JUNE 1, 1910 



463 



TEMPERANCE 



" BOOZE " ADVERTISEMENTS IN OUR CITY 

 DAILIES, ETC. 



We clip the following from the Ohio 

 Farmer for May 13: 



A report just Issued by the Bureau of Chemistry, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, covering 

 food-law cases judged since April 20, 1915, lists over 

 60 patent medicines as misbranded and fraudulent 

 in that their analyses prove that they contain no 

 elements to eflfect the cures or relief that their labels 

 claim. The list includes baby soothing-syrups, which 

 are pronounced positively dangerous on account of 

 the opiates and alcohol that they contain; and, fur- 

 thermore, in the words of the government decisions, 

 the label claims are " false and fraudulent in that 

 they are applied to the said articles knowingly, and 

 '.n reckless and wanton disregard of their truth." 

 This is the season when many people's minds dwell 

 on taking "spring tonics" and "bitters" as relief 

 for the lassitude resulting from diets unsuitable for 

 the warmer weather. True, we do need the tonic to 

 be obtained in the mineral salts of herbs and fruits, 

 but it is far wiser and more effective, and also much 

 cheaper, to get it in fresh green herbs and such 

 fresh fruits as are obtainable now. A daily " mess 

 o' greens " — we had a most appetizing dish of dan- 

 delion greens for dinner j-esterday — will do you far 

 more good than any of the " bitters," tonics, and 

 nerve remedies advertised so liberally in your local 

 newspaper. Whatever herbal efficiency there is in 

 these is usually so doped with alcohol that the harm 

 done outweighs the good that the herbs alone could 

 do. Therefore it is far better for your health and 

 your purse to take your " yarbs " and your iron, 

 potash, lime, and sulphur first hand and directly in 

 the fresh green vegetables, fruits, eggs, and milk. 

 Spinach, dandelion greens, and raw cabbage are 

 much more effective sources of iron than any beef, 

 wine, and iron compounded in a bottle from the 

 drugstore. 



Just a word about dandelion.s before we 

 take up the matter of liquor advertisements. 

 I am glad to see a good word for dande- 

 lions, especially since so many people talk 

 about dandelions as they did a few years 

 ago about sweet clover. Dandelions are not 

 only a splendid crop to plow under to en- 

 rich the gi'ound, but they are excellent cow 

 feed. When you find a cow that will not 

 eat dandelions you may make up your mind 

 that her education is lacking, just in the 

 same way you decide the education of an 

 editor is lacking when he gives jilace in his 

 columns to booze advertisements. 

 ■ Now in regard to fraudulent medicines. 

 We are informed there is a law against 

 palming off on the public misbranded bottles 

 with an exaggerated statement as to the 

 virtue of the contents; or, worse still, sell- 

 ing something that is not a remedy at all 

 for the trouble specified. And, by the way. 

 it rejoices my heart as I go over the agri- 

 cultural periodicals sent out from our dif- 

 ferent states to notice the splendid senti- 

 ment coming from the different editors in 

 regard to everything harmful to the inmates 

 of the homes on the farm. May God be 



praised for oar splendid agricultural peri- 

 odicals. There are few of any kind nowa- 

 days, excei3t our great city dailies, that will 

 accept any .sort of booze advertising. In 

 our issue for Feb. 1 I said I had been 

 pained because our neighboring city of 

 Cleveland seemed to be the only large city 

 that did not contain a daily having the 

 courage to say that no more whisky adver- 

 tisements would be found in their columns. 

 If I am making a mistake, please correct 

 me. It is true, however, that our old Plain 

 Dealer, sometimes for a week or ten days, 

 will have no whisky or beer advertising 

 whatever; but just when I begin to rejoice, 

 then comes something like what I saw a 

 few days ago — a booze advertisement that 

 had the cheek to claim their beer was "liquid 

 bread." One of the great dailies, if not 

 the greatest in the large city of New Or- 

 leans, has just stepped over on the dry 

 side. See the following from the American 

 Issue : 



It is announced that the Times-Picayune, of New 

 Orleans, which heretofore advertised liquors, is to 

 join the ranks of newspapers which refuse such 

 advertisements. 



But here comes something from our 

 beloved Florida that does not call for re- 

 joicing. I clip it also from the American 

 Issue : 



THE " GREATEST OFFER EVER MADE." 



Who says that the liquor-dealer is always lacking 

 in a sense of the eternal fitness of things? In sup- 

 port of the contention that he occasionally is consis- 

 tent we cite an advertisement which appeared re- 

 cently in a Florida newspaper (the East Coast Ad- 

 vocate, Titusville), in which the " greatest offer ever 

 made " is set forth. This offer consists of a box of 

 50 cigars, with a claimed value of TV2 cents each, 

 for $3.48, and with each purchase will be given a 

 premium of one quart of whisky and a revolver. 

 The cigars are evidently a mere incident. But what 

 could be more consistent than a bottle of whisky and 

 a revolver ? 



When one reads tlie above he is tempted 

 to wonder if it is possible a periodical could 

 be found anytvhere whose editor is so far 

 behind the times that he would accept such 

 an advertisement. The bottle of whisky 

 with the cigars might, in one sense, be con- 

 sistent; but why in the world should the 

 revolver be put in? Is it the hope or ex- 

 pectation that, after the purchaser has 

 drunk the whisky, ho will shoot his wife or 

 children, and then in Irs drunken craze use 

 the revolvei' on himself? Do we need any 

 more tragedies along that line than we have 

 already? By the way, is there no law, ei- 

 ther in Florida or in the United States that 

 will put a stop to such kind of advertising 

 as well as that sort of gift or prizes offered 

 as premiums? Instead of sending mission- 



