The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-03-14

and a request.
do not like to go on record with an
admission of failure in anything. and
yet after seven years of iteration and
ireiteratiOn il seems to me that | have
not succeeded in making clear two
points that are most frequently dis
cussed in connection with the liquor
problem.
One of these is that ''prohibition' is
not intended to prohibit. The second
is that dragon'S-tooth question, why.
if prohibition does not prohibit. do the
liquor men oppose prohibition"
Having made my confession. ! wish
now TO make my request. and that is.
that you give careful consideration to
the following very earnest attempt TO
make clear these points.
Not long ago. the Rev. Charles NJ.
Sheldon. one of the members of one Of
the prohibition flying squadrons. was
speaking in Chicago, and in the course
of his speech said:
Il was in New York found a lit
tie girl , years old. working with her
hands to make a few cents at o'clock
at night.
There are many hundreds such in
New York.
That child's father is a drunkard.
There are thousands of such drunk
ards and of such children in the cities
of this country.
We propose to abolish the drunkard
and rescue the child"
Failure Of Present Laws.
ON such grounds is the prohibition
mol cn-nt based. The prohibition ora
tion pictures actual or exaggerated
evils growing out of the abuse of tn"
use of liquor. and then proceeds to de-
mand. not the abolition of the use of
liquor. but what is called the prohibit
lion of the manufacture and sal" of
liquor.
with the possible exception of one
case. now being tested in the courts.
there is in America today. after NOR"
than half century of prohibition aSi-
tatIOn and legislation. not one prohibit
Iion law that prevents the lawful pur-
chase, possession. and use OF liquor: !
nor Is there a prohibition law that * !
intended to prevent even the drunkard |
from obtaining drink.
only In license territory ar" theT" !
laws against furnishing liquor to inc
briates. There is not a drunkard in |
all tn" prohibition territory in the |
| nit-d States who has not the lawful |
right to purchase. possess. and GUS" !
liquor. and | charge that this lawful !
right to purchase liquor has been pre- |
served for that drunkard. even as il |,
has been preserved for the liquor I
drinking prohibitionist. by the Anti !
Saloon League of America and by the |
Prohibition party.
Why. in the Stats OF kentucky. at |
the last session of the legislature tn"
Anti-SaIoOn LeaCu. of kentucky push /
I'd through our Legislature a bill re- |
pcaling the law that prevented the |
shipping of liquor from the license .
counties Of kentucky TO those that
We're under prohibition The reason .
for this was that the County-option .
had come to a standStill in
* ntucky.
The Situation in Kentucky. '
Under the old law. citizens in prohi-
hition counties had the right to order
and receive from kentucky dealers.
provided it was sent out of the State
before being sent to the prohibition
This was inCOnvenient and
often caused some little delay in OBJ
tanning liquor supplies; and because it
proved unpopular i'll the prohibition .
and because the Anti-SaloOn
League intended to call elections in
other counties and hoped to win them,
/ caused the repeal OF this ''inconvcn-
ent law The result is that now, I'M /.
Ter law passed by the legislature at
he request of the Anti-Saloon League.
liquor can be shipped from any county T.
n kentucky to any other county in
This is a sample of the kind of leg Il
Station that the Anti-Saloon League -
pliers for putting a stop to drunken
less and for keeping thre"-year-old
'hildren from having to work for 4
living.
DR.. Henry Smith Williams has eX-
pressed this point SO clearly in an ar
icle in The Ladies' Home Journal that
would like to quote him as follows:
TO me. at least, it seems obvious
hat the only thing that has kept the
movement before the pco-
lie of the United States is the simple
act that prohibition does not pro-
libit."
Question Prohibitionists Avoid.
The prohibitionists continue to drum
t into the ears of the people that pro-
ibition does not prohibit because the
liquor men will not permit it to pro-
ibit, whereas the actual truth is that
Prohibition does not prohibit because
he prohibitionists will actively fight
he adoption of any law intended to
ut off the individuals supply of liquor
n prohibition territory.
When confronted with these facts,
he Anti-Saloon Leagues speakers and
writer's do not deny them. They seek
o beg the question by repeating the
uery. why. if prohibition does not
rohibit. do the liquor men oppose pro-
ibition?'
BY asking this question. they get the
ublic'S mind away from the more
ertinent question. why. il prohibit
ion is not intended to prohibit, does
he Anti-Saloon League solicit funds
n behalf of prohibition" Or. why.
prohibition does not prohibit. is pro-
ibition supposed to prevent either the
Sc or the abuse of liquor
The men who have invested their
money and time and labor in the vari-
as branches of the liquor business
nd in collateral trades object to pro-
ibition individually because it threat I
ms to. and often does. destroy the
usiness of individuals. and il is only
atural that these individuals should .
FORK together in opposition TO prohi-
ition.
The retailer opposes prohibition be-
ause prohibition destroys his right
D continue in the liquor business in I
ne locality where prohibition is
dopted. ,
The wholesaler objects to prohibi- :
on because IL puts his customer, the 7
ntailer. out of business and to that ,
Ntent breaks up his established trade ,
The distiller objects to prohibition I
ccause what hurts the wholesaler in !
.rferes with the distillcr's established (
-ade. y
Effect OF Hobsoa's Plan. G
But these individual losses do not I
ring about a loss to the liquor bust !
ess as a whole. The business that is I