Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 February 1909 — Booze as Bum. [ARTICLE]

Booze as Bum.

Neither the Republicans nor the Democrats openly profess friendship for booze. The wretched creature is kicked about on all sides, and when it strays near the premises of one party, the other party points a finger of shame at the other fellow. Really it should not be a party issue, but a moral one. And it shows poor judgment on the part of a democratic editor to try to accuse the Republicans of being friendly to booze when the Democrats are now trying to repeal the present local option law which the Republicans enacted so the people could express their will on the saloon question, and, ESPECIALLY, when that same editor only a few days ago received a case of whiskey by express with instructions to be delivered “at the house.” Perhaps the liquor is to be used for medical purposes; but we feel that the editor must be in a dangerous state of health to need a whole case of whiskey for that purpose. If he is, he had better not overtax his strength by straining his nerves in getting wrought up into a malicious frame of mind. If he does, we shall think that either his health or the booze has affected his mind.