The Richmond Virginian

THE PEOPLE'S FORUM

The Crisis.

Editor of The Virginian:

Sir,—A great political crisis has arisen in the United States. There is a serious contest being carried on by the "trusts," "corporations" and "syndicates" on the one side and the "masses" on the other. The result of this contest will manifest to the world whether or not the "masses" in this country are fit and capable of self-government.

There was a skirmish a few days ago in the United States Senate between Mr. La Follette, representing the people, and Messrs. Lodge and Aldrich, representing the "corporations." Mr. La Follette showed beyond a doubt that there had been a combine between the railroads of New England obtained by doubtful legislation which was very objectionable to the shippers and others using railroad transportation. Messrs. Aldrich and Lodge contended that the combine was exactly what New England wanted: their people were satisfied with it. And so they were, for they represented and worked for the interests of the railroads, and corporations owning a majority of the stock of the roads. Messrs. Aldrich and Lodge were "in the saddle," and controlled a majority of the Senate. The "masses" and their leader were defeated for the time.

In the next three years the war will be waged and battles of ballots will be fought. The crisis will culminate. The people will either be victorious or the subjects of combined wealth represented by a servile executive, a pliant legislature and an obliging judiciary.

The probabilities of success are overwhelmingly in favor of the "combines." Unfortunately for our country, a considerable portion of the population are ignorant, vicious and easily "influenced." The observations of more than sixty years induces me to believe that ignorance, vice and corruption are mainly the result of the use of alcoholic drinks. "The weal of the State depends upon the competing of each unit composing it. Biological truth, clearly, demonstrates that the alcoholic is an impaired element in the community. The defense of our land is dependent on the efficiency of every countryman and country-woman. Many agencies are at work hindering and hampering the maintenance of a high degree of physical well-being, mental adequacy and moral rectitude, but foremost among downcasting malign influences stands out that great evil which harassed men have not unfitly termed the drink curse."—Dr. T. N. Kelynack, of England.

The cursed effect of alcohol has induced every civilized government on the globe to scientifically investigate its nature and effects. The scientists of France, England and Germany have denounced alcohol as a poison. It is the most dangerous of all poisons, because its selective organs of the human system are the nerves and brain. And these are so affected that they invariably demand more drink to produce the desired effect.

No alcoholic people can be a free people. They are the slaves of their appetite for strong drink, and are easily made the pliant tools of corrupt politicians. The blatant politicians are aware of this fact, and hence they prate to them about personal freedom. They well know that whiskey destroys "personal freedom" and is the hook in the nose by which the poor, foolish victim is led at the will of the political boss.

Whiskey strikes at the noblest and best of man's hard-won possessions. His powers of judgment, discrimination, attention, restraint and prudence are enfeebled and deranged. * * * Self-control, self-restraint, self-government are all weakened. And finally the will itself lies bound, enslaved by the narcotising power of drink."—Kelynack, "The Alcoholic Problem in Its Biological Aspect," p. 96.

So long as whiskey is sold, bought and drunk as a beverage by a proportion of our population sufficient to control either of the dominant political parties we can never expect a truly representative government of a people capable of self-government.

The "saloon" is incompatible with "personal freedom" and political liberty. The "saloon," with its poisoning effect, must be abolished by the enlightened judgment and patriotic purpose of the people, else "personal" and "political" liberty will cease to exist.

It is necessary that a whiskey-drinking people should have a master.

The drink habit is evil and makes for evil. Its course is downward and subversive of all the higher virtues upon which civilization is based.

The crisis has come and the people are not prepared for it. Until the eyes of their understanding are opened, and they are made to see that things are poisoning themselves, there is, there can be no hope.

Take whiskey out of the slums of our large cities, destroy the taste of the people for it, so educate them that an enlightened judgment will make them abandon its use, they will no longer be slums. Virtue will rule where vice now predominates. There will be an upraising instead of a down-dragging condition of affairs.

Yes, whiskey drinking is the enemy of the individual, the church and the State. It makes for evil. And none but the lovers of evil will berate the church and the State for trying to defend themselves against the accursed influence.

R.