OCR Text |
Show EDITOR BRISBANE TELLS OF TRUE TEMPERANCE PROHIBITION AS OPPOSED TO REAL TEMPERANCE. WOULD ENCOURAGE LIGHT WINE AND BEER SALES. Mr. Arthur Brisbane, one of the most .prominent editors of the American Ameri-can Press, addresses the New Jersey State Editorial Association, at the Windsor Hotel. The morning session was given up to a discussion of various vari-ous matters affecting the people. Mr. Brisbane Talks. "First, I think 1 shall talk about prohibition pro-hibition as opposed to real tempei-ance. tempei-ance. "1 believe that the producers of light, natural wines and light beers, low In -alcoholic strength, are the real workers for temperance. "And the producers of whisky, gin and other alcoholic drinks are more or less the creators of drunkenness. ' There is as much difference between be-tween light beer and whisky as theru is between tobacco and opium. "Admit that beer is not as good as you like, and admit that tobacco Is a i bad thing if you choose, but you must also admit that beer drinking is bettor for a race than whisky drinking, just I as the tobacco smoking of America Is ! better for a race than the opium smoking smok-ing of China. "There is as much difference between be-tween light wine and gin as there is between coffee and cocaine. "If you should prohibit the use pf tobacco in this country you know perfectly per-fectly well that men's nerves would crave and would have some substitute. substi-tute. By forcing out tobacco you would force In opium, morphine, cocaine co-caine or some othor harmful drug "Absolute experience has proved in every prohibition stnte that when prohibition pro-hibition drives out the use of light beers and light wines; that -cannot be hidden by the bootlegger; or the ''blind pig' owner, prohibJtlon'Sat Ihe same timo forces upon the community the use of whisky and other highly alcoholic alco-holic drinks. 'You cannot have prohibition; you can have true temperance. The solu- 'tion. of the problem Is to discourage1 In every way tho sale and consumption consump-tion of whisky, gin, etc., otc., and to encourage the salo, under decent, cheerful conditions, as In Franco and Germany, of tho relatively harmless light wines and beers. "Let any man who chooses sell light wines and light beers containing 3 1-2 per cout or less of alcohol such drinks do not make drunkards, unless the drunknrd finds it easy to shift from beer to whisky. Let iight native wines and beers be sold in res-tnurnnts, res-tnurnnts, In beer gardens, freely Let the owners of such ploces deposit as a guarantee a sufficient sum of money, $1,000 or more, with tho authorities, let that sum be forfeited to the detective de-tective or other who shall prove the possession on the premises regardless regard-less of Its being drunk or sold of any stimulant containing nlcohol In excess of 3 1-2 per cent. A plan like this could be carried out. It would mean true temperance, the abolition of drunkenness, and it would mean dealing deal-ing sanely with men as ihey aro. "Prohibition Is the foolish, Impossl-ble Impossl-ble dream of ;he well-meaning theorist. the-orist. There aro two kinds of prohibitionists, prohibi-tionists, those who have always been teetotalers, and they of courso do not understand the subject they are discussing. And there are prohibitionists prohibi-tionists that have been drunkards, that have reformed, and they all know perfectly well that It is whisky that makes the drunkard, and that if they had never touched anything but light beer or wine, and had nover known whisky, they would not have been drunkards first and prohibitionists afterwards. aft-erwards. "Class tho light wines and beers where they belong, mild stimulants and valuable foods. "Don't curse your state with the hypocrisy of prohibition, the open or secret defiance of law and tho substitution sub-stitution of temperate beer drinkers for drunken whisky drinkers." |