Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-11

Poisoned" alcohol is in the lime
light again, following discussion of
fatalities among holiday drinkers and
an announcement from the Treasury
Department that a new method of
denaturing industrial spirits is being
sought with the intention of eliminat-
ing poisonous ingredients. The pres
ent policy of the Government is vigor-
ously assailed and as vigorously de-
Tended in the press.
1.-The horticulturist who doctored his
apples with arsenic or strychnine so
that persons who poached upon his
orchard should pay with their lives for
trespassing," declares the Baltimore
Sun, would find a mob of indignant
neighbOrs on his premises, but he
would be doing precisely what the
Government of the United States is
doing"
1--WE do not countenance the setting
of shotgun SO rugged that it will be
discharged point blank at the breast
of the marauding chicken thief as he
opens the hencoop door," says the
Lansing State Journal. Here in Ian
sing it is permissible to put up rods
and other guards to keep grown people
and children from cutting corners and
spelling slightly lawns, but it is not
permissible to wind the preventive
bars with murderouS barbwire.
X * 4; X
Quoting Wayne b. Wheeler's state.
ment that ''if the citizen goes ahead
and drinks bootleg alcohol he is in the
same position as the man who walks
into a drug store and buys bottle of
carbolic acid, carrying a poison label,
and drinks it," the Louisville Courier
Journal replies: HE does not take
into consideration that the man who
commits suicide by drinking carbolic
acid has no help from the Government
In his self.murder. But the poisoned
alcohol which kills the drinker is poi
soned by the Government"
when the poisoning of alcohol
amounts to the poisoning in greater
or less degree of individuals" the
Hartford Times contends. sit is diff
cult to see wherein the Government is
in a sounder moral position than are
the gentlemen who are now serving
prison sentences in this State for per-
forming the same operation"
I'm law, when the holder of a note
cannot collect from the signer, he can
proceed against the indOrSer. In
LIQUOR poisonings the Government has
been indorser for the bootlegger," in
the opinion of the Kansas City Times.
Poisoning industrial alcohol seems to
be the Government confession that
1t isn't trying its best to keep the boot
leggers from getting 1t. 1t is merely
trying to keep them from using it
after they get it, when 1t ought to
know they would just as soon use
poisoned LIQUOR as any other kind. 1t
would be Just as reasonable to give a
known bandit a gun after warning
him that it was loaded" is the judg-
ment of the Kansas City Times.
X * X x
Quoting an opinion which points out
that civilized nations are now divided
on the question whether country
fighting for it's existence is 1uStlfed In
using poison gas against an enemy,
the Rochester DemOcrat-Chronlcle re-
marks: However that may be, Score
tary Melons action is responsive 10 a
growing sentiment that the Govern
! ment is not justified in poisoning cltl-
Zens if they violate certain OF us
laws" The Asbury Park Press adds
the suggestion: Commit murder,
| highway robbery or violate a traffic
law and you are given your day in
court before sentence Is passed upon
you.> Our Constitution guarantees us
that Take a drink of liquor and all
constitutional guarantees are or.
Charging misrepresentation of what
the Government Is doing, however, the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin offers
| as it's explanation of the situation: "A
! teaspoonful of wood alcohol in pint
of bootleg is trimming measure of all
that can be charged to the Govern
ments denaturing, and while that may
not be healthful. it is not deadly poi
| sonous. What is actually poison
| whisky Is more likely to be amateur
connection with wood alcohol furnish
! ing all the kick, which Is regular
knock out stuff, or the product Of am