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Show ' Why Gen. Grant Doesn't Drink, General Orant said, tn a two hours' M interview with a Defendor reprceonta- Ej tlvo, Thursday, Mav 3, on tbo quos- R tloa of all questions, tbo drink quos- ' tion' Tblfl is the way tbe Interview be gau: "General Grant, 1 am here to got K bb expression from you on tbe drink question. I don't BBk you to dtaouss R tbe question aa an offloial of the B United titatca army, but as a mas who baa sees and done much in tbe R world la abort, a mas of affairs. R Have you a message to give to tbe H young asea of tbe country on tbe R questloB? What are your definite m oplaiona on tbe question, anyway?" R It was a pretty long opening sen- R tenoe, but tbe Intorvlewer bad been I memorizing It all tbo way over to tbe island, and didn't want to forgot any B thins. So out it all wont, instnuter. H "All right," said General Grant. 41 will discus tbnt question, not as B a general in the United Stntoa nrmy, Bj but bb an individual. Havi I n raea B BRge to tbo young men of this ooun-B ooun-B try? Iloro it is: BE "Tell tbo young men through your H paper that General Grant does not H drinlt o drop of liquor line not for K( eighteen years; beaauso ho la afraid H to drink it." AV "Now, you listen," coutluucd tbo BK gonornl. "Whon I whb u boy at K eoboo), and nt West Point, 1 waa B mado n pet becaueo of tbo crratnoaa Bw of my father. I whs gIvou every ou BH portunlty to drink, nud 1 did drink BK Bomo. As J got older nud tulxndj K with tnon, wnr-Ecnrted voterdnu who YJ, fonght with my father would oomn BK; up. cud, for tbo Bnko of old timer, Rft, auk mo to celebrnto with thorn tbo ftYE glory cf pant ovouts. and I did BBn. eomo. Then when 1 was mado uiiu- HjL ifiter to Austria, tho uiiBtoms of tbo 9B country nud my otUoinl posltinu nl- flB most compelled mo to driuk, nlways. BB I tried to drink with oxtiiuio medor- RMRR ntioo, beaaiiEO 1 know that r.clohol is BBBv tbo woret poison a muu oould take SBgt' into bis systom; but 1 found out It us JBjRp on impobBibillty to drink meduruto- tflv" 'y oould not eay. whon drink wbb Jf Dlaued beforo mo, 'No, I only drink HE In tbn morning,' or at certain boura. Bft ho faot that I iuduleod at all oom- BjK pnllod mu to drink on ovory ocaaslon H& or bo nhsurd. For that reason, bo- It it OHiisu modoralo drinking U n prectl- HBe cni impossibility, I beunmo an nbso- M Into teototaler a orauk, if you BR plcaeo. I will uot ullo. it oven fRV iu my huuso. Whon n man can ey, BY 'I uovcr drink,' lip nover hns to IBB drink, iu nover urged to driuk, novor BBS otfends by not drinking. At lonst R tbnt la my experience. " BB Then tho geuoral supplemented WmL what bo bad Bald with this note: B "itemember, I did not sny 'modernto BK drinking' is harmful Faot is. may-Mlft may-Mlft be, it ien't bo harmful, but this foot BR Ib indisputablo.thnt tbo burd drink- Hf or wns onco it moderato drinker, and K the ohauoos nro nil ngaiuetn mod era to BB drlnkor romnlning buoIi, and I well, B I fr onc don't propoEO to tako B abancoa." BH Thou tho general got thoughtful. K Ho eorapod tho end of bis chin with RRf bis pinco nez. RB "Yea, air" this in soliloquy. B "Vo?, I kuow a man maybo two or BB threo who died modornto drlnkcro. RB Tbo stuff didu't eeom to hurt thorn BK much. But tho poor devils that 1 BK know, scores and scores of thorn, iu- H tolligent men, tnlonted and all that, RR who nave boon ruiuod, diegraoed, by jH the groatost cureo of Ohrktondom RB drink 1 Ah, tho pluturo is a eud H ouu." B Tbon bo etrnightencd up nod in u Bff loudor voice continued: BJj "In mnuy rospeots u burd drinker Bjj N la a safer man In tbo nrmy and oleo- H whore, too than a modorato drink H or. That is, ono who gets drunk fij onco a year or so. You see, u hard Bj drinker la kno-vn. No Important BJ ootnmi?slon Ib ever his to execute. H Hut your moderato drinker, why, bo's apparently capablo. On tbo surfaco B bo's nil right. Consequently he's B clven important duty to perform. B Tbon be drinks. He's euro to jnat at B that critical time, to stoady his B uervos infernul idiocy and fails B ignominiously to himself and bis fl family and disBetrouely to others. B Havo I made it olear?" B "Vou havo oallcd drink tho great- fl est ctirsa of GhrUtondom, goueral. fl That's n elrong " R "Aetrong torm, you wore going to R say," interrputed General Grunt, R bending over bio desk and'almost jab H bing that pluoe noz of his into tbe R Dtorlooutor's Xaco. "Strong, ynu eay? You cau't make it too strong. V Listen: Diink is the arentcBk onrse, becaueo practically nil crime and nil disaster uro tbo result of It. Nearly every great calamity in tho oountry, V barring nooidents of nature, 1b duo to drink. There's a railroad accident; (f say twenty peoplo aio killed. Some p man had a oaeo of norves or went to J slenp; aud I wagor that, if the truth j woro knowu. an empty Oask oould be found noar tbe oauso of tho aooident. i Ninety-five percent I will make it g no less nluoty-llvo per oent of desor . tloua and acts nf lawlessness in tbe g army is duo to drink, out I'll speak of that later. Vioe Ib simply drink in another form. Who ever beard of a saloon completely divorced frota the 'white slave tratUo,' or a house of X infamy without a bar? When I see a man go down the street under tbe in ? Ifluenoe of liquor 1 know that man Ib uot only a drunkard, but he la mor- .. . . I s? ally wrong Is incompetent, not ue- pendable, Irresponsible. Drink la y alluring, is damuablu; it is a mnn- ator of" The general broke off and quoted I that famous quotation of Pope. thumpiug tbo desk boforo him nt tho ' ond of each word in tbo last Hue, "Wo Qrst-ondure, tbonplty, thou- ombinoe." "If I oould" nud this was enld j in a mighty huHbod and solemn voico ' "If I could, bv offering my body n BacrKloi', Ireo this oountry from this i fell cancer, tho flow on driuk, I'd thank tbo Almighty for tho privilege of doing it." "You tuontlound n momout i:go, M gonorul, that niuety -flvo per ntnt of H tho desertioiiH, oto , cf tbo arm v. is duo to driuk. Tbe nlllolal RtutUtics , of 1005 civu thirty flvo ( cr cout; do they not?" Tho goncral held up to view a buocb, a him died or more, of cinijt-martial cinijt-martial repot tn which bo received during tbo mouth of April. "Let mo rcBtl h few rf thou to you," ho Kiiid. "Hero Is one, tho flrtit one. Hy-thh toputt v.o l"irn that Oorpcrnl 11 haB bcon nbiout for thirtoon dnyH. His conduct horoto-foro horoto-foro baa brun good. No reason given for bis nctlcn. Now. down bf-ro un dor tbo 'romntkB1 wo fuitbor leuru that ho was a 'medorato drlntior.' "Now my oxporlenco tells mu thlf, tbnt whilo Ourporul 13 i undor Ibol cbnigo of deeortlon, ltieully Is drunk-euuoB. drunk-euuoB. It Is more tbau probable that, on receiving bis last pay, ho entered en-tered some low joint, una drupgeri, or drank to oxocbs, v;olui up next mcruiug his money cone, difgraocd, and not dnrlug to ccmo buck becaueo of bis Ices of self rovpcot, took French lenvo. "Tako other unee. Private Y , 'asleep ou guard;' Pilvato R . MIb-obedlout.' MIb-obedlout.' Jlotb ieu woro undoubtedly undoubt-edly drunk; brouuto they tvonldn'l do tbnt whon nobor. H'.U tho ohargo against tbom is not drunkenness; it is respectively 'insubordination' and 'dereliction in duty.' Hut I know in both casou it was druukeunoFu, and thoroforo put it down iib such. "Give mo tho sober man, tbo nboo-Into nboo-Into toototulor, every time. Ho'b do pendnblo. If 1 bad the greatest appointive ap-pointive power in tho country," em-pbatioully em-pbatioully concluded tbo gonorul, riding, rid-ing, "no man would get evou the emnlloBt appointment from mo utiles bo Bbowoci proof of his nbboluto tee-totallt'in. tee-totallt'in. Ah it is, my own appoint- eos, tbo mombcru of my stair uot one of thorn touohen a drop. Thoy kuow hotter. "National Prohibitloulflt. |
