The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-12-24
Prohibition.

Twenty more votes and the friends
Of Federal prohibition would have a
majority Of the present House of Rep
resentatives. If they lacked 81 votes
for the two-thirds necessary for the
passage OF the resolution to submit the
Dry amendment to the people, their
strength was none the less surprising:
nor does 1t denote by any means the
full strength of prohibition. The wis
dom Of trying to force it upon unwill-
ing States Is doubted by men who ap-
prove 1t rs state policy, supported by
public opinion. Finally. the economic
recklcssness and present imposslbllty
Of fiinging away the enormous revenue
Of the excise taxes on spirits and malt
liquors might well have deferred some
Representatives from voting Aye who
approved the amendment. The great
vote. its wide geographical distribu-
ton. its independence Of party lines. is
impressive. Victims of unpopular ten
cts are not common al Washington.
These Representatives know their
districts. We must take the figures as
opinion espoused by millions OF men
and women. Il serious moral conviction
Of the sort Americans have been fond
Of and which even the melodramatic
Captain SoBsoN. \ misrletoe on legs
cannot make ridiculous.
From Sycamore I'LL the astute Old
champion player of the game of politics
nd
Siunatr reform. Like enough he will
yank il away from Brother BRYAN,
whom he has stripped naked of 50 many
other notions. Rut the future beneficial
ries of prohibition. the probable fate Of
the Dry amendment are but speculation
and surmi~c. The momentous fact. omi-
nous in the eyes of those who holi
with TUE Sun that will cannot be in
jected into men by statute or ConSttu-
ton. and that it Is no business of the
state To prescribe or prescribe the diet
OF its subjects. the momentous fact Is
that the combination of factors against
alcohol was never 81 potent as 1t Is
at present Some of these factors.
for instance the great and growing
body of medical opposition against even
its moderate use. make for total absti-
nence as an individual rule of hygiene,
hest for body and brain. but the general
effect Is the same. 1t strengthens the
prohibltonists.
So long as Maine was the classic
horrible example of impotent Meadow
ism, so long as even prohibition in the
South could he dismi ssed as an eco
nomic and moral prophylactlc against
negro crime or the deterioration of ne
gro labor. prohibition could be rega rdcd
asa lingering fanatcism in the North.
in the South as another phase OF
white supremacy" But Of late the
reflection of great world wave OF
prohibition or restriction has been felt
here The Gar has forbidden to the
innumerable drunkards of the drunken
est nation vodka, their "lttle water
sole pleasure save their religion to
the mouiiks. Great Britain. even tenn
perate France, has had TO shorten the
hours of its drinking places, The mill
tary virtues and the civic virtues the
good of army and navy and people un-
der the implacable strains of war, are
thought 10 he best subServed in a dry
or partially dry atmosphere.
These things are reflected in America
ON account of the war there is a GER
tain cXaccrhation or SupcrsenSitlveneSs
Of the nerves, an even unusual Amer
lean readiness To respond to moral or
sentimental reactions. Moreover. the
resistance Of those who like TUE Sun
believe i'm temperance or volunteer. and
not law made, "onScrlpt teetotalism
is weak. For on" thing. fashion. more
powerful than most other sanctions
vent iuuu prrm SShlc allowance of tn,
cup chat beers The prohbltionists are
united ar divided only rs between State
and Federal smashing Of the dcmi john
Tho manufacturers and the dealers
men gracluusly clasSed rs rum sell
crs,' protect their interests, or try to
hut the great mass, many millions, OF
temperate .'ily or ncca Nloual users oi
beer aud vine have hardly made them
Sclycs fell
Without entering iulu the merits Oi
the prohibition question, il may he Sa il
~ matter of observation and expert
cn"e that one product Of Dry laws |,
whiskcy and its congcncrs by the sid
Of which "the liquid damnatim" O
the old fashioned temperance lecturers
is as milk 10 dynamite
Are the American people going (,
confess That they lack the sclfcontro
!" Ms" alcohol property: Are they g"ln
10 confess that they are in this rcspec
lam"nlahly inferior to the French an'
the Germans, those wise and sober On