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About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1918)
WW" 4&. The Commoner VOL. 18, NO. 3 II IB I It; Iff The Case Against Alcohol First. Alcohol Ib a poison and is Injurious to tho body, the mind and tho morals. Second. No ncrmal brain needs alcohol to Htlmulato it to action. Third. No ono is strong enough to begin tho alcoholic habit with tho certainty that he will not bocoino Its victim. Fourth. Thoro Is no tlmo In life when It is safo to begin the use of Intoxicating liquors. Fifth. No "no has a mcral right to impair his capacity for service by deliberately con tracting a habit which ho knows to bo injurious. Sixth. No one can. afford to spend any money for' alcoholic drinks when so many worthy causes need aid. Sovonth. No ono can justify before tho bar ol conscience tho putting of his influence on tho side of a habit which brings thousands to tho grave ovory year. Eighth. No ono should put temptatlor in the way of othors by offering tho social glass. If tho use of intoxicating liquor is harmful, no community can defend tho policy of licens ing tho saloon which conspires against tho wel fnro of tho pooplo, and no citizen by his vote should becomp a partner In the saloon business Unless ho Is cady to sharo moral responsibility for what tho saloon does. Prohibition has been testod by experience and sustained in principle by tho highest court in tho land. Exporlonc also has shown that tho largor tho unit tho easier the enforcement of prohibition. , ,'Thd attompt to shield tho liquor traffic be hind tho doctrine of states' rights is a sham and a fraud. Tho men who use tho states' rights argument In dofenso of saloons today aro, in almost every case, men who have op posed prohibition by state,-county or any small er unit. To the economic arguments, which have been strengthened by experience, and the moral ar guments, which have grown stronger v. ith the rise of ethical standards, two patriotic argu raonlb can bo added. First, we can not spare fo alcohol tho foodstuffs needed for the table and, second, wo can not in this crisis permit in tqxcants to lesson tho lighting power of our soldiers, or tho producing power of those who toll in field and factory. W. J. BRYAN. MR. THOMAS' APPEAL On another pugo will bo found an appeal by Mr. Addison C. Thomas, for many years prom inently identified with the Associated Press. He is convinced that the food question is a very sorious ono more serious than is generally supposed and ho outlines remedies that are likely to be resorted to if the ,ar continues Tho strain is felt 2rst by the young men of military age and the- taxpayer, but as the war goes on the burden will be distributed until overy man, woman and chUd will be called on to contribute in service or sacrifice We must all be rcidy to do our part and to do t as needed. There can be no excuse for sacking or shirking in a crisis like the present. CALL SPECIAL SESSIONS In every dry state which has a dry governor and a dry egislature, the legislature shouhlSe assembled in special session to ratify the nn tional prohibition amendment. Each ratification swells the tide against tho saloon and iesses the number of states in which a. fight is neces Sliry W. J. BRYAN. MANY THANKS It Is hard to find anything whollv hn,i n cloud generally has "a silver iTning " Zn" premature death notice has its advktnn 5 generally brings out kind words that h?v wft unspoken during life. So the TorontnVrf;, i66 has unloosed a flood of friiJ? incident which I greatlyaapflp0r0edCiatef 'XXsTeThe'v eVcau misinformed ex-soidie FftJt VtwS S housand ex-soldiers in the city ihn n the meeting (only one of tithl rbed and made it lifflcuU fo th? f ,metlnes) cent of the audience tXa'? T JBrAV" THE NATIONAL DRY FEDERATION The following telegrams explain themselves: Hon. W. J. Bryan, Pope, Ark. Twenty-eight national organizations, includ ing Federal Council of Churches, Christian En deavor Society, Trade Union, Dry League of America, Prohibition Party, Woman's P)101 tion League, Catholic Priests Prohibition League, Sons of Temperance, Good Templars, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Unitarian, Re formed, Christian, and other churches and or ganizations, unanimously request you to accept the presidency of The National Dry Federation. Ratification of the national amendment, success in six states which vote in November, and con servation of men and resources through war prohibition, make union of forces imperative. Without distinction of creed, party, race or oc cupation, we offer you the leadership of the largest prohibition organization ih the world, and promise loyal, enthusiastic support. CHARLES SCANLON, Temporary President. Rev. Charles Scanlon, Temporary Pres., National Dry Federation, LaSalle Hotel, Chicago, 111. My dear Mr. Scanlon: I bog to acknowledge receipt of your telegram and to express my profound appreciation of the confidence implied. The character of the or ganizations represented by the National Dry Federation, the number and high, purpose of the citizens for whom it speaks and the far reaching importance of the work outlined these, taken together, compelled acceptance of the invitation so generously extended, Relying upon the sympathetic and unselfish co-operation of the splendid men and women whose energies are thus united in a noble cause, I place myself unreservedly at the command of the Federation, and pledge it my services until the saloon is banished from the land. I desire an early con ference with you and the other officials that no time be lost. With cordial greetings, I am, Very truly yours, , WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN. A WOMAN WINS Mrs. Boole, president of the Woman's Chris tian Temperance Union of New York, carried off the honors at the Albany hearing on Feb ruary 26 th. Ex-Senator Bailey of Texas made an eloquent plea against ratification of the pro hibition amendment, and Mrs. Boole informed the audience that the distinguished gentleman had used the same speech against the suffrage amendment before a committee at Washington Mr. Gompers praised Porto Rica's wine rooms and Mrs Boole informed the audience that Porto Rica's native population had re cently voted ihe saloons out of that island. Mr. Gompers belittled the value of barley as a bread grain, and said that he had never eaten any barley bread. Mrs. Boole replied that she had eaten both barley bread and barley cookies and then modestly reminded Mr. Gompers that KiS; to rformero8netho1 exolu her hands while they rob her home o thS children in whom she has invested her life The women of New York vote, and they have a worthy representative and champion $ The esteemed New York World is as lmHoi as ever. It says that the adoption of nitwi prohibition will be a triumph for fanaS over reason. That is to say, if you d ll right to get drunk when you please ,the of what happens to other person X!iZlQfZ necessity of furnishing facilities for that nu atic6' Yet uff nable beInS and ot a fan" rin t ricti0Darmte sist on refer ring .to a fanatic as one havim? extra , ns as to his rights or desIr"oXw "" leTdla ptUloiSateebr,la hav that suspended th i limited MffM5S r,efer(mdu by the 1917 lecislatuT ami ?uffraSe law passed r,ip it K'siatiKe, and have a great dnni r proof in support of their charce th XL ot The Amendment Will Be Ratified The contest i8 on between the home and it8 greatest enemy, the saloon. The cause of pro. hibition has passed through the narrows and now has clear sailing. Seven years have been given for ratification, but hardly more than three will be required, and the end may come in even less time. The economic argument we have had with us always, but It has been strengthened by experi ence and scientific investigation. The moral ar gument has grown as the public conscience be came more sensitive. And now to former argu. ments we can add two which are in their nature patriotic; first, that we can not spare breadstuffs for the maufacture of alcohol; and second, that we need one-hundred-per-cent men, and can not permit either our soldiers at the front or our producers at home to he incapacitated by the use of intoxicants. W. J. BRYAN. NATIONAL PROHIBITION ASSOCIATION 3TORMBD A Chicago, 111., dispatch, dated March 5, says: Formation of a National Dry Federation, which will be composed of practically every leading prohibition society in the country and will be the biggest organization in the world opposing liquor, was announced here tonight. William Jennings Bryan is president of the or ganization and active speaking .campaigns will be started at once. The three fundamental objects of the organ ization are ratification of the national prohibi tion amendment in ttj,e shortest possible time, success of the prohibition campaigns in the six states which vote on the question in November, and immediate war prohibition for the avowed purpose of "conserving the man power and re sources of the nation." Included, in a long list of governors, senators, representatives and congressmen who are ex pected to take active part in the work of the or ganization are Governors Milliken of Maine and Whitman of New York; benators Kenyon of Iowa, Borah of Idaho and Sheppard of Texas; Representatives Webb of North Carolina, Ran dall of California, Fess of Ohio, Barkley of Ken tucky and Kelly of Pennsylvania. National headquarters of the association will be at Pittsburgh. Branch offices will be opened in Chicago, Washington and New York and many other bureaus will he established. The fed eration starts work with more than $100,000 paid into the treasury and several hundred thousand dollars in addition pledged. Besi.des independent prohibition societies the National Trades Union prohibition organizations are merged into it, and State Senator Richard Jones of Duluth, president of the National Trades Union Prohibition Society, will be one of the active campaigners. The federation actually was organized in New A. ? ,week ag0 at a Private meeting of more than thirty of the chief national prohibition so iv?8?ut announcement of its formation was withheld until Mr. .Bryan accepted the presi xt L rV Charles Scanlon of Pittsburgh, who was appointed by Presidents Taf t and Wilson to represent the United States at international con 8e! 5Bai?8t alcol"fiBra, wag elected presi- SpSLi he N!w York meeting, out now becomes general secretary. AcZ soman's suffrage movemont grows. Tho JE?ntic.p?ty ,must lead in thls gat moral reform as it does in the fight for prohibition. ' . A TOAST Here's to the Blue of the windswept North, Mn v t WG m.eet on the flelds of France' a ?,6 SSirIt 0f Grant be with you all As the Sons of the North advance. And here's to the Gray of the sun-kissed South, When we meet on the fields of France, V 6 SirIt of Lee be with you all As- the Sons of the South' advance. AnwAere'S t0 the Blue and Gray as one, i, v ln WG meet ou the fields of France, a !? BSirlt-ot God e with us all. . As the Sons of the Flag advance., -ueorge Morrow Mayo, in Washington Star. iO.s&2r?:x''