Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1920-11-29
CIVIC LEAGUE SPEAKER
TELLS OF RESULTS
NATIONAL PROHIBITION

A Christian Civic League program
was carried out In several Of the
churches of the city Sunday and aheI
meetings were all very well attended
DR.. ]. Sidney Peters spoke at the
and at the Union meeting at the
Methodist church in the evening
Secretary Edward H. Emery OF the,
Christian Civic League spoke at the
Getchell street Free Baptist church
in the morning and at the Second
Baptist church in the evening, while
Secretary, c. r. Weddleton spoke in
the Congregational church in the
morning.
At the evening meeting, the Meth
odist church was filled to its capacity
and DIR. ]. Sidney Peters gave q clear
and concise statement Of what pa
tional prohibition is and what its ef--
fects on the country has been SO far.
He called attention to the significance
of the prohibition movement itself
with these evidences of present pro-
gress:
a That the statutes of the liquor
question in all of the As states, ex-.
ccpt Maine and Kansas, 10 years age
were framed under the influence of
and the benefit Of the German-Amcr-
lean brewers. Today, except in four
states. all Of these statutes have been
repealed ana state and national laws
have now been framed in regard to
The liauor question in the interest df
the people
20. Nothin, as charged. has been
put over on the absent soldier or any
one else in the adoption Of constitu-
tional prohibition. The Congress
which proposed it by two thirds ma
Jority was elected on that issue be-
fore this country ever declared war
and while We were trying to keep
out Of war. After its proposal by
Congress, the 4s states took up .ratifi-
cation under its representative form
Of government and discussed its pre-
and con. Forty-five of the states out
of the IS ratified that proposal. Many
of these states ratified when. eevary-
body had come back home. This over.
whelming reversal Of sentiment as
reflected by these As states is deeply
significant of pronounced change
in the sentiment Of the country.
IS. There Can 1be no graphic por-
trayal OF the reduction OF lunatics, epi-
leptics. idiots and feeble minded for
several years. but we have some
glfmpses Of the reduction in the COM
mitmeRts to prison and to the poor
house already. Tue. the statistics from
the 40 states are not yet complete for
the varying fiscal years Of the various
states will not admit it. One state
has made up It's comparisons. q state
of 100000 population. In that state
we find that the number of commit,
ments to penAcntiaries and iails under
the FIRST years operation of prohibition
was 10000 and the reduction In the,
rumber of enrolled p2upers was 2S,e00.
Carry these percentages through the
l10.O00.Q0O of people ,:in the United
states and II Is evident that the adop-
tion and Operation of prohibition In
this country prevents the commission
of more than 100000 crimes and n.
lieves the county of the care of more
Than 100000 paupers.
a. Ten years ago nine men out of
every 10 in the United States regularly
introduced small ration Of alcohol
into his physical organism. often IT,
nora1t Of its impairing and detrimental
eject. Today nine out of 10 men,
whether voluntarily or involuntarily.
are not introducing alcohol into their
physical organisms and we have the
promise Of generation OF Americans
born without the faint Of alcohol in
their blood This Is the supreme
achievement of the Christian church in
its combined activities in theS western
continent"
The speaker fi,sn attributed this rev.
olution to the combined activity Of the
Christian church and paid q GLORIOUS
tribute to the ficelity of Maine in pio-
neeripg this movement and carrying
Il on for so years. =.