Newspaper Page Text
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Years ago John Barleycorn was
running a private business with such
patronage as he could secure in a qui<jt
way. Not content with this, he ap
proached Uncle Sam, asking for pub
lic recogniton.
“Why do you wish public recogni
tion?” asked Uncle Sam as he stoop
ed to catch the words of John Barley
corn, who was ambitious for a wider
reputation and greater gains?”
“To provide for your people a drink
that will readily quicken their men
tal faculties and stimulate the latent
energies of the body.”
“Excellent purpose, for there is
much that needs to be done and wise
fy, too, so begin at once in any way
your wisdom may elect,” answered
Uncle Sam.
With this encouragement, John Bar
leycorn opened an attractive business
house which he named “Saloon.” In
this he sold many kinds of drinks,
to all kinds of persons. In almost
every person a thirst for more was
created. Men and youths would rise
up early to slake their thirsts, which
were intensified rather than abated.
With women and maidens they would
“tarry long,” long in the night, and
unconscious of a shame that suggest
ed fig leaves in the Garden of Eden,
their nudity was their delight.
The effect of this work was a series
■of Titanic disasters. Souls w’ere ruin
ed. Hearts were broken. The most
sacred vows were disregarded. Homes
once happy, were most ruthlessly in
vaded. The Palace and the Hovel alike
were seats of woe, and of wretched
ness, and hopeless death. Alms houses,
asylums, jails, penitentiaries were re
cruited as results of his work. Uncle
Sam, with the vision of an Argus,
saw greater evils in store and called
John Barleycorn for a conference. “I
gave you permission to sell drinks
that you said would greatly benefit my
people; instead disgrace and ruin
cover your customers.”
“It is true that disgrace and ruin
have covered a large proportion of my
patrons,” replied John Barleycorn,
“but if you will enact a license law
to regulate my saloon that will put
me in honorable relationship with you
and then the respectability of the sa
loon will be assured.”
“If I do that I will be putting my
approval on your business,” replied
Uncle Sam.
John Barleycorn with much assur
ance said, “Sell to me a ‘license’ which
will help defray expenses of the gov
ernment, thereby making you great
among the nations of the earth; then
whatever you do will be creditable
among men. Your republic is in its
youth age and needs to be stimulated
and endowed. The license tax that I
will pay you will make public schools
possible, in which your children will
T>e helped up to a superior state of
intelligence, and of these will be your
future ambassadors to other nations
who will reflect the honor and dignity
and wealth of a great and prosperous
nation making republican government
wise and powerful in the sights of the
kings of the East.”
Uncle Sam said, “You present very
persuasive ideas, Mr. Barleycorn, “but
so many of my boys and girls will be
UNCLE SAM AND JOHN BARLEYCORN
By L. S. BURRESS.
THE GOLDEN AGE FOR WEEK OF MARCH 19, 1914
unable to attend the schools you prom
ise, because of the ruin and poverty
von cause.”
“Now, Uncle Sam, you know that
in all nature there is a super-abund
ance of offspring, and necessity de
mands the elimination of many. The
farmer thins his crop to a stand; the
stockman culles his herds, and among
men it is the survival of the fittest.
So if those weaklings you speak of
cannot reach the advantages I offer,
let them give room for stronger ones.
It is the sow that leads about a gang
of pigs, the lionesses leads but one or
two at most, and one lion can over
come more than a dozen hogs. Uncle
Sam was in the main pleased with
these words and consented to fix a li
cense for revenue, and enact laws to
protect John Barleycorn and to regu
late his saloons.
John Barleycorn was tickled to
“life” over this consent. He at once
made more attractive his places of bus
iness, and enlisted a great army of
laborers sent out agents to solicit
grains and fruits for distilleries, giv
ing employment to boys and girls, to
make spending money and thus the
evil was lost sight of and the “sons
and daughters did prophecy, the young
men saw visions, the old men dreamed
dreams,” of the promised thrift. Vine
yards were trellaced, orchards were
planted, “barley” farms multiplied,
distilleries increased, breweries sprang
up as if by magic, freight traffic grew,
palacial residences for the promoters
of the saloons were hailed as proof of
prosperity.
Patronage was well nigh universal.
The parlors of the rich, the halls of
the clubs, the wayside inn, the con
gregated neighbors, the lone traveler
and even the poor who had been made
poorer, “all with one consent made ex
cuse” for maintaining licensed saloons.
Churches tolerated the bar, many
members patronizing and defending it
as a licensed institution, aiding it by
letting houses and keepng its goods
in “cold storage” as a business prop
osition.
While this dazzling sun of worldly
prosperity was increasing trade, in
some cold attic chamber the sobs and
cries of broken hearted wives and
mothers were heard calling with fran
tic grief, “prohibit the saloons and
let the father of my children keep the
wedded life, let my sons be as plants
grown up in their youth, and my dau
ghters be as corner-stones polished af
ter the similtude of a palace, that our
garners may be full, affording all man
ner of store.” Help 1 Oh, my coun
trymen, help! Men to the rescue. No
tongue or pen can portray the calam
ities of the saloons. The saloon bloats
the body, empties the purse and be
clouds the brain and dams the soul.
“Ah, Brandy, brandy, bane of life,
Source of tumult, source of strife,
Could I but half thy courses tell,
The wise would wish thee safe in
hell!”
Uncle Sam, seeing the most terri
ble outrages were the results of John
Barleycorn’s business, demanded more
stringent regulations telling his neph
ews and nieces to organize temperance
societies for moral suasion, making
temperance a social question, ostra-
cise the drunkards, caution the mod
erate dram drinker, while I impose
a greater license tax to provide bet
ter schools for you.
These flourished for a time; so did
the saloon. Uncle Sam opposed the
bar socially, but favored it politically,
and as a stronger protection against
the saloon he made local option lawful.
This was denounced by John Barley
corn, while the temperance people re
joiced, though for a season for as Un
cle Sam had straddled the fence he
was rendered defenseless, and the sa-
The Money Is Put Into
Making Case Cars —
Not Selling Them
The less it costs the maker to sell his cars, the more he can afford to
spend in making them. This company has an unusually inex
pensive way of selling. Instead of engaging an army of automobile
salesmen and automobile dealers, Case makers simply turn over each
season’s output to the men who for many, many years have been selling
the many other Case products. The Case Co. is 72 years old. Before
the Case factories began motor making they had 9,000 dealers, 65
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and more and better equipment.
******
Now competition in the Au- And these things, we be-
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-
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The new Case Catalog pictures and describes them. Send for it.
Zz x / . \ /ft—
JUtS* - 1 • I I r% -
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The Case Complete “40”
Westinghouse Electric Starting Genuine Pantasote Top and Dust
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Bosch Magneto (2-Point, Dual top, easily adjusted from seats
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Warner Auto-Meter ” e ad Lights .• rvi j
8-Day Clock-Rim Wind E?ec\rfi ’ Comb,natlon 0,1 and
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Firestone UniversalQuick-Detach- Electric Dash Lamp
able Demountable Rims Work Light on Long Wire
Goodyear No-Rim-Cut Tire* Robe Rail, Foot Rest and the usual
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Extra Tire on Rim Mayo Impulse Tire Pump
Two Extra Inner Tubes Wheel Base, 124 inches
Tire Cover T-Head Motor (4%x5%)
Weed Tire Chains 40. Horsepower
Rayfield Carburetor water and Price $2300 (including all the
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J. I. CASE T. M. COMPANY, Inc., 519 Liberty St., RACINE, WIS.
Case Cars are sold through 79 Branch Houses and 9,000 Dealers in
United States, Canada, South America, Philippine Islands and Europe
loon proved to be “like Aunt Kizzie’s
plaster, the more you tried to get it
off, the more it stuck the faster.” The
saloons say, “Hands off, you shan’t
interfere with my business. I pay
e tax than any other business in
the country, and therefore am entitled
to run a government for myself, so
stand aside, I won’t be de-bar-ed as
long as canteens hold, and bootleggers
can run; my bars will not be let
down.”
Perhaps it is as Billy Sunday says,
“As well try to regulate a gun pow-