The public weal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1906-1908, 1906-08-15
MULTIPLICATION OF LAW.
Why Prohibition Does Not Always
Prohibit.
BY Eva Jones.

shalt not sell liquor" as when it says
"Thou shalt not murder" or "Thou
shalt not steal?" Why rs it nullified?
First, because the people, the ma
jority who make the law, provide no
means for it's enforcement. 1t is not
providing means for enforcement to
simply elect some officials sworn to
enforce all laws. There is no power
to compel them to respect their oaths
of office, and they can exert their
whole official strength to secure its
non-enforcement. They may even be
elected to office, like the present ma
yOr of Chicago, upon prediction
promise to be non enfOrcer. The
same majority that makes a law
should at the same time elect an ad-
ADMINISTRATION declaring for and pledged
to the policy of enforcement OF such
prohibition. To leave prohibition
law to be administered by license par
ty officers who have been put in Of
flee by rum voters would be like buy
ing a gun to protect your hen roost,
and then give it to man to handle
for you who is standing in with the
chicken thieves and who expects to
live on chicken pie.
Second, prohibition law against
drink for our states is all local law,
and the National Government is
steadily multiplying it. The reason that
the National Government nullifies
the local law is because Uncle Sam
has made the manufacture and sale
of liquor a means of raising large
revenues for the national treasury;
or, in other words, is financially in
terested to have liquor made and sold.
The National Government gets $1.1O
a gallon on the whiskey and other
distilled liquors made, liquors which
cost about Is cents per gallon to
make, and gets 81 a barrel on all the
beer made. 1t gets $100 year from
every wholesaler and $25 year from
every retailer, before our Uncle Sam,
(that is, we, in our capacity as a
National Government) will allow the
drink sold. And this Federal permits
sion is given just as promptly to men
to violate law by selling in prohibition
parts of the land as to sell in license
parts The Federal permit gives the
mans name and intended place Of
selling, and reads on the margin that
the local officers may catch and pun
ish such outlaws if they can, or words
to that effect. But having the FEEDER
al government take $25 of his money
and be his friend as far as possible
stiffens up the courage Of the out
law, makes him feel less a culprit,
since the National Government gives
him a permit, and it discOurages the
local officers who feel there must
be something wrong bounding to Jail
him whom Uncle Sam approves, the
United States selling him permission
to sell and state and local officers
trying to punish him for selling.
A second form of national nullifi-
cation of state and local prohibition
law is through interstate commerce
laws, made by Congress. The Nation
al Government has made these laws
say that liquor can be shipped in from
any outside state and sold by freight
or express agents in violation of ever
so much state or local prohibition
law, and of the officers who try to
enforce such laws. No power can
help it but the National Government
which ought to amend it's interstate
commerce law so as to stop such multi
fication. But Congress goes on, year
after year, serenely refusing to make
such amendment. 1t is most mon
strous outrage. Wars have been
fought Tor less cause IMAM That. Anu
liquor is flooding the "dry" parts Of
the nation because of these means Of
notification, all of them perfectly pre-
ventable.
The enactment of prohibition law
alone is little more than referendum
vote of the people as to whether they
approve a prohibition of liquor. L
is morally good but practically almos
useless unless the administration II
power has declared for and is pledged
as a party, to that law and policy
And then, just as much, there mus
be national administration which
has declared for and is pledged tt