Elder Andrew Kimball. (2)

[The copy of the stenographer's transcript of Elder Andrew Kimball's discourse having been lost in transmission by mail, Elder Kimball has written a statement covering the principal features of said discourse, and it is printed here. It would have been included in that part of the pamphlet where the other discourses appear that were delivered at the outdoor meeting, Sunday afternoon, April 9, but was received too late for insertion therein.]

Recently, while in Los Angeles, a gentleman who had been active in our state in the Anti-saloon League work, and now employed in the fight against the saloon in California, lectured before an audience at the Latter-day Saints Church, on the subject of prohibition. In the course of his remarks he traced developments from an early day in this country, showing activities of various sectarian churches in their efforts to break down the liquor traffic. When he had concluded, Elder Joseph E. Robinson, President of the California mission, read the following revelation, and showed conclusively that through the "Mormon" Prophet, God had made known the truths concerning the detrimental use of liquor and tobacco, antedating every other move made in the world. I will here read the revelation:

[The speaker read the "Word of Wisdom" in full.]

For over eighty years this people, the Latter-day Saints, have been taught, and have more or less abstained, not only from the use of intoxicating liquors, but also tea and coffee and tobacco, and the result is we have two or three generations of our people almost entirely free from the evil effects of these contaminating things.

The Lord has made no mistake in this revelation; like many other good things, He has given to the world admonitions and commandments calculated to improve His children physically, as well as spiritually. Along this line of reform, as also in many others, the "Mormon" people living in Arizona have been foremost and among the most reliable of the people residing in that State.

Saloon keepers are bluffers; they would make you believe that the abolition of the saloon would destroy all business relations, they urge that the loss of revenue would be so great you would have no means to run the government, that business would be dull; in short, it would kill the country. This is about the kind of talk they gave us in Arizona when we went into the fight and put them out of business.

In 1901 it was my good fortune to secure the passage of the "Texas" local option law while a member of the Arizona Territorial Legislature, but, my friends, "local option" will not do the work. Three counties only took advantage of the law and voted dry. They were where the Latter-day Saints were in the majority.

Later, while an effort was made to amend the law, its enemies segregated the large cities from the country districts, making it almost impossible to rid the municipalities of the saloon; so we can say from experience, that while local option is better than the saloon, it is not sweeping enough in its effects to rid the country of the liquor traffic, accordingly we insisted upon State-wide prohibition.

The Temperance Federation of Arizona, so termed, was organized, an executive committee was chosen, with representation from the various organizations, W. C. T. U. Young Men's and Young Ladies' Christian Associations, Labor Federation, the various sectarian churches, business and professional interests, and our "Mormon" people, women being very active in the work. We gave women their franchise and they gave us a dry state. God bless the women.

A private citizen of one of our leading cities compiled statistics of the State, covering a period of but six months, and termed the compilation, "Six Months Prohibition in Arizona." From this pamphlet I will give you a few figures. You may draw your own conclusions as to the havoc wrought in Arizona by closing the saloons. It must be remembered that when the saloons closed Dec. 31, 1914, at 12 o'clock at night, many saloon keepers retained a quantity of liquor, and scores of citizens laid in a supply, so that when the law went into effect the State was not quite dry. I here give you the wording of the prohibition amendment to the Constitution:

"Ardent spirits, ale, beer, wine or intoxicating liquor or liquors of whatever kind shall not be manufactured in or introduced into the state of Arizona under any pretense. Every person who sells, exchanges, gives, barters, or disposes of any ardent spirits, ale, beer, wine, or intoxicating liquor of any kind to any person in the state of Arizona, or who manufactures, or introduces into, or attempts to introduce into the state of Arizona any ardent spirits, ale, beer, wine, or intoxicating liquor of any kind, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be imprisoned for not less than ten days nor more than two years and fined not less than twenty-five dollars and costs nor more than three hundred dollars and costs for each offense; provided, that nothing in this amendment shall apply to the manufacture or sale of denatured alcohol."

The constitutional amendment made it mandatory upon the first State Legislature to enact police regulations for the enforcement of the law. This they failed to do, so that all we have accomplished has been under the mandates of the constitution.

Efficiency increased in the workingmen of the state in six months, according to these statistics, an average over the state of 25 per cent, and at the Copper Queen, the largest copper company, 31.4 per cent. Understand by this that, before prohibition, after each pay day through employees spending their wages and time in the saloon, and recovering from the consequences of drink, they would lay off two or three days each month, causing the company to lose 31.4 per cent in the efficiency of its operations. The pay rolls being $4,000,000, 25 per cent of that amount is $1,000,000 saved, for now men go to work after pay day. Eighty-four per cent reported for work before prohibition, 98 per cent since.

When men drank up their wages, their boys had to stay out of school to help support the family. There has been a great increase in attendance in the public schools, and 50 per cent increase in our state university.

Eleven out of fourteen counties went dry. Three ( Mormon ) counties were already dry through local option. There has been 796 less commitments in six months, a saving, by decrease in arrests, of $50,773.98, a falling off of 50 per cent in commitments.

In cities and towns of prominence there has been a decrease in arrests of 2.403, an average of 50 per cent; saving by such decrease $85,170.14. While the state has apparently sustained a loss in revenue of $100,998, but when we take into consideration the many channels through which business has increased, this loss of revenue is more than made up in business channels. In considering the moral benefits, it is inestimable.

In Phoenix, our capital, there were 1125 less arrests in six months, 6 less police employed, $20,000 less cost in city government.

The City of Tucson had 255 less arrests for drunkenness. Such arrests had cost $12.50 each, thus making a saving of $3,000 in six months, or $6,000 annually.

Taxes have not increased in consequence of prohibition.

In Apache county, taxes have decreased 14.5 per cent, and in Graham (my county) 28.5 per cent. These counties had been dry long enough to make a showing.

There has been a great increase in savings deposits. Before prohibition, the laboring men, on pay day, would deposit their pay check in the saloon and go home with a stomach full of liquor and an empty pocket book. Now they deposit their earnings in the postal savings and in banks. There has been an increase of $387,252.00 in the postal savings, and over $3,000,000 in the banks.

Where the saloon formerly stood, you now see progressive business institutions, moving picture shows, and other taxable property. Where before prohibition, children were running the streets barefooted and hungry, and mothers humiliated and dejected; now, under prohibition, there are thousands of happy homes.

There has been a corresponding increase in public spiritedness, good roads, public improvements, better markets, and in every way there has been a livening up of affairs, greater confidence in business, and a general uplift to society.

At the annual Temperance Convention held this spring in Phoenix, and while presiding during the evening session, I presented the following figures on the birth rate and death rate of the various nations of the world, figures that may be used to prove the good effects of temperance.

A short time after this meeting, the president of the Federation wrote and asked me for a copy, saying that of all the papers and talks in the convention this had impressed him most. These figures came into my hands from a very reliable source, and you can depend upon them as being correct, at least up to a recent date.

                            Birth Death
Country                         Rate Rate

Russians (Europe)       44.8 28.8
Southern Slavs      40 25
Armenians           40 24.7
Germans           29.8 16.2
Italians         31.5 22.8
Portuguese          29.7 18.8
English and Irish       28.5 16.1
United States (All)       28 14
Dutch           27.6 14.4
Australian (Whites)       27.4 10.8
Scandinavians       25.3 13.4
Belgians.          23.5 15
Irish          23.3 17.1
French         18.7 19.1
Egyptians         43.4 35
Indians (U. S.)      5 2
Hindus         38.6 32.6
Japanese         33.9 21.8
Negroes (U. S.)      40 32
State of Kansas      9
Mormon (entire world)      40.2 8.3
Mormons of Arizona (four stakes of Zion) average.   44 7.2
St. Joseph Stake       44 6

It will be observed from these figures that the death rate is something like one-half of the birth rate, in the United States--28 births, 14 deaths. France, you will observe, has more die than live; consequently, unless they attend more closely to family raising, they will eventually become extinct. The state of Kansas has the lowest death rate of any in the Union, which can be accounted for because of their long drawn out efforts for temperance. But what we get out of this comparison is that the Latter-day Saints lead the world in high birth-rate and low death-rate. This does not mean only its numbers residing in these healthy mountain valleys, and the offspring of "Mormon" parentage, but our people in all the world.

There has been more or less sympathy extended to our people living in Arizona, but mark from church statistics the splendid high birthrate and low death-rate. The four stakes average 44 births to the thousand, and 7.2 deaths; and the St. Joseph stake, where I have the honor to preside, leads the average of the Church, with 44 birth-rate and 6 death-rate. I am not claiming that this splendid record is because the state went dry a little over a year ago, but it is a fact that we are largely the offspring of "Mormon" parentage who have lived temperate lives.

Another thing, the test is now on in these United States. I quote from headlines in a Cambridge, Mass., paper, under date of March 19, "Americans Not Fit for Duty. Average Man Can't Meet Military Hardships, Says Harvard Professor." Compare this unfortunate condition with the acknowledged fact that not to exceed 10 per cent of American boys can stand the military examination. Is it not about time we were taking notice, and as an American people, correcting our mode of living? Contrast this with the record of "Mormon" boys. I was told that 100 per cent of our boys at St. Johns, Arizona, passed muster when undergoing examination for the National Guard.

Intemperance alone is not responsible for this alarming status of our American young manhood. It was told me by an instructor in a college in Los Angeles that from 75 to 90 per cent of the male population of that city, and other large cities of our nation, were more or less affected with disease resulting from immorality. As a general rule, this is traceable to intemperance, which, of course, with all its attendant evils, mean disaster to the human family.

What is "Mormonism" doing? What are we doing, as a people, to uphold the high standards of right living? As I observed at the beginning of my remarks, the temporal salvation of this people means the perpetuation of a people whose work is not only to preach the gospel of spiritual salvation, but also the practical uplift of humanity, and observance of God's laws by His children upon the earth. Amen.