker II has
iiiieo u1r penltentAa-1es and Jails ano
-iElshu1ses- IL mas brought into the
Eoria Wee and SORROW rIvalling that
of W2r Itself To those who give
their loved ones In this great struggle
% civilization against barbarism on
me oattlefields of France, there
COME the eonsoling thought that
these men, the very flower of Ameri-
can civilization, If they die, die in the
hOliest cause 10 which God has ever
called men, and this brings comfort
and consolation TO those left behind;
but 70 those whose loved ones besot-
ted b. drink die the death of the
d-unkand there is nothing but chagrin
and modification and shame.
Despite this fearful curse of the
liquor trade and the awakened moral
sentiment Of the world of recent years
70 destroy II, some bankers have con-
tlnued TO lend money on liquor, and
aow moved by the fear of financial
losses, they are beseeching Congress
10 save them or their clients, and
thus they are putting money above
morals, immortality above morality.
inefficiency against efficiency, and al
1.-THE same time are admitting by their
very appeal to Congress that they
have been so short-sighted that they
did not see that the moral sentiment
of the world had doomed the whiskey
trade TO destruction just as certainly
as in 1861 it had doomed the death Of
slavery.
When Mr. Hurley and Mr. Colby o.
the Shipping Board tried to defend
the liquor trade on the ground thai
prohibition would in their opinion
lessen the efficiency of shipbuilders
they went directly contrary TO ever!
fact in the case which they themselveS
had already admitted in their official
publications. They had given to the
shipyards of the Pacific Coast the
credit for being more efficient than
any other shipyards in America, and
when they were asked if their state
/ ments as to the efficiency of those
yards were correct they of course
replied in the affirmative, and ther
the fact was pressed upon their atten-
ton that these yards which they had
commended for efficiency create
than that Of any other yards in the
I United States were all IN prohibition
States
t ] Detroit Is the largest prohibition
= city in America Ii Is one OF th'