Ti &&Q$t " J" v
OCW$MMf, . .;, J.
The Commoner
oiRS Voters of Ohio SMSSgSJ5SJgD' 8IX-
i
Following is a copy of a letter sent by Mr.
Bryan to the voters of Ohio, urging them to
abolish the saloon at the coming election:
"My dear Sir:' '
"The voters of Ohio will be called upon at the
coming election to decide a very important
question, namely, whether the saloon- shall be
permitted to exist. The question to be decided
today is entirely different from the question at
issue when a' vote expressed merely a personal
opinion or' preference. Today the saloon is an
out-law, a fugitive from justice. A majority of
the American people live in dry territory and are
represented .at' Washington by senators and
members wh6 vote for prohibition. National
prohibition is only a" question of a few years,
each state victory hastening the final triumph.
The party that espouses the cause of the liquor
interests is not only doomed to defeat, but to
disgrace, and the voter who takes the side of the
saloon against the home casts a vote which can
not be excused now, and for which he will have
to apologise later;
"We have long understood the evils of intem
perance as those evils that manifest themselves
in time of peace. To this information is added
the knowledge that wo have gained during this
war knowledge which proves alcohol even
more deadly in war than in peace. Nineteen
years ago the canteen was permitted in the
United States army, and in the war with Spain
each colonel decided whether there should be a
saloon in his camp A few years afterwards
congress drove the canteen from the army and
made it unlawful for any commanding officer to
permit the sale of liquor in his cam.p A few
years ago alcohol was driven from the navy, and
within a few months it has been made unlawful
for anyone anywhere to sell intoxicating liquor
to a man in "uniform.
"The old argument?! made in favor of the sa
loon have been demolished. The automobile
routed the personal liberty argument. A man
does not have to be run over by a drunken
chauffeur more than twice before he learns that
no man's personal liberty includes the right to
injure Lnother one.
"They used to say that the law could not be
enforced. t The Webb-Kenyon law recently sus
tained by' the United States supreme court
makes the enforcement of state laws possible.
The federal government has been taken out of
partnership with the boot-legger and brought
into partnership with the state. It used to be
argued that we could not afford to give up the
money derived, from the internal revenue license
and from saloon license. Russia was willing to
surrender i revenue of $450,000,000 rather than
permit the sale of 'vodka,' and the first thing
that sober Russia did was to drive the Czar into
exile and declare for a republican form of gov
ernment. Our government is strong enough to
authorize any one day a loan of billions of dol
lars such a nation does not need to sell its soul
to the liquor traffic in exchange for a few hun
dred m.'llions of re renue.
"If one is not driven to support prohibition
by economic arguments, he ought to be suscep
tible to an unanswerable moral argument,
namely, that no citizen can "fford to go into
partnership with the saloon and share moral re
sponsibility for what the salt on does. The sa
loon can not exist without vrotes; therefore, the
man who votes for the saloon is guilty equally
with the saloon-keeper for the evils which the
saloon is known to bring: the alienation of the
husband, the brutalizing of the father, -the im
poverishing of the family, and the ruin of young
women as well as young men. These are the
fruits of the saloon the saloon must, as long as
it exists, remain a menace to the home and all
that is high and hpjy. I hope, more, I feel con
fident, that Ofiio will improve this opportunity
to abolish the saloon and put herself in line with
the states that have enlisted in the war against
alcohol, man's greatest enemy.
"Yours very truly,
"W. J. BRYAN."
The chap -we used to envy because he so often
was invited td sit down at 'meat with kings will
have to pick; out a new Toute after the world has
been made safe "for demo.cracy and warm for
crowned heads. . Wonder what new phrase to in
dicate extreme honor and content the powers
will then invent
"And No Man PutteJi New Wine Into Old
"uu-uB. at. .Luke, 5:JJ7
Copyright: 1917: By John T. McCutchoon.
Chicago Tribune, Sept. 1, 1917.
Not Wise to Put New Wino Into Old Bottles
William Jennings Bryan was
asked at the University club today to give his
opinion of the President's note rejecting the
pope's peace offer.
"Since the war began," he said, "I have made
it a rule- not to discuss questions connected with
the prosecution of the war or terms of peace. I
do not want to violate that rulo further than to
say that the President has presented a powerful
indictment of the German government. His ar
gument is an amplification of a principle very
biiefly state in Holy Writ, l.amely: It is not wica
lo put new wine into old uuitiea tne spirit ot
democracy into autocratic forms of government."
Mr. Bryan refused to go further, saying: "My
work, as I conceive it, is to help to unify the na
tion in "upport of the government. If I were to
disouss the merits of propositions I would con
tinually arouse and encourage controversy. But
when I insist it is the duty of every citizen to
support his government in any act the govern
ment takes, I am presenting a proposition which
is not open to dispute.
"Ours is the best government in the world
it is a people's government and the govern
ment speaks for the people. The alternative is
anarchy the substitution of the Individual's
opinion for his government's decision." From
an interview in Chicago Journal, Aug. 30, 1917.
THE CItUSABjE AGAINST GAMBLING
The Washington papers announce that the
police have notified local societiea that raffles
are gambling devices and will not be permitted
in the District of Columbia even for the benefit
of charity. Good. The raffle is just as much a
game of chance as the wheel of fortune, and
even more objectionable because it is sugar
coated. The more worthy the object the more
attractive the vice and therefore the more dan
gerous. Gambling is a poison: it is as destructive to
morals as arsenic is to the body. Gambling
overthrows God's lav of rewards; it unfits its
victim for honest effort and legitimate accumu
lation. The District of Columbia is setting afe
good example to the states it Is worth follow
ing. '
Perhaps it is a vain and useless wish, but
there are some persons who like to keep in
formed upon the prospects for the future who
look forward some day to reading a review of
financial conditions and a prediction of what is
coins to happen soon that does not insist upon
regarding the effect upon the stock market as
the most important thing to consider.
When the matter was-suggested that the pack
ers were getting more than they were entitled
to the representative of one of these great con
cerns said that for the last six years the aver
age profits of his company was 10 per cent. For
a business that makes such small average re
?rn as that, the packers seem to have been
ablto multiply their investment very rapidly.
vr
Our-Banking SysteSi
Following s -. copy of n lottor sent by Comp
troller of the Curroncy WillJatnH to Seorotary
McAdoo, undor date of August 21: ' - ii
Hon. Win. G. McAdoo, '
Secretary of the Treasury,
ijaar Air. secretary: . V(,
I am miro that it will be gratifying to you tp
know what tho Ijjuros tell .us as to the Improve
ment which has takon place among tho banks of
tii iiuuunni naiiKing system as a result to a
largo extent of an Improved system of national
bank examination, of creator thoroughness In
these examlnutlons, and from tho policy of In
sisting that tho national banks shall obsorvo tho
provisions of the national lank act, Intonded for
the r protection and the p-otcctlon of their de
positors and shareholders.
I have beforo mo a statoment of national bank
failures for tho fiscal years from July 1, 1897.
to Juno 30, 1917.
Tho average Iobbcb to depositors for thlt en
tire period was reported at .009 per cont of total
deposits. Tho year ending July 1, 1914, 19 na
tional banks failed, with estimated resulting
losses to depositors of $1,505,000, or .018 per
cent.
Tho following year, onding Juno 30, 1915 (tho
first full year under tho prosont comptroller),
there wore only 10 natlona', banks failed, with
estimated loss to depositors of $441,000, or
.005 per cent.
Tho next year, onding Juno 30, 19 10, there
were 15 national bank failures, tho estimated
losses being reduced to $352,000, or .003 per
cent, while for tho year ending June 30, 1917,
there were only six national bank failures, es
timated losses being $309,000, or .003 per cent.
It is interesting to note that although tho
losses have declined from $1,505,000 for tho
year ending Juno 30, 1914, to $309,000 during
tho paot flooal yoar, dopoolln In tho uamo urSm,
have grown from 8,185 millions in 1914 to
12,769 millions at tho present timo.
Although tho deposits in tho national banks
at this time are approximately 100 per cent
more than they were Just 10 years ago, tho sum
total of losses for tho past 12 months is less
than one-half of what it was for either of tho
thr years onding June 30, 1908, 1909 or 1910,
and about one-sovenih of what they amounted
to for the year ending June 301900.
There are grounds for hoping that wo may bo
able to reduce still further tho numbers of na
tional banks failing per annum, and to Incroaso
the percentage paid to depositors of those that
have to go into liquidation.
I also have the pleasure of reporting that
there are at this time in operation in tho Unitod
States 7,653 national banks, a greater number
than ever beforo reported in tho history of tho
national banking system, and we have In the
office under investigation applications for ap
proximately 175 additional charters for national
banks. Faithfully yours,
JOHN SKELTON WILLIAMS.
The metropolitan newspapers are calling tho
farmers slackers because they did not drop all
of their fall plowing and seeding and other
work and start hauling wheat to market, and
are demanding that the government force them
to do so by threatening to reduce tho fixed prico
in the near future. You see millers and other
profiteering friends and associates sometimes
own or are able to got the car of city newspapers '
and thus aid them to get as much wheat as pos--slblo
that they may grind into flour and sell bo
fore the government can get around to fixing
flour and bread prices.
FOUND ON A DEAD SOLDIER
Ye that have faith to look with fearless eyes
Beyond the tragedy of a world of strife, . c
And know that out of death and night shall xm i
The dawn of ampler life; - ;
Rejoice, whatever anguish rend the heart.
That God has given you a priceless dower, . ,
To live in these great times and have your part
In Freedom's crowning hour.
That ye may tell your sons who see the light
High In tho heavens their heritage to taka-
"1 saw the powers of darkness put to fllcht, i.
I saw the morning break."
o
tfMi,wAM&- 'rf.l