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NOVEMBER 26, 1909
The Commoner.
EDUCATIONAL SERIES
The Evils of Alcoholism
Hereinafter will be found a press dispatch
from Washington, setting forth tho results o
tho international congress held in London last
July. Tho delegates from this country wero
appointed by Secretary Knox, and some twenty
Ave governments wero represented. According
to tho report, tho delegates from all these coun
tries concurred in a finding that alcohol is not
only unnecessary to human lifo and comfort, but
Is inimical -to both. The report will bo interest
ing reading to those who are studying tho
temperance question:
Washington, November 7. Alcohol and alco
holism are two of the real and substantial ene
mies of moral, artistic and commercial progress
of the human race, according to the report of
the United States delegates to the twelfth inter
national congress on alcoholism, made public
by tho state department today. Tho delegates
Kver appointed by Secretary Knox as one of
his first official acts. Tho congress was held
last July in London, and twenty-five govern
ments were represented, the delegates of each
concurring in the general finding that alcohol'
not only was unnecessary to human lifo and
comfort but was inimical to both.
Three departments of the United States gov
ernment were represented by delegates, tho
state, navy and the treasury. Twelve represent
atives went abroad, and all of them unanimous
ly signed the report made public today, tho
finding of which is to condemn the drinking
habit as-dangerous to public health and morals
and subversive of nation&l, moral, commercial
and military greatness.
According to tho report, the interest shown
In the congress was greater than ever before.
Because of the information evolved at the con
gress, the delegates accepted the invitation of
tho queen of Holland to hold their next meet
ing, two years hence, at The Hague in con
junction with the conference of the committee
that is working for international peace. .
While the congress urged the necessity of
imposing the most rigorous restrictions on the
eale and traffic in alcoholic liquors, it regarded
as equally important the need of educating
the younger generation to a true knowledge of
.what alcohol is and what its effects upon the
human system are. The delegates believe that
the numerous recent discoveries as to the harm
fulness of drunkenness and even of "moderate"
drinking, also, should be set before children in
order that they may see the danger of the prac
tice. The American delegates sum up this phase
of their report by saying:
"Increased teaching as to its character and
Influence should be provided to conserve Indus
trial efficiency in the commercial competition
of nations, as well as to promote two of tho
chief objections of government the public
health and morals."
The value of this method of combatting the
growth of the liquor habit is emphasized in tho
report. While acknowledgement is made that
.the organization of associations of juvenile ab
stainers is useful, it is declared, the chief re
liance should be placed on scientific temperance
education in the public schools as a means of
ridding the public mind of errors about the
effects of alcohol and substituting the facts that
science is declared to have evolved about the
use of the beverage, even when taken in small
doses.
In furtherance of this plan, Mrs. Edith Smith
Davis of Milwaukee, Wis., superintendent of the
World's and National Christian Temperance
(Union, and one of the American delegates, urged
he necessity of getting to the root of the mat
ter by compelling the curricula of normal
schools and universities to include such educa
tion. In this way, Mrs. Davis contended, the
younger generation would be assured of proper
instruction on the subject.
Miss Cora F. Stoddard of Boston, another
'American delegate and secretary of the scientific
temperance federation, also devoted to tho same
subject, her address which was the first paper
of the congress. In it she dwelt upon the Im
portant relations of such instruction in tho
schools to national progress. She put forward
the benefits derived by a number of countries
through the adoption of such a plan as proof
that it should become universal.
The United States, according to the report,
made an unusually good showing in its exhibits.
Germany also was to tho fore with a particularly
fine collection of colored charts showing tho
effect of alcohol on tho body, tho family and
upon society. Especially effective, it is said,
were tho stereopticon slides of tho National
Temperance League of Great Britain.
These stereopticon pictures, tho roport goes
on to show, wero largely reproductions of mu
nicipal posters that aro being issued by tho city
councils of about 100 British boroughs. Tho
posters deal in a popular way with tho dolote
rlous effect of alcohol on tho human system,
and are posted by order of tho regular officials
of towns in which tho sale of intoxicants is
licensed. This fact, however, does not prevent
the offlclals from warning tho public against tho
use of alcohol.
Following the example of Great Britain, tho
city and district officials of both Franco and
Australia likewiso have adopted tho "public
warning" method of advising tho people against
indulgence. Tho report deplores tho fact that
the same method has not yet found a foothold
in the United States, although such a plan has
been noted in certain cities, whoro posters in
veighing against tho use of alcohol havo been
issued by authority of the mayors.
"The relation of drunkenness to crime," was
a subject that received much attention at tho
congress. Tho chief justico of England, Lord
Alverstone, announced that fn his belief 90 per
cent of tho crimes passing under his observation
were due to drink.
Judge W, F. Pollard of St. Louis, Mo., who
presides at the second district polico court in
that city, declared that of tho cases passod upon
by him fully 85 per cent of thoso convicted
could charge their degradation to the uso of
alcohol. Lieutenant Colonel McHardy of Edin
burgh, Scotland, coincided with Judge Pollard
as to tho percentage of crimes occurring in tho
former Scotch capital.
Judge Pollard won tho support of tho dele
gates from twenty-three countries for the adop
tion of his plan to suspend sentence in the case
of every first offender who is brought into court
charged with drunkenness. This Involves such
first offenders signing a pledge to abstain for
one year. If the probationers fail to live up
to their pledge they may be arrested and rum
marily sentenced. The knowledge that ono
drink may mean a prison sentence, Judge Pol
lard argued, kept many a man straight until ho
had time to collect himself. The penalty for
failure to keep faith with tho court was not
settled, several of tho delegates arguing in favor
of various degrees of punishment. The prin
ciple, however, was regarded as admirable, and
400 delegates urged its adoption by the various
governments of tho world.
There was considerable debate on tho effects
of the use of small quantities of alcohol. Cer
tain of the delegates, according to tho report,
insisted that tho uso of alcohol, in whatever
quantity, was of tho greatest danger to the
human. Others contended that experiments
showed conclusively no harm resulted. No con
clusion was reached, the latter class maintain
ing that further experimentation should be un
dertaken before.any decision was reached.
While the congress took no action looking to
International organization for work, the meeting
resulted in tho organization of two new auxilia
ries. One is the International Prohibition Fed
eration, which proposed to wage an educational
campaign among adults, and tho International
Abstaining Teachers' Union, a society composed
of teachers in tho public schools and universi
ties who will pledge themselves to promote tho
temperance education of youth.
The United States delegates signing the re
port to Secretary of State Knox are: Rev. Wil
bur F. Crafts, Washington, superintendent of
the international reform bureau; Cora Frances
Stoddard Benton, secretary of the Scientific
Temperance Federation; Martha M. Allen, Mar
cellus, N. Y., superintendent medical temperance
department of the W. C. T. U.; Marie C. Brohn,
lecturer for permanent committee on temper
ance of the Presbyterian church of the United
States; George F. Cottrill, Seattle, Washington,
national grand chief of the Good Templars; Dr.
T. D. Crothers, Hartford, Conn., secretary
Society for the Study of Alcohol and Narcotics;
Edith Smith Davis, Milwaukee, Wis., superin
tendent Scientific Temperance Instruction So-
?iJ.y .lY' C T U': Dr n,d IIunt of the
unilod Statos marlno hospital and public health
service; G. Rowland Munroo, Newark, N. J of
tho Now Jersey anti-saloon league; Burton P.
L. Plead well. U. S. N.; Judge W. F. Pollard of
bt. Louis, Mo.; Charles Scanlon, Pittsburg, sec
retary permanent committee on temperanco of
tho Presbyterian church of tho United States.
A TEXAS PROTECTIONIST
Tho following letter Is nolf explanatory:
Lincoln, Nob., November G, 1900. Mr. John
II. Kirby, KIrby Lumbor Co., Dallas, Texas.
Dear Sir: I havo your second lottcr on my
return to tho city. I said in my first lottor all
that needed to bo said, nnd gavo your denial as
wldo publicity as I could.
AilBworing your Inquiry as to tho namo of
tho parson who called you a protectionist, 1 beg
to say that I do not remember from whom tho
information was received. But It Is not ncccs- ,
sury that I should quoto him as authority slnco
your second lottor gives sufficient ovldonco of
your being a believer In tho doctrlno of protec
tion. Tho language which you employ is the
samo that Is omployod by Uioho who openly do
fend tho protective system. You Insist that you
favor a tariff for revonuo only, but add that
you aro opposod to tho doctrine of free raw
material and add, "Especially Is this unfair un
der present industrial conditions In this coun
try, created by tho long continued policy of
PROTECTION." You arguo that since wo havo
a "long continued policy of PROTECTION" wo
must PROTECT tho producers of raw material,
and you evidently includo the producers of lum
ber among these. If that Is not PROTECTION,
what is It? Tho Dallas Times-Herald uses a
part of your argument In ono of Its editorials
and concludes: "Tho man who toils and sweats
under Old Glory is entitled to somo PROTEC-
TION . since PROTECTION Is tho fixed policy
of tho federal government." You will noo that
you and tho TImcs-IIorald aro In perfect accord
on this subject, but It confesses that it favors
PROTECTION while you dosiro tariff for revenue
only. Protection is just as objectionable when
called a "revonuo turltt" as whon.lt utalkH forth,
under its own namo.
I am glad that you wrote your second letter;
I am encouraging expression from thoso who
advocato a tax on raw material, for no ona can
write much, or talk long, In favor ot a tax en
raw material without convicting himself of Do
ing a protectionist. If tho lumbor tax docs not
make lumbor dearer to tho consumers, it can
not benefit the producers of lumber; If it d)ca
benefit tho producers of lumbor, It is at tho ex
panse of tho consumers of lumber. It is imma
terial which position you tako.
To relieve your fear that frco lumbor will
reduco tho revenue and compel increased taxa
tion on other goods, I beg to bring to your at
tention a fact which protectionists purposely
overlook, namely, that those who advocato freo
raw material also demand SUCH A REDUCTION
IN MANUFACTURED GOODS duties in many
cases prohibitory THAT MORE REVENUE
WILL BE COLLECTED THAN NOW while
prices will bo lower to consumers.
Your letters have contained a great deal of
immaterial matter as to tho management of your
company's business. As I am not informed as to
the amount of cash actually invested, as to the
salaries paid to the offlclals, as to wages re
ceived by your employes as compared with wage
received by those engaged in unprotected In
dustries, etc., I am not prepared to discuss the
matter or pass judgment on the methods em
ployed by you or your company. I do know,
however, that the tariff which you think it would
be "unfair" to remove because of the "long
continued policy of protection" can not help
those who ask it without putting an unfair
burden on tho consumers.
Very truly yours,
W. J. BRYAN.
IHSTORIO BIBLES OF AMERICA
Rev. John Wright, D. D. LL. D author of
"EaTly Prayer Books of America," and "Early
Bibles of America," has just published (Thomas
Wittaker, Publisher, Bible House, New York) a
new book entitled "Historic Bibles In America."
The contents show that the author has been
very diligent in his search for Bibles of historic
interest. The Bibles owned by the presidents
and other men in public life, Bibles which be
came prominent in the confederate states,
Bibles owned by churches, educators, historians,
scientists, and other persons, aro described and .
locatedv. It will interest thoso who havo made
a study of rare books. ,
Ai--s-Mask-i-