New Britain herald., 1917-06-27
KILLING PERSONAL LIBERTY.

wonderful proclivities for what the
 boys sometimes call getting in
 wrong. These are the prohibition
 and the suffrage causes The two have
 made great strides. They have also succeeded in arousink the ire of many people within the past week: the suf-
 fragists by their tantalizing antics at
 the White House, the prohibitionists l by their pernicious and underhanded methods in the House of Representa-
 tives. By passing the Food Control
 Bill with bone-dry amendment 1 which. forbids the brewing and dis tilling of alcoholic beverages the ] House now stands to be criticised as 1 vote on this bill was almost unani- ] nous. It remains for the Senate to 1 modify the amendment that would
 make this nation dry. Otherwise 1t manufacture of even light wines or
 beer.
 The prohibitionists have made 8 great drive against John Barleycorn.
 trenches until today he is standing
 with his back to the last ditch. The
 temperance movement in this country
 has grown in leaps and bounds until
 men who formerly were great users of
 intoxicants have come to see the req
 condolences of refraining and abstain
 ing from liquors heavily laden with al- cohol. As prominent local clergy
 man remarked not long ago. There
 ere three sound reasons in back of this reform.-Health, Economies. and
 Morality. We believe he is
 right. ''But', he adds. prohibition
 must be a failure unless the people decide they want prohibition" So far as we can see the people, the whole people, do not as yet want prohibi- ton. And this notwithstanding that the people are-eoming around to the way of temperance. This country is supposed to be democracy. It is government of the people, for the peo- ple and by the people. It believes in majority rule. It accepts any rule that more than one-half of the people puts forth. Yet the House of Repre- ientatives would force prohibition on the whole people without represen- tative vote. Prohibition was not an issue in the late national campaign. There was no mention of 1t in the platform of either party. The Prohi- bitiQn Party, which was it's sole spon~ sor. made some headway. true: but 1t did not score a victory.
 In time of war the nations energies should be conserved. The nations food supplies. ahove all. should be saved. Knowing this, the prohibition ists who have lobbied in Congress took advantage of the Food Control Bill and tackled on the amendment that will if passed by the Senate. make the nation dry. That Is, 1t will stop the legitimate manufacture of whisky. light wines, and beers. The DlcA was ut1QS kItt g I0AAS0 ekAA 4SuS~ sia and some of the other countries at war have stopped the manufacture of all distilled and brewed beverages. Russia has stopped the manufacture and sale of vodka, one of the deadliest drinks known to civilization. France has stopped the manufacture of ab- sinthe, another drink containing very high percentage of alcohol. YetAl light wines and beer are obtainable in both these countries. And the sol- diers in the trenches fighting for Eng land are given a daily portion of beer. The same is true of the German war riors
 If this nation is to go dry we should like to see it go dry on the merits of prohibition. Not on misrepresenta- ton. The people should have tho right to vote on the question. As we profess to be a deunocracy, as we are supposed to be fighting the battle of democracy, as we are fighting so that the world may be made safe for de- mocracy, let us adhere to the princi- ples of democracy. Let us not, even ! as prohibitionists, win so-called vic- l tory by supterfuge. Let us come out in the open. Cardinal Gibbons, we believe, has put it right when, he says, "a law of this kind interferes with the 1 personal liberty and rights of the peo- 1 pie and creates hypocracy on the part of the public. If the people of any country district find conditions such E that to have local option would mean l