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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1915)
W jryy "",' 'nr V The Commoner y. VOL: 15, NO. 8 ! 14- -r Hi is . Prohibition Facts Ex-Govbrnor R. B. Glenn of North Carolina has compiled the "PROHIBITION FACTS' of tho states of North Carolina and Kansas, com paring theni with the statistics for the state of - Pennsylvania. Tho figures for North Carolina are obtained frojm tho auditor's report and letters; and the figures for Kansas from tho report of the attorney-general and tho American, of Philadelphia. Thoso from Pennsylvania are taken from tho au ditor's report of that state. Ed. ' . KANSAS AND NORTH CAROLINA COMPARED WITH PENNSYLVANIA . In the state of Kansas there are. 105 counties. In North Carolina iOO counties; in tho state of Pennsylvania there are G 7 counties. . Kansas and North Carolina have state-wide prohibition. ' Pennsylvania has high license, and what they call "Regulation under the Brooks Taw" , A study of the conditions in these states fur nishes material for the conclusion that, prohibi tion is vastly preferable either to local option or high license. ' IN KANSAS ' 57 Counties out of 105 No inmates in poor house. . 63 Counties out pf 105 No prisoners in jail. 54 Counties out of 105 No feeble minded de pendents. C3 Counties out of 105 No convicts in state ' .prison. 87 Counties out of 105 No insane in asylums. . 9 G Counties out of 105 No inebriates. ,Tlier.e-is on deposit in Kansas over two hun dred million dollars, which would give to every man, woman and child in Kansas, $118.00 in cash; and If each man, woman arid child had their share of the state's assessed wealth, they would flave $1,G84.00 apiece. Thirty years, ago 49 per cent of Kansas' pop ulation was illiterate. Now only 2 per cent. ;' Thirty years ago the death rate was 17 to ev ery 100,000 inhabitants. Now it is only 7 to every 100,000. Tho Kansas school fund is now over $10,000, 000, and there are over 400,000 school children, and out of this number it is stated that 98 per cent have never seen a saloon. The annual, consumption of intoxicating liquors in Kansas is $i.48 per capita; while in' the neighboring state of Missouri, where they have open saloons, it is $24.00 per capita. In other words the Kansas man has $22.52 more to ' spend on food; clothing and education than the man in Missouri. ' ' .. PENNSYLVANIA , In contrast with these facts, it will not be amiss to quote statistics taken from the state or Pennsylvania. ....' . In 19.1 1-12 the record shows , that thoso in work-houses, penitentiary," reform schools, and jails were 8a,254, or one in every 95 of popu lation.. " The poverty .statistics,-show that there were 73,214 dependents or one in every 105 of-the population. That the feeble-minded dependents and insane dependents were 19,101, or one in every 385 of thopopulation, and that, out of the 67 counties in." the staje of Pennsylvania, every county Jhad. inmates in jails, alms-houses, re formatories, asylums and state prison. . NORTH CAROLINA ,. ., . . In. 'connection with these, facts showing, .the benefits" of state-wide prohibition, it may bo well also- to give some figures in North Carolina. It is known that prohibition went into effect in North Carolina in 1909, not quite six years ago, and in the last seven and a half years, illiteracy . among tho white population has diminished more rapidly than in any state in the mnion. Chief Justice Walter Clark, in a letter of De cember 9, 1914, says: "Prohibition has been a success in North Carolina ;n every way. It has decreased crime, improved morals and given the - state the greatest impetus thas. it has received in my recollection along the pathway of progress " and development. I can not better sum up the situation than by. saying that with us prohibition has been an unqualified success.' Hon. J. Y. Joyner, superintendent of public in struction ia North Carolina, in a letter of De Veinber 14, 1914, says: ."Ther has been a great decrease in drinking and drunkenness since tho adoption of prohibition in this state, as well as a most encouraging elevation of public stand ards of morality, education and citizenship. The value of public school property has been doubled. The annual school fund has been nearly doubled, and the minimum school term has been length ened more than a month, and a demand for pub lic education has been greatly strengthened by the driving out of liquor. While all these things can not justly be ascribed to prohibition, a new spirit of hope, progress and pride, fostered by the spread of a greater sobriety among the mass es, and the happiness, contentment and pros perity brought into thousands of homes by Jhe elimination, of drunkenness, and its attendant waste and extravagance, by prohibition, .war rants the conclusion that it has been one of the most potent factors in bringing, these things to pass." The following facts from the auditor's report . also show what prohibition has helped to accom plish. Personal property valuation 1908 $ 74,000,000 Personal property valuation. 1913. 212,000,000 Total revenue receipts- in 1908 .... 2,613,000 Total revenue receipts in 1913. . .". 3,666;000 Money on deposit in 1908. 3, 000,000 Money on deposit in 1913 . . . . . . ." 116000,000 4 years average tax receipts (local option) . ........; 2,330,0Q0 4 years average tax receipts' (pro hibition) . . . . . : 3,204,000 Valuatiomof all property in 1908. . 576,000,000 Valuation of all property in 1913. . 741,000,000 In giving these figures I do not give fractions only the gross amounts. Also note that 1908 is the last year of license, and 1913 the last year under prohibiten in which figures have been given. Any casual observer can note th$ decrease in. drunkennessin North Carolina, and the business men of the state will almost unanimously assert that the driving put of liquor has helped their business, as men now spend their money for the" necessities, of life, and for the education of their children, where it was formerly wasted in strong drink. . Tho moral tone of the state has also been greatly strengthened. Church membership and Sunday-school attendance increased, and attend ance on public schools almost doubled. These are but few of the facts that could be given, showing that it is best to drive the saloon out of the state, and it is to be hoped that lead ing politicians and business -men seeing the good effects of temperance in those states that have tried it, will lend their, aid-toward driving sa loons out of the entire nation. Senator Oliver of Pennsylvania can not ha ac cused of. having a sense of; humor. ,In 'a' state ment recently issued ho solemnly declared, that, ho would no longer, "accept or .assume responsi bility for tho formation pf Ifckets," a, duty that Keystone republicans, have .been solemnly as- sured for years was their sole privilege. There is no need, however, for .despair to mount their .brows.. Boies Penrose. is still on the job and willing. - The opponents of presidential primaries are now citing the constitution to prove that con gress has no authority to cpntrollthe nomination of political parties by awarding their nomina-, tions to those candidates who receive the largest aggregate vote. It would be curious if the nation as a wholo has not the power to do that which each -separate state composing the nation has, tho right to say how its officers shall be elected! The world does move. No less a person than Senator Elihu Root is the author of a clause that" it is proposed to insert in the New York state constitution malting it easier for the people to impeach a duly-elected officer. He'suggests it as a means of satisfying the demand of the people who have been clamoring for the recall. In a few more years he will be claiming to have been one of the early defenders of the recall. The more strong young men. .a nation loses in one generation the more weaklings it will have in the next generation. War is a huge molly coddle factory Dr.. David Starr Jordan preached this doctrine long before the war. Ho is Btm preaching it and it has not been disproven It wll continue to be true, though civilized man wipes himself .out entirely, or fights himself into a race of jelly-fish. San Francisco Bulletin THE-POLITICAL SITUATION (Continued from Page Seven) plunderbund whenever it shows its hand. Wo have made great progress since 189 G in tho restoration of the government to the people, but a great deal remains to bo done wo must hold tjie ground we havo already taken and wo must make new advances. The reduction of the tariff was.a great accomplishment; tho enactment of the income tax law was an important step toward justico in taxation; the new currency law not only freed the business world from the dictation of a group of financiers, but-it released, the pol itics of tho country from .the .tyranny of a hand ful r of- money magnates who were able to coerce more than a million voters . at any time they -felt ifc to their pecuniary advantage to do so. We have entered upon tho overthrow of privato monopoly; wo havo secured tho election of United States sen ators by direct vote of the people; we havo abol ished Cannonism in tho housoand shall doubt less secure a cloture rule. in the senate and thus end tho power of a minority to prevent remedial legislation. These are some of the things that havo been accomplished; and there is mora work to do 'along tho samo line.' Whilo this work has not all been accomplished' by tho democratic party, the democratic party has furnished tho leadership and laid out the lines upon which these reforms have been secured. , .There is every reason for encouragement, therefore. Demo crats rejoice greatly over what has been accom plished and should enter with renewed vigor and increased faith upon tho work yet to bo done." Q. "What are the republican prospects?" A. "They have rip prospects. They have sim ply possibilities, and these, possibilities depend largely upon Mr. Roosevelt. If he decides to maintain an independent organization and is either a candidate himself or supports some other progressive, the republican party will re main divided and thero will be little chance for tho success. of either branch of tho republican party as long as the party ic divided. If Mr. Roosevelt goes back to. the republican party he will carry back with him those progressive re publicans who left tho party out, of personal at tachment to him, while the democratic party can hope to gain the support of tho progressives who are really opposed to republicanism as repre sented by the leadership of the regular repub lican party. The Taft branch of the republican party has made no concession to progress. Its leaders are not only unrepentant, but are boast ful of standpattism. They desire success in or der that they may undo what has been done. They would turn tho tariff law over to tho pro tected interests and would allow these interests to collect such tribute as they desire. They would turn tho financial system back into the hands of Wall street and let Wall street use it as it desires, and give free rein to the private mon opolies which havo preyed' upon tho public. Mr. Roosevelt can strengthen tho chances of the standpatters by. going back, or ho can destroy their chances .by continuing . tho progressive re publican organization. I am not, willing to ven ture a. guess as to what ho intends to do." The eastern press, which has taken over the task of running the government in spite of the fact that the people selected President Wilson lor tho job, has now started upon, tho trail of Secretary Daniels. He is being cartooned and lampooned and otherwise marked as being in high disfavor with the ecfltor.ial Warwicks. Sec retary Daniels, it will be recalled, banished booze from the navy- and refuses to stand for a waste ful program of naval expenditure. - The new federal trade commission is now com ing in for some criticism because it proposes es tablishing zones of instruction in which experts will teach, modern efficiency methods to manu facturers. It is claimed that this will afford a system of espionage over private business that is undesirable by private business interests. We opine that there are a number of manufacturers who would npt like to have some federal official know what their costs were, especially during a tariff revision. The people of the United States are a compo site of nationalities, and the difficult p irt of the task the jingoes have set themselves is to cause enough of them to hate the people of some other nation so strongly that they will be willing to spend the millions necessary to build up a var establishment. . ; nil 1 1 1 1 'ifl noon