The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-10-06
ON THE NATURE AND QUALITY
OF THE WHISKY BUSINESS

Some manufactured things are evil
in their very natures, evil from some
circumstance that goes before their
manufacture, or accompanies IL, or
evil from the uses TO which they are
put. There is one article that els
evil for all four reasons. And the
making Of that article is an. evil act
from the very beginning, for some
thing good and wholesome must first
he destroyed in order to begin the
process. Also those who manufac-
ture and sell the article are more
evil than the article itself, for they
are its makers. The article is whis-
Ky; and the manufacture, sale and
consumption thereof is the whisky
business.
The whisky business is bad for
everybody. II is bad for those, the
products Of whose labor is turned in.
to poison. II is bad for the man who
makes Che article, il is bad for the
man who sells it. IL is bad for the
man who consumes it, and it threat
ems the existence Of the State. Il is
a colossal evil II is evil in all it's
aspects and from every point Of
view. The worst man that you can
find can say no good thing for it.
The maker of whisky is law
breaker and the creator of a deadly
engine of destruction. Any other
powerful thing can be used for some
good purpose, but not whisky.
Whisky is the outlaw of Creation. 1t
is altogether evil, and nothing else
is more evil except the man who
makes it. ,
The whisky business is bad for the
man who sells whisky. He Is q bad
man. A man who steels ten dollars
from his neighbor has damaged his
reighbor to the amount of ten dol.
lars. The man who sells his neigh
Dor a gallon Of whisky for ten dol.
lars has sold him something that is
worthless, that will injure him, and
has taken his money besides. There
fore, the man who sells whisky is
worse than the thief who steals
and in his heart he knows it.
The man who buys whisky is a
weakling. He is less than a proper
man, for a proper man is not a
weakling. The man who lets his
mind be ruled by his thirst has
mind that is weaker than his body
The great difference between men
and beast is, that in beasts the mind
is weaker than the body, and in the
normal man the mind is stronger
than the body. The drunkard has
the principal characteristic of the
beast, but beast will not get drunk.
Hence il might be said that a beast
is stronger than a drunkard A
beast rs more steadfast and reliable
tran a drunkard, for when a man
drinks, he is insane TO the extent of
his drunkenness. And. again, beasts
do not get drunk.
When the Government permitted
the manufacture and sale Of liquor
by license, the liquor people were
divided. Those who dealt. in intoxi-
cants according to law joined forces
with the decent people to make war
upon the moonshiners and bootleg
gers. But now both elements of the
liquor people are united. and they
present solid front backed by hun.
dreds of millions of dollars and all
the sinister influences in both houses
of Congress and in the country at
large.
The nature and qualities of the
whisky business are altogether evil,
and those engaged in it are thoroly
dishonorable. They have lost their
self-respect, and the respect of all
honest and decent people. They are
beyond the pale. They are a class.
The decent people are the other class.
The Prohibition issue is struggle
between the indecent and dishonora-
BILE people on one side, and the hon
orable and decent on the other.
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