The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1921-10-14

support of it. Everyone now knows
the Volstead Law has suppressed
only the sale of mild beverages
like beer and wine, while it legal
lied and has encouraged the sale
of whiskey and pure alcohol. In the
language of Mark Twain, John
Barley Corn's death was greatly
exaggerated
"Mr. Volstead and his fellow
consprators simply sent out press
reports of fake funeral, then
quietly changed his place of bust.
ness from the corner saloon to the
| corner drug store and installed new
bartenders. Mr.. Barley Corn's bust
ness was put on Higher Plane
both in point of price as well as
personnel, by STIMULATING that only
men with a college degree may
legally serve the thirsty and, tc
encourage volume, the customer
must buy pint in place of 9
/ drink.
"The result has been to drive
those who formerly drank the mild.
er beverages in to becoming pa.
irons of the highpower stuff sold
in drugstores, or if his purse will
not permit this extravaganza, he
seeks satisfaction in the cheape,
substitutes of intricate formula
sold everywhere by bootleggers anc
moonshiners, each drink in many
cases, having meaning all it!
own,-the first wallop,-the sec
ond the ambulance,-the third the
morgue.
"The chief peril is in the wide
spread indulgence in these illicitly
made connections, the use of which
is constantly growing and the sup
ply increasing, if we may judge
from reduced prices offered bs
competing bootleggers as reported
by prohibition enforcing agents.
in a speech in Minneapolis last
week, Mr.. Volstead stated the an.
nual consumption of liquor in 1917
was 1853, 100000 gallons which was
reduced under prohibition to %,
100000 gallons.
"This was a deliberate attempt
to mislead the public. Mr.. Vol
stead's statement refers only tc
liquor legally manufactured. As
to the quantity illicitly made ana
used, Mr.. Volstead failed to give
any information.
81 have made inquiries in 8
number of communities and have
secured estimates from many
sources, the most conservative Oh
which was that for every gallon OF
liquor purchased in a legal way
from drug stores, fifty gallons were
obtained illicitly. Assuming the
sale of 2S,OOO,OOO gallons through
legal channels, which Mr.. Volsteac
consumption of strong liquor would
now be fifty times this quantity
or. the appalling total of one bill.
lion four hundred million gallons
or nine times the consumption pri-
or to the prohibitory law, ad.
ditional evidence that the Volstead
Law has simply converted many
beer and wine users into moon
shine and pure alcohol patrons
1t is this increased consumption Of
violently intoxicating beverages OF
mysterious origin that has caused
increased drunkenness and crime
throughout the nation.
SIN addition to the moral de-
graduation, think of the financial
drain upon the country involved
in the yearly purchase of over one
billion gallons of liquor at present
] prices which range from $1,000
to $1,000 per gallon. No wonder
bankers and business men are be-
coming skeptical of the wisdom of
the Volstead method of promoting
temperance.
''In recent interview Mr.. B.
A. Shriber, president of one of the
| largest banks in Akron, Ohio, said,
The bootleggers are to blame for
the financial depression. The moon
sinners dare not deposit their
gains in banks fearing coniscation
and the buyers of illicit booze are
compelled to draw heavily on their
funds.
"The experience of another
country having form of prohibi-
ton differing from the plan in
vogue here, may be of interest to
sincere friends of temperance. In
1916 the newspapers of the United
States carried the story that
France had adopted prohibition as
war measure. / served in France,
for nearly twenty months, with the
Rainbow Division and did not see
single intoxicated person among
the native population. About g.
100000 other Americans who were
in France at that time can bear
similar testimony.
"a few days ago our impressions
were corroborated by Mr.. William
C. Nichols, of the Northwestern
Miller, who had just returned from
abroad and said that he did not
see a drunken person during the
two months he was in France.
What striking contrast between
French sobriety and the deplorable
drunkenness and crime Volsteadism
has brought to America. This
makes an inquiry into the French
method of prohibition of peculiar
interest, in order to determine