The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1923-07-13
BAKER PUTS C0UzENS IN
beer WAGON PURSUERS
Declares Michigan Senator Has
Joined Class of Edwards, Eft
AL, as Booze Apologist
PLACE IN NOISY MINORITY
League Superintendent Refutes
Argument in Favor of Beer
and Light" Wines

Commenting on the statement by
Senator Couzens of Detroit that pro-
hibition is ridiculous and that per
cent beer is rot Intoxicating, DR.. P. A.
Baker, general superintendent of the
Anti-Saloon League of America, has
the following TO say;
Senator Couzcns of Michigan has
joined Senators Edwards of New Jer-
sey, Stanley of Kentucky, Reed OF
Missouri and Shields of Tennessee, in
their pursuit of the beer wagon. The
people of Michigan must feel very
proud of their appointed senator, see
ing that the state before national pro-
hibition came voted dry by $4,000 ma
jority and two years later when the
vets forced the vote on the issue OF
beer and wine and were beaten by
more than 100000 majority. 1t is sur
prising that Senator Couzens would
attempt to use the thrashed over and
abandoned argument that was used by
the ignorant saloonkeepers when they
were forced to close the doors of their
grog shops-viz., advantage was taken
to force prohibition on the country
during the World War. If the senator
knew as much about public events as
twelve-year- school boy should
know, he would understand that every
man who went overseas that was Of
age had All opportunity to vote for
the senators and congressman that
submitted the Eighteenth Amendment
and that was an issue in most of their
elections.
THE senator's statement that the
prohibition law is ridiculous and I'M
possible of enforcement sounds bad
coming from a United States senator.
He Classics himself with that rapidly
decreasing but very noisy minority
bent upon the notification of the fun
danetal law of the republic because
he finds his own drinking habits in
terferred with.
His couple of glasses of beer in .
Quebec is the small crack in the fence
that enables one to see over very
large field A man may have been
drinker of beer and good citizen, but
he cannot be the best citizen if he is
not willing to give up some of his
habits and pleasures for the public
good. Moreover, if the law is soiif1s' ?
possible Of enforcement, why did the
senator have to go over to Quebec-to
get his beer? Certainly it is not his
high respect for the law Of his coun-
try, judging from his utterances. IS
Is Beer Taking Effect n2
"His statement that per cent beer
is not Intoxicating and no sane body
would maintain that it was, reads like
the Quebec beer was taking effect. We
have seen, and so has he seen, hun
dreds of cases of maudlin drunken
ness produced by drinking beer of less
than per cent alcohol.
IF the senator will point to single
case in this or any other country-and
the experiments have been numerous
where beer and wine have been le-
galized and they did not at once have
the whole curriculum of alcoholic bev-
erages, we will concede his ridiculous
arguments. In one breath he states
the country does not want prohibition
now and in his next breath he states,
i will never tolerate the return of the
old-tine saloon This is the argu-
ment that all ex-brewers, distillers, sa-
loonkeepers and drinkers are now
overworkng in order to get the enter
ing wedge OF beer and wine. 1t is as
impossible to have wine and beer and
not have the old-time saloon as it
would be to food the water mains OF
the city with typhoid germs and not
have an epidemic of typhoid fever,
at is pity that the senator. so soon
after his appointment should have
struck the back track of civilization"