New-York tribune., 1918-09-16
"Washington Times's" Sup
port Of Beer and Ridicule
of England Recalled
Sour Note" on War
In Early Issues
Alien Custodian's Descrip-
ton Fits Newspaper Run
by Hearst Man
Especial Dispatch to The T,ibune)

Especial Dispatch to The Trbunc)
WASHINGTON, Sept. IS. - Alien
Property Custodian Palmer's dcscrip-
ton Of Washington newspaper bought
by Gcrman-American brewers to aid in
the preservation of so-called "tem-
pcrate" alcoholic drinks, as we'll as in
propaganda favorable to Germany,
seems to fit just one paper in the CAPT
tal-"Thc Washington Times" which
has been "owned" and edited by
Hearst's man, Arthur Brisbane, since
June 26, 1917
No other Washington newspaper has
changed hands recently unless the
transfer has been kept as thoroughly
under cover as the fact that German
American beer money had bought
mouthpece almost in the shadow of
the Capitol.
The first editora, appearing in "Thc
Times" after Frank a. Munsey on
nounced Brisbane's purchase and cor
troll of the paper went straight to the
mat for Eight wines and beer" II
was headed "To the United States SEN
ate" and it dealt with what Brisbane
considered the grave danger that pro-
hibition of the manufacture of tecr
and whiskey would leave the country
with nc considerable supply of beer
on hand, while four of five years of
whiskey accumulations in bond would
be dumped on the public over the bars.
"Whiskey" Always Denounced
The editorial began:
"Is it n good thing to make this
whiskey drinking nation?
"Will you vote to make whiskey the
only alcoholic drink obtanable in the
United States, forbidding the manu-
facturc of light beer that millions of
American workmen use temporarily ?"
This line of argument was a favor
lite with "The Times" In all cases it's
temperance appeals in editorials and
cartoons held un whiskey as the hor-
rible example. Almost invariably they
looked and sounded like "prohibton"
until the reader came across the "light
wines and beer" joker.
On June 80, 1917, when it became
certain that Congress would legislatc
distilled spirits out of existence, but
leave wine and beer, "The Times" de-
voted a long editorial to the celebra-
tion of what it called Hearst's victory:
civilian Randolph Hearst wins
fight that has lasted twenty years.
"For twenty years Mr. Hearst in all
his newspapers, from New York to San
Francisco, has kept up the fight against
whiskey.'
Fight for Beer Not Cited
The editorial did not add that Mr.
Hearst had just as steadily kept up the
fight for beer.
To-day's "Times" carries the same
message. Discussing "The Problems of
Prohibition" it says:
every serious will be the problem
confronting the government when it
comes to enforcing the absoluate pro-
kibition, which is to begin in the
United States on the 1st of next july.
"ln France and other temperate
European countries. where the govern
ment fights whiskey, brandy and all
poisonous alcoholic spirits, the milder
stimulants that many nations use tenn
reratcly, light wine and beer. are
allowed And this makes easier the
fight upon whiskey For where the mild
stimulants are to be bought openly, as
in France, England and Italy, the trade
of the illegal whiskey maker is not
profitable, and it dies. .
I'm Thomas Jetferson's day the ma
tional drink of the United States was
whiskey. Drunkenness then was prob
ably ten times more common than to-
day, and jefferson did not exaggerate
when he said that in the United States
whiskey killed third of all the citi-
zens and ruined their families.
Cites Jefferson Letter
Jefferson advocated in his letter to
the Legislature Of Virginia and in other
cities the encouragement OF light wines
and beer as the only way Of fighting
whiskcy.
This newspaper in It's fight against
Continued on last page