Arizona republican., 1914-05-09
LIQUOR SOPHISTRIES

Everybody's Magazine is running a series of articles on John Barleycorn, 1 both sides.' Of course there is only one side to the question, but as a con cession to politeness and as an induce
 ment to the liquor forces to defend | their traffic we have to pretend that
 there are two sides.
 l The national wholesalers of liquor
 are represented by their president. MT
 H. J. Kaltenbach, who says: ''The trade
 is convinced that prohibition in the United States is a failure. Statistics demonstrate that the consumption of 1 liquors has increased ninety per cent | per capita in the past twenty years, | despite the large increase of territory
 nominally under prohibition laws. . ..
 The trade is convinced that statewide | prohibition has been a failure in every
 state which has attempted to experi- | ment."
 This so-ealled argument answers it. self. The commonest principles of l logic applied to this statement reduces | it to an absurdity. There is nothing | the dealers desire quite so much as the failure of prohibition, and the in- creased sale of liquor. If, therefore, | prohibition increased the consumption | of liquor every dealer in the country
 would be loud and persistent advo- cate of prohibition.
 | Again, who desires effective prohibi- tionists more than the prohibition sits themselves? Ig they are satis- fled why should the dealers complain? The prohibitionists, who desire effec- tive prohibition, favor prohibition as a
 remedy. The dealers, desiring no ef-
 fective prohibition, are opposed to pro-
 hibition as a remedy. It ought not to
 be difficult for any man or woman to
 make a choice. The liquor dealer who
 argues thus convicts himself of in sincerity at the start
 The facts are that prohibition, state wide, has been very much of a suc- lcess. It has not stopped the crime, for
 no law can do that. but it has mini
 mixed it. There was never time in
 history when prohibition was quite SC
 much of a success as it is night now
 Three fourths of the territory of the
 nation is dry. National prohibition is
 on the way and we are making the last
 stride in that direction.
 The liquor dealers. when they get tC defending the traffic, are compelled by
 the exigencies of the case to resort t' , subterfuge and falsehood. Their storie. 5 do not hang together. The Nationa l Liquor Dealers Journal says: "Th
 argument that prohibition does no f prohibit is merely one of expediency , It is neither moral nor ethical. If n,
 better reason can be presented by tn l friends of the alcoholic liquor trade e their discontinue is sure.'
 I In it's attempts to rally the liquo
 forces for the final stand the pape : above quoted says: ''The united force S of the opposition will strive to writ d prohibition of the manufacture, impor Y tation, and sale of alcoholic liquor V into the federal constitution. If the n succeed it is the death -knell of tn d liquor business as a recognized in r dustryv
 e Then this paper goes on to show tha a this result is not impossible. It say d that twenty-sevens states can : counted on to ratify the nations S amendment, and that the securing ( r nine more is not 'superhuman task }. Mo-. prohibition is not a failure N . one knows this better than the presi V dent of the national dealers When h : writes to the contrary the wish is n ). doubt father to the thought He Ina a best take the friendly advice of tn e liquor journal and avoid that "discom Q fiture" which is sure"
 Q G. R. RINEHART e General Superintendent Temperanc Q Federation of Arizona,