19U1 



G1.I-UXIXGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



563 



way of separating truth from falsehood and su- 

 perstition, by real scientific research — a re- 

 search that is managed with sense and reason. 

 Our government bulletins from Washington 

 are also doing grand things in teaching the 

 world at large honest and substantial truth. 

 By the way, I have been greatly pleased 

 with the bulletins discussing the real value 

 to the human family of certain articles of 

 food. There has been one published in regard 

 to beans, another in regard to sugar. In 

 considering the food value of these articles of 

 regular diet, we have had another one re- 

 cently all about eggs for food, and all of these 

 bulletins are scholarly efforts. I think the 

 writers come very near the exact truth. Now, 

 why can not the United States, in the same 

 way, give us a calm, honest, and unprejudic- 

 ed discussion in regard to tobacco — this crop 

 for which we spend about 600 millions of dol- 

 lars annually. I wish I had influence enough 

 with the Agricultural Department at Washing- 

 ton to induce it to publish a bulletin with a 

 heading something like this : 



" Tobacco, and its General Effect on the 

 Human Family. Should its Cultivation and 

 Dissemination be Encouraged* or Discourag- 

 ed?" 



Then I should like to have a closing chap- 

 ter something like this : 



"The EfTect of Tobacco on Children and 

 Young People. Should its Use be Prohibited 

 to those under a certain Age? if so, what Age? 

 Also a Consideration of the Cigarette Habit." 



Now, if the above suggestion is not a proper 

 one for a bulletin, will the authorities at the 

 heads of the proper departments explain why 

 the matter can not be discussed just as hon- 

 estly and frankly as these bulletins I have 

 mentioned discuss the food (and health') value 

 of beans, sugar, eggs, etc.? Surely Uncle 

 Samuel can give even one of the humblest of 

 his subjects a fair and frank answer. If to- 

 bacco comes under some other head, why does 

 it? Our country is doing great things in the 

 way of sanitary measures for the protection 

 and preservation of the health of our people. 

 We are making great strides in many direc- 

 tions. We are even able to go into cities of 

 foreign lands and drive out contagious fevers 

 that have existed there for ages. In the mat- 

 ter of sanitation we are able to teach every 

 nation on the face of the earth. If there is 

 any thing that blocks the way and hinders 

 our being able to grapple with something like 

 tobacco, that ruins more bodies and souls than 

 any thing else in the world, unless it is strong 

 drink, what reasonable excuse can there be 

 for evading or avoiding the subject? May 

 God help us. 



I told you some time ago there was some- 

 thing I feared more than intemperance — yes, 

 I may say more than intemperance and tobac- 

 co ; but I suppose the reason is because in- 

 temperance exists largely because of this thing 

 I fear. It is the disregard of law. I think I 

 may say the great disregard and ignoring of 

 law — not only the laws of our land but the 

 laws of God — the laws of truth, honesty, and 

 fairness. Excuse me if I go overground that 

 I have touched a great many times already. 



The people voted to have intemperance ex- 

 cluded from the army as it had been from ihe 

 navy. The brewers and saloon men were fu- 

 rious. They declared the law should not 

 stand, even if they had been fairly and square- 

 ly beaten by the temperance people. But they 

 were in a corner, and there was no honest way 

 out of that corner. There was no legal way 

 out of it. In this crisis Griggs, backed by 

 the brewers, perpretrated the notorious " nul- 

 lification act." I presume he and those back 

 of him laughed because we in our turn — at 

 least some of us — felt " furious." There was 

 a universal feeling of indignation growing 

 and spreading all over our land. The powers 

 that be evidently decided it would not be wise 

 to try the patience of the Christian temper- 

 ance people any further in that direction. 

 They finally gave us the law we should have 

 had a long time ago. But now the brewers 

 and whisky men are furious once more. Ttey 

 have been forced to admit that in honest, fair 

 fight, we are too much for thtm ; and just now 

 they are leaving no stone unturned to accom- 

 plish by foul falsehood, and with money, a 

 thing they can never bring to pass by fair 

 means ; and the contest is now going on right 

 before the eyes of the people of America. 

 Which will win — falsehood with millions of 

 dollars back of it, or truth and honesty with 

 nothing back of them except the conscience 

 of our people ? 



Some of you maj' say, as has often been 

 said to me, " Mr. Root, this is a comparative- 

 ly small matter — an exceedingly small one 

 compared with other things that need prompt 

 and immediate attention. ' ' But I do not agree. 

 If falsehood wins in this case it is going to 

 win in every other one, and we as a nation 

 will soon be bound hand and foot with Satan's 

 shackles. The strings of falsehoods would 

 not trouble me so much if they were only con- 

 fined to the liquor dealers' periodicals. Nei- 

 ther would I feel greatly troubled if our great 

 dailies once in a great while gave place to 

 them by mistake, and would promptly ac- 

 knowledge, when furnished adequate proof, 

 that they had been wrongly informed. Of 

 course, I mean they should make acknowledg- 

 ment as public as they made the falsehood 

 public. I allude to the stories that are now 

 current almost everywhere about the disastrous 

 results upon our soldiers since the closing of 

 the army canteen. Evidently quite a few of 

 the readers of Gleanings seem to think I 

 am reading only one side of the matter, and 

 am not posted. I judge from clippings from 

 different periodicals sent to me. The great 

 dailies that we have considered reliable, and 

 honest and fair, have, by some process un- 

 known to me, been induced to lend their aid 

 to circulate falsehoods. Worse than all, as I 

 have told you, proof after proof, furnished by 

 mayors and other officials, with sworn state- 

 ments, have been forwarded to these editors, 

 asking them to recall the whole-cloth false- 

 hood they had been induced to print in their 

 columns ; but the only reply has been to re- 

 print the same falsehoods in a more aggravat- 

 ing form, and to continue that policy. While 

 I write, clippings are before me from the fol- 



