The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1923-10-25
People Who Die From Bad Liquor

result OF the liquor business. In
spite Of al. temperance agitation tho
booza business increased In dsstrue.
tlveneas until the advent OF national
prohibition. Since then the bless
frgs Of prohibition have been 80 Aevi.
dent. wherever the dry law has been
given any chance at all. that the
vets now are taking advantage OF
every crime and law violation in
desperate effort 10 create a psy.
chology that will bring about. In
some way. "A return Of the icgalizcd
liquor traffic. Let US remember.
that when We had the legallzed 81.
loon there never was a day when the
papers OF our land could not have
filed their columns with accounts OF
crime and misery directly resulting
from booze land vino and beer were
largely responsible lin fact. many
Of our worst DRINKS seldom touched
anything stronger" than bccrl. Mr..
Ager. editor OF Reform" n popular
weekly published al Eau Claire, Wis.
in recent EDITORIAL says in part:
AT the present time newspapers
turnout the country ARE serving ms
with unpleasant statistics cndeavor-
ing to prove tho failure OF prohibi.
ton. As a sample, the statement 81
made that during the first nine
months OF the present year no less
than 1000 human beings have lost
their lives. due to poison liquors Tin
Guiding INCONSISTENCY. In Minnesota
alone IL is alleged that poisonous
liquor has claimed 20 victims.
AS far back as 1ssO-or 80 years
ago, IL was estimated that 10000 PEG.
pie annually were killed by strong
drink in our land, and at that time
our population was very much small.
er than now. Counting tho Indirect
victims OF the liquor traffic q third
Of a century ago some 10000 were
claimed each year. and since then.
up till few years ago. In spite of
all temperance work, moral sunsion.
etc. the number OF victims increased
yearly.
Now II IL claimed that Mime.
sofas record for the past nine
months Is deplorable. or course, II
is deplor5ible. But let us go back 20
I years. In 1903 the editor attempted
to keep a list OF the Scandinavians
who came to an untimely end thru
liquor. In the first nine months Of
that year no less than 81 were re.
/ ported from the state OF Minnesota.
THE figures showed a high rate
In Minnesota as compared with wis
consin. in proportion TO the Scan.
dinayian population. only because Of
| the fact that the newspapers in that
state were more honest In giving the
facts than were the beer.controlled
newspapers OF WISCONSIN. Our large
Milwaukee dailies did not very often
state the true cause of drinkers
death, realizing that whenever they
lid so they helped TO indict the brew.
ers' business. The Scandinavians
contributed their quota OF victims.
but were no worse than other ma.
tiona,lties.
I'VE ought TO get down on our
knees and thank God because of tho
treat improvement In conditions.
Countless thousands have no doubt
Jeen saved from dying as drunkards.
Strange. isn't II. that our enemies
now charge us prohibitionists as be.
ing responsible for the victims of
moonshine7 Lord deliver us, we arc
not manufacturing any booze. The
present bad conditions are the after.
math Of the saloon days. And why
do we now hear SO much about
poisonous liquor? Surely they were
poisonous In former days too. when
vast numbers were killed annually"
The reason that Mr.. Ager kept n
list Of the scandinavians wss be.
GAUGE he was Norwegian editor and
prohibition lecturer and wanted to
hold up the effects Of liquor upon his
own people as warning.
Yours for law enforcement.
a. BERGH,
1926 N. Goth st.