Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise. (Pocomoke City, Md.) 1921-1953, 1924-02-16
Peoples Column
To the Citizens of Pocomoke City and
Vicinity:

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Last week a petition was circulated
in our midst, addressed to the Legis-
lative Representatives of Worcester
county, praying them to have amend
ed law OF Worcester county which
now prohibits any drug store from
dispensing liquor. If this requested
amendment is passed, the law, so far
as Pocomoke City is concerned, would
be repealed and it would become pos
sible for our drug stores to become
semi-bar rooms, just as they have
done practically wherever the privi-
lege has been granted for druggists
to dispense liquor.
The sponsors of the petition in
question are not the physicians nor
the sick, so far as we have been able
to learn, and we can, therefore, easily
surmise the motive prompting it.
They have used the specious plea that
whskey is legitimate drug; that
patient should be able to secure it
without delay or inconvenience. If
this statement were true, and if all
physicians and all druggists were
honest and conscientious and law "a
biding, no one could or would object,
either to physicians prescribing
liquor or to drug stores dispensing
it. But is liquor necessary or bene-
fetal drug? Let us examine the
facts as obtained from the records of
the United States government. I'm
der the national law any physician
who prescribes liquor OF any sort must
first take out permit issued by the
Government to do so.
Please note these facts:
There are in the United States
145,608 registered physicians; of this
number only 40806 hold permits to
prescribe liquor. Think of it! Seven
ty-two per cent of the physicians in
tho United States never prescribe
liquor and only twenty-eight per cent
do.
If one were seriously i'll and one
consultatio and twenty-eight of them
said use another certain drug, which
group Of doctors would you choose
to obey?
No physician has lawfully prescrib-
ed or druggist dispensed, whiskey or
brandy in the state of Maine since
1858; in Kansas since 1881; in North
Dakota since 1889; in Oklahoma since
1908; in Georgia since 1908; in North
Carolina since 1908; in Mississippi
since 1909; in Tennessee since 1909
and in thirteen other states since
1916-1918. There are 33 states in
which only nine per cent of the ply
sicians have taken out permits to pre-
scribe liquor and ninetyone per cent
have not. With these facts, can it be
claimed that liquor is a necessary or
beneficial drug? Leading physicians
claim there are other drugs which are
better and more to be desired.
Now let us see how the dispensing
of liquor by drug stores has been a
bused in states where they are allow
ed to dispense it.
The writer saw the statement re-
Gently, which doubtless can be veri-
fed by government records, that dur
ing the past twelve months the drug
stores, in the few states where they
are granted permits, dispensed three
pints of liquor us an average for ev-
cry man, woman and child in the
whole United States.
We presume not over fifty per cent
Of the druggists in Maryland dispense
liquor and yet the same statement de-
clared that for every man, woman
and child in this, our State, for the
past twelve months, there was dis
pensed by the druggists an average
of five pints of liquor. Does any one
presume to believe that ten per cent
even of those prescriptions were legi-
innate? Of course not.
The writer is reliably informed of
an INSCRIPTIONS syndicate which is
putting in line of so called drug
stores in strategically selected towns,
ostensibly to sell drugs, but in reality
to sell liquor. The same informants
stated that this syndicate proposes to
put four of their places in Ocean
City and two of them in Pocomoke
City should this proposed bill be pass
ed. Do We want such business, and
moral ulcers in our town? God for
bid! CITIZEN.