Omaha daily bee., 1909-08-15

mand. In short. II does not destroy a sin
gle one Of the elements that constitute the
life and power OF the saloon. 1t does not
introduce into the community a single ele-
ment that acts as an antidote for the sa-
loon. The whole root Of this institution re-
mains In the community intact, undisturbed
and vigorous. Under these circumstances
II is inevitable that the saloon, in one form
or another, will continue to serve its Gus
toners.
Depends on Public Sentiment.
Law enforcement is, in the long run. de-
pendent on public sentiment. Moreover,
public sentiment, in order to make itself
felt, must be active, alert and persistent.
A mere vague wish that the law be enforced
is not enough. The wish must be followed
UP by we'll organized effort When you
find a community in which the government
is ring-ridden and corrupt, it does not
mean that the public sentiment is in favor
Of such conditions. It means that public
sentiment is impotent because II Is either
inactive or unorganized. Thus It occurs
that small minorities can defy. and are to-
day defying, the will of large majorities.
Just how much of this active and deter
mined public sentiment is required to in
sure strict law enforcement depends largely
on the character OF the law. A stringent,
harsh, sumptuary law, like prohibition,
could not be enforced unless II had on its
side an almost unanimous public sentiment,
vigilant and well organized. Such a law
has all the odds against it. 1t has an up
hill Job from the outset. Public officials
are. as a rule, far more inclined to heed
and yield to the voice Of protest against
the enforcement Of a law of this kind than
they are to make an extraordinary effort
to enforce the law In obedience to the de-
mand Of the other side. Under statewide
prohibition there are many communities
where the majority sentiment is strongly
opposed to enforcement, and even prohibit
tionists admit that, in such communities,
the law becomes a mere farce.
Rule OF Minority.
But even under the local option system,
which is supposed to insure local majority
rule, prohibition, in a great many instances,
does not actually represent a majority of
the electorate. And the reason is that at a
local option election, a considerable proper
ton of the voters do not mark the excise
ballot at all. In the writer's own town the
vote on the license question during the last
fifteen years has always fallen from IL to
20 per cent short OF the total vote cast on
other questions and for candidates for
offices. During the period in question the
town has been carried for no license a num-
Der of times, and in every instance by a
minority of the total vote polled. More
over. the public sentiment in favor Of pro-
hibition is not only not strong enough In
quantity to enforce the law, but even what
there is of IT is not Of the right quality.
The great majority Of those that vote for
prohibition are full OF zeal and enthusiasm
I'm 70 the time of the election; but after
election their enthusiasm dies out and they
leave It to others to attend to the matter
Of Law enforcement. They think that in
merely casting their ballots for prohibition
they have lone their full duty and saved
the country. The writer has watched the
prohibitionists in his town for seven years
and he can testify that not 2 per cent of
the men thai vote for no license ever lift
a finger or contribute one cent to have the
law enforced under either system.
The prohibition public sentiment is Of that
cheap, shallow, emotional variety tina ex-
hausts itself in all manner of hysterical per-
formances during the campaign. Over
against the inheritant weakness OF this
prohibition sentiment is the public senti-
ment opposed to the enactment and to the
enforcement of the prohibitory law. This
sentiment is Of a very different kind from
the other. There is nothing frenzied nor
hysterical about It. But it is determined,
active and persistent. 1t knows what II
wishes and, what is more to the point, II
knows how to get what it wishes. 1t doesn't
exhaust itself before election nor grows in
different after election. Indeed. as soon as
the town goes dry" this anti-prohibition
sentiment begins to arouse itself and warm
up.
why Prohibition Doesn't Prohibit.
A man in a dry" town wishes a drink,
and ne knows where he can get 1t. That
man Is far more Interested i'm getting his
drink than his prohibition neighbor is in
preventing him from getting 1t. And when
you multiply this one drinker by a number
representing half or more of the male I'm
habitants of the community, you nave al
idea of the relative strength Of the two
kinds of public sentiment, and. II you have
any power of imagination, you know WIN
prohibition does not prohibit. There Is
said to be a good deahof the mule about
human nature, and a prohibitory law Is
beautifully adapted to bring out the mule
quality. People resent the idea OF being
held up by a lot of hysterical women anc
meddlesome men who conceive 1t to b,
lltlI IlBnl ana uuly " IeBuldAo Tue per
sonal habits Of their neighbors.
Prohibition has not only failed to &C
complish it's avowed object. but 1t has beer
the greatest obstacle to true temperance
reform In this country during the las
fifty years. Other nations are far ahead OF
us in the way In which they handle thu
drink question, and one reason is that theS
have not been so much disturbed by TEN
: perance waves" Prohibition attempts to d.
that which is impossible and prevents tn,
doing OF that which is possible. II tn,
liquor problem, in its legislative aspects
Is ever going to be solved, the solution mus
/ be found along the line OF regulation, ant
the sooner we set our feet on the RICH
t path the sooner we shall reach the desIrec
end.
/ Regulation the Remedy.
t Nothing is more certain than that ever!
= state and local community in which pro
= hibition now obtains will ultimately nave t
return to the policy of regulation, anC
just SO long as the prohibitory law re
mains on the statute books, just 81
long will the day of reformation b.
deferred. Prohibition is like the quacl
doctor who cannot cure the patien
himself and will not allow anybody else tC
take the case. The present hysterieal cru.
SADIE is itself an obstacle to reform ever