New Britain herald., 1919-01-25
COMMUNICATED.
MIR. ASPINWALL ANSWERED.
James X. Halloran Takes Exception
TO His Stand on Prohibition.

Shall we permit ourselves to become
the tools of organized fanatics that
are overruling our country at the
present time?
In confronting any problem, the
first thing is to get clear view of
the facts.
No great nation or people has ever
tried the complete suppression of al
cohol. The nearest we know of it was
the experiment in Russia. We know
the result and the same result will
follow in the United States
The immediate result of prohibition
will be a marked and dangerous in
crease in crime, insanity, discomfort
and unrest. Mobs and mob violence
will ensue and the Industrial Workers
of the World, (Which are the Boil
Sheviki of America) will attempt to
gain possession of the country and
their numbers will be enorm ously
augmented.
| beg to draw attention to the fact
| that the typical l. W. W., socialist.
anarchist or labor agitator is not an
alcoholic in any way, he is rarely a
user of fermented liquors. He is
| usually a prohibitionst.
Now that we have adopted Federal
prohibition by snap legislation not by
the voice of the people. (Which are
the principles upon which our gov
eminent was founded,) l trust Mr..
Chas. Aspinwall will be satisfied and
in order to make good the losses
caused by this piece of radical legis-
lation. he and his followers be taxed
accordingly.
In Canadian PROVENCE of British
Columb ia, which has had its bone dry
lesson, a peoples moderative party
| has just been formed to secure d
modification of the liquor law. Legis-
| lation will be asked to permit the
| sal of wine, beer and distilled liquors
under government supervision.
Norway went dry in 1915. Two
| years later a revolution was almost
| caused by the scarcity of liquor. Tho
| people threw out the Storthing (con>
| gress) and elected a new set of repre-
| sentatives pledged to reinsfate the
| liquor traffic
1t cannot be denied that many of
those i'll favor OF such prohibition are
| utterly unfit to pass judgment on so
| vital a question as the use of alcohol.
| Many belong to societies concerned
| in unjudicious reformation of the
| community of various kinds. Some are
! seekers after notoriety, some are we'll
| paid for their services, others are
| absolutely ignorant of the eects of
| alcohol being governed by long stand
| ing prejudice that has f1ourished in
| a narrow way.
| Even the most radical of we'll in
| formed reformers of an intelligent
| class hold that properly used distilled
| and other alcoholic liquors are harm
| full only when abused and Dr. Oslel
i said, In moderation, wine, beer, al~.
| spirits may be taken throughout a
| long life without impairing the gen
| eral health
In medicine, though certain pro.
| hibitionists would have us bellies
| otherwise, its use is often imperative,
| and if it were denied us many would
| have persisted in the epidemic lust
! passed.
In certain septic conditions it is q
| veritable specific and it's use in ex-
| haustion is sanctioned by eminent
medical men of all ages and nations
In order and civilized countries, ex.
perience has proved that the general
used beverages containing alcohol is
not only harmless but does much to
keep Tie people happy, orderly and
satisfied Will in others where total
| abstinence prevails the inhabitants
are dO1tr criminals or a 1nisera hle sct
DR.. Beverly Robinson in THE North
! American Review" says The senti-
| ment in favor of laws prohibiting tho
manufacture and sale of alcoholic
| beverages has been largely created by
the widespread circulation of state.
ments purporting to show that tho
use of intoxicating liquors is the chief
factor in causing insanity, crime
poverty and disease" This idea finds
expression in the statements now
being circulated in the press, that the
Incorporate use of alcohol is filling
our insane asylums, jails, poor-houses
| and cemeteries.
This assertion is generally accom-,
panied by the further statement that
prohibition of the liquor traffic mater
tally reduces the number of insane
| persons as compared with the num-
Der in prohibition territory
| To correct the mistaken impression
created by the constant reDetition Of
these assertions, it is only necessary
to examine the official records of tho
various states and United States CEN
sus report which shows that instea q
of alcohol being the chief cause OF
insanity, it is only one Of the least
! causes.
Further disproof Of the prohibition
list claims in regard to the relation OF
alcohol to insanity, are found in the
conclusions reached by eminent alien
lists and scientific students of the uues-
ton and state records showing that
prohibition does not diminish insanity
Quoting the venerable Cardinal
Gibbons, The law of prohibition
, strikes the individual liberty of wor-
shin. I have alNaNs heern il, fa,-o,. az