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The Commoner
NOVEMBER, 1938
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TheNebraska Election
Democratic Liquor Element Annihilated
Tho Nebraska election resulted in a clean
Hweep for the republicans. They re-elected
United States Senator Norris by a majority of
about twenty thousand. Tho republican candi
date for governor Mr. McKelvie, and the entire
republican state ticket were elected by majori
ties ranging from twenty to twenty-live thou-
Ba The next Nebraska legislature will contain two
democrats in the state senate and thirty-one re
publicans, all pledged to the ratification of the
national prohibition amendment. In the house
the democrats will have fifteen, all but six of
whom are pledged to ratification, and the repub
licans will have eighty-five, seventy-four of
whom are publicly pledged to ratification, but as
the republican state platform endorsed the rati
fication of the national prohibition amendment
and pledged its candidates, the ratification forces
in the house are assured of at least ninety-four
out of a hundred votes. The republicans also
won nearly all county offices in Nebraska.
In order that The Commoner readers may un
derstand the extent of the disaster to the demo-
cratic machine in Nebraska, it should be recalled
that President Wilson carried Nebraska two
years ago by forty-one thousand, and the demo
crats elected their governor, the entire state
ticket and secured a majority in both branches
of the legislature. Tho state senate two years
ago stood, twenty-three democrats to ten repub
licans and the house sixty-one democrats to
thirty-nine republicans. The democrats also
elected nearly all the county candidates two
years ago.
SHIP SUNK WITHOUT TRACE
Democratic Boat Goes Down With All on Board
Commenting on the republican landslide in
Nebraska this year, Charles W. Bryan gave the
following statement to the Nebraska press:
"The democratic boat that was manned by
tho Hitchco'ck-Mullen-Gooch liquor, special in
terest machine, was sunk in yesterday's election
as the Germans might say 'without trace.' It
was too much to expect that President Wilson
could pull through a combination that was en
tirely out of harmony with the people ofthe
state on economic and moral issues.
"The Hitchcock - Mullen - Gooch machine in
sisted that the democratic party and candidates
should have no platform and that the party
should take no position on the momentous
questions of the day.. This would leave the offi
cers of the machine free to make all kinds of
private deals with the various special interests
of the state.
"The liquor machine in Nebraska has been
completely routed. The members of the incoming
legislature are practically all pledged to the
ratification of the national prohibition amend
ment and to the ratification of the suffrage
amendment which no doubt will be submitted
by congress before the legislature adjourns.
The national liquor dealers' i.ssociation will not
be interested in Nebraska politics after the
legislature ratifies in January the national pro
hibition constitutional amendment, and the
women of the state have an opportunity to pass
on the moral, educational and political qualifi
cations of Nebraska officials.
"At a primary election where only a light vote
is cast, the reactionary liquor machine, under
the guidance of Mullen and Gooch are able to
get the various elements which they control in
the cities to the polls and nominate their can
didates, but it was a foregone conclusion that
the people of the state could not and would not
endorse the men and methods of the reactionary
element. A number of good men on the demo
cratic state, legislative, congressional and county
tickets suffered defeat as the result of the han
dicap that they were placed under by the Hitchcock-Mullen-Gooch
combine. The program of do
nothing fomiie public, make no platform pledges
to tho public and prevent the state government
from being used to protect the public from the
Pr?,mteers nas been discredited.
The brutal, vicious, inhuman and libelous
attacks by the Hitchcock-Mulleh-Gooch machine,
uJ?Bh theIr daily Publications, against all Can
utes who opposed them in the primary and
J the general election and against the farmers
oi the state who were seeking' relief from the
gram elevator, flour mills, stock yards, and
packing combines, and their unjust and treason
able attacks on Nobraska educators and simila'r
attacks on tho citizens of Nebraska of German
blood whether they wero loyal or not was so re
prehensible that tho candidates of no political
party whoso campaigns were managed by such
leaders could expect to poll a majority of tho
law-abiding, patriotic people of tho state. Tho
Mullon-Gooch reactionary liquor machino has
been crushed and routed, and in its defeat it
has pulled down to defeat practically every de
mocratic candidate for all county offices, legis
lative, state, congressional and senatorial posi
tions, a large number of which have heretofore
been held by capable democratic officials.
"It is up to the progressive democrats under
whoso leadership the Nebraska democracy has
been of real service to the state and nation as
leaders of progressive thought and action to
raise the vessel that was sunk yesterday, pump
out the moisture from it, man it with a pro
gressive crew who are in accord with the moral,
economic and patriotic aspirations of the people,
and the democratic ship will yett win victories
and be of service to the p'eoplo of the state and
nation."
HITCHCOCK MACHINE BANGED UP
The Hitchcock-Mullen combination is not tho
political boss of Nebraska today. Its claws have
been clipped.
It got exactly what it deserved.
It tried to foist upon the people of this state
a reactionary-anti-suffragc-wet-anti -Wilson - pro
special interest handpicked regime.
In other words, it selected candidates to servo
the personal and political interests of Hitchcock
andkis set of satellites.
To put them in office, it conducted a vicious
and abusive campaign.
The people of Nebraska have administered an
emphatic rebuke to both Hitchcock and his
methods Omaha News.
JOHN BARLEYCORN
John Barleycorn, my jo, John, since nations
had their birth, you have, with beastly arro
gance infested this old earth. But now you see
bolls are tolling knolls for you, John Barley
corn, my jo. This war has slain its millions,
John, and many more must die, but you have
killed far more than war, with your old gin and
rye; the men who fall on battlefields our prayers
and blessings know, but those you slay must die
in shame, John Barleycorn, my jq. John Bar
leycorn, my jo, John, your tricks cannot avail;
you cannot set aside your doom by blowing in
the kale; nor can the tears of crocodiles which
down your whiskers flow avert one hour tho bier
and shroud, John Barleycorn, my jo. 'Twill be
a better world, John, when you've removed your
sign, when you no longer poison men with
tanglefoot and wine; for every plunk you handle
is itib price of pain and woe, and that's a tainted
sort,:of coin, John Barleycorn, my jo. You've
wearied all the world, John, you've tired the
souls" of men, and when you chase yourself away
you won't come back again; you'ro letting go
by inches, John, but you will have to go, and
so skidoo and fare thee ill, John Barleycorn,
my jo. WALT MASON.
MR. BRYAN PAIRS HIS VOTE
The following is taken from the Nebraska
(Lincoln) State Journal of November 6:
"W. J. Bryan did not cast a vote at the Ne
braska election Wednesday, a duty he has not
before neglected. Mr. Bryan is at Asheville,
N. C, where Mrs. Bryan has been ill. Her con
tinued sickness made it inadvisable for him to
make the journey to Nebraska, and so he ar
ranged a pair with his old law partner, A. R.
Talbot, republican, on the state, legislative and
congressional ticket."
The organization of a "Where did you get it"
society to keep hurling that inquiry at th mil
lionaires'the war has manufactured m ght not
have the effect of making any of them give back
their swollen profits, but it would take a lot of
their joy out of having the money.
n,ir old friend, the protective tariff, is also
sniffling the coming battle from afar The cat,
with its fabled nine lives, can boast o but a
brief span of .years when compared with this
offspring of the marriage of big business with
private greed.
WHISKY NOT A CURE FOR PNEUMONIA OK
INFLUENZA
Much In" being saldifust now as to tho noces
sity for alcoholic liquors in tho treatment of.
pneumonia. It Ih evidont that lovorn of liquor
are trying to put up a cane for their cido, ovon
as patent medicino manufacturers aro doing with
"cures" for tho epidemic with which our country
is stricken, Tho cry that whlskoy is nocesaary
to euro influonza or its accompanying pneumonia
does not como from physicians, but from the
laity who aro always ready to give medical ad
vice unasked.
When La Grippe swept tho country yoarn ago
tho medical profession gavo whisky a full trial,
with tho rosult that many physicians unqualN
fledly condemned alcoholic liquor as a remedy
saying that deaths wor more froquont when
whisky was given than when It was not usodi
Among tho outspoken opponents of tho use of
alcohol in pneumonia at that time was Dr
Nathan S. Davis, dean of tho medical school ot
Northwestern University, Chicago. In a paper
read before tho American Medical Association)
Dr. Davis told of his own oxporionco In Mercy
Hospital, Chicago. During a period of thlrtji
years he had never allowod any alcoholic liquor:
to bo given to a patient in any disease. Whila
other hospitals, then using largo quantities of
whisky in pneumonia, had death rates ranging
from 28 to 38 per cent, Mercy Hospital, with no
alcohol given, had only a 12 per cent death rate.
This led many physicians to experiment in tho
treatment of pncumonlaylthout alcoholic liquor.
Among these was Dr. Aloxandor Lambert of Now
York City, who after careful watching of libs
cases in Bellevue Hospital said that the death
rate in pneumonia was ten per cent higher when
alcoholic liquor was used Dr. Henry Koplik has
also experimented with, and without whiskey In
pneumon'a in Bellevue Hospital and has aban
doned its use. (See Journal of tho American
Medical Association for November 17, 1917.)
Last year the writer of this article sent a
questlonairo to thousands of physicians asking
their opinion of the use of alcoholic liquors in
pnoumonia. A great many answers wore received
nearly all of which said that alcoholic liquors
are dangerous, the reasons assigned being that
alcohol lowers resistance to disease and weakens
the heart, already weakened by the disease.
Sir Benjamin Ward R'ehnrdson when con
nected with' the London Temperance Hospital
gave an interesting account or his non-alcoholic
treatment of pneumonia cases. Ammonia was
tho only medicine used. He gave a three or five
grain tabloid of bicarbonate of ammonia dis
solved in a cup of coffee, or of coffee with milk
and sugar. Careful feeding ho Insisted upon. In
Cornell medical school, Now York city, Professor
Moara. tells his students not to give whiskey in
pneumonia cases.
It has been asserted that alcohol as an anti
septic is useful in epidemics, but careful physi
cians note that its uso'is followed by greater
depression and by many Y?6w and complex symp
toms. Patients who recover have a longer con
valescence. If alcoholic, liquor is a "cure" for
pnoumonia why is it not a preventive? It is a
well attested fact that heavy drinkers aro usually
fatal cases in this disease. Indeed, as a rule,
it is drinking people or patent medicine users
who take this disease tho most readily.
When alcohol was thought to bo a heart
stimulant it was freely used by physic'ans In
nearly all diseases. Since science has definitely
settled the question that alcohol is not a stimu
lant but a heart depressant, up-to-date doctors
have laid it aside as a remedial agent. The
American Medical Association at Its meeting in
New York last year declared that the use of
. alcohol in therapeutics "as a tonic, or a stimu
lant, or as a food, has no scientific basis," and
that "the use of alcohol as a therapeutic agent
should bo discouraged."
The old superstitions as to the remedial
virtues of whisky die hard, but they are dying
with the people who really study this question.
As Sir Victor Horsley, the great London surgeon,
said: "No ono who has closely investigated the
action of alcohol in recent years prescribes
alcohol. Every one will feel relief when" it is
abolished," MRS. MARTHA M. ALLEN,
Superintendent Medical Temperance Depart
ment W. C. T. U., Forest Hills, Long Island, New
Work.
It begins to look as though the lockout against
members of the" reigning princes' union in mid
dle Europe will result in many a king's son
wondering what in the world he was born for.
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