McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1918-01-11


President National w. c. T. u, Be-
fore the Forty-fourth Annual Con-
vention of That Organization Held
In Washington, D. c., December 2-7.
1919.
We praise God for the prohibition
victories rising Phoenixlike from wars
awful gloom and overwhelming anxi-
ETY.. Listen to the patriotic prohibit
ton roll of 1917:
Prohibition for the District Of Co
lumbia prohibition for Indiana; prohi-
bition for Utah; prohibition for New
Hampshire; prohibition for New Mex
leo prohibition for Alaska prohibition
for Porto Rico.
A decade ago four white prohibition
states cleaned on our map of the Unit
ed States; today there are q, and the
District of Columbia, Alaska and Porto
Rico. At the 1918 general election we
expect Minnesota, Missouri, Florida,
Wyoming, Kentucky, California, Texas
and Nevada to bring us within one of
the SO whose legislatures should be
safely counted upon to ratify the pro-
hibition amendment to the national
Constitution.
The stock arguments of the liquor
trade have no value today. Great
cities have adopted prohibition with no
disturbance to banks, groceries. real
estate or hotels, except on the right
side of the ledger. Unprecedented
prosperity has silenced the liquor
mems prophecy of miles of empty
stores and decreased bank deposits"
Increased population and additional
throngs of summer tourists have for
ever quieted the liquor mems groan
that summer travellers and prospec-
tive home seekers avoid prohibition
centers." Even the circus performers
prefer dry to liquor localities--on the
plain proposition of larger profits. The
nation today needs the able-bodied
men who make and sell liquor. Use
full and constructive jobs are awaiting
those who by the coming Of prohibition
would be thrown out Of employment"
Hundreds of avenues of urgent work
beckon the seller Of distilled liquors
and the men engaged in the brewing
and vinous trades.
To the liquor dealers the defeat Of
suffrage always means victory for
their interests. The trade expends
thousands of dollars each year in pro-
noting publicity against votes for
women. "Woman suffrage in New
York state" predicted one widely dis
tributed circular Of the liquor trade,
would kill the matted industry Of the
United States" Woman suffrage in
the Empire state has arrived! The
matted industry must go!
The pathway of prohibition for many
years has run parallel with the path
way Of woman suffrage. Today brave
women who have blazed the way for
suffrage or prohibition are jubilant as
together they press forward on the
broad highway of Christian citizenship
and exalted patriotism.
Total abstinence and prohibition can
both be recommended to the American
people as articles not ''made In Ger
many" It is true that In the years
agone the kaiser, desiring to maintaia
autocracy and conquer the world, adj
vised his naval cadets to abstain from
alcohol. But the chapter Of horrors
familiar to readers Of war news proves
that German officers and men demon
allied by drink have committed I'M
speakable crimes against womanhood
and childhood-the blacklist page In
the worlds history Of inhumanity. The
kaiser ought to have long and serious
thoughts concerning his prophecy that
"the nation which takes the smallest
quantity of alcohol will win the battles
Of the future" Autocracy and alcohol
will both be overthrow. Democracy
and sobriety will win.
The liquor men are establishing
new battle line of defense in the "beer
and wine to be substituted for brandy
and whisky" Let us keep the issue
clear. "Camouflage" is well understood
by the w. c. T. q. For years the
liquor men obscured the issue and
deceived the very elect. Today, how
ever, the American people have no illu-
sions about alcohol. The light of SCI
entific truth is shining. Alcohol is a
poison, beer is an alcoholic drink. It's
destroys valuable grain.
safeguarding Of this
and other nations-demands prohibit
ton Of the manufacture and sale Of
beer.
The man who INDUCES in whisky
has rye" face, and all his actions
turn awry.
During the war prohibition agitation
In congress worxing men of the conn
try were grossly misrepresented by
the antiprohibition petition signed by
100000 men presented to President
In many prohibition states
declarations Of labor declare they never
wish to return to the saloon system.
An analysis Of the signatures to the
petition would doubtless show the
names of brewers, distillers, saloon
men and their down-and-out victims
largely in evidence. Such men do not
represent the labor interests
Of the United Stares.
SING A SONG OF DOLLARS.
Sing Song Of dollars
Spent In buying booze,
Children home starving
Mother has no shoes.