The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1917-07-11
PROHIBITION AND THE WAR
Bone.Dry Advocates Think More of
Former Than Latter.
(From the New York WORLDLY

ANhA ~ Avn" IVAN
"The New York World" remarks
the Des MONIES Capital, "is extreme
ly sad on account of the danger of
the adoption Of prohibiuon as a war
measure" What The World has
been fighting is a crooked and hypo-
critical device to burke the food con-
troll legislation and weigh it down
with provisions that would inevitably
provoke resistance and riot.
The measure of constitutional pro-
hibition before Congress is not even
DRAMATICALLY honest. Some of the most
vehement champions of the prohibi-
ton rider are Senators who r out
to beat the food control bill by max
ing it so unpopular that it will be
unavoidable. They have seized upon
prohibition as the most effective
weapon to that end. In this work
they were aided by the Anti-Saloon
League lobby. whose huge funds are
raised and expended in secret, but
the inspiration came from men who
are against the war and seke means
to cripple the government in its con-
duct of the war.
Prohibition has no vital relation
to war. No government at war has
undertaken to prohibit the m%anufac-
ture and use of alcoholic liquors.
Even Germany, which is the most
hard pressed for food of all the bel
~ligerents, has not sought to impose
sumptuary regulations of that kind
upon it's people. The limits Of pro-
hibition in it's relation to war are
something that must be dictated SOLE
ly by public sentiment, by necessity
and common sense, all of which are
arrayed against the proposed rider
to the food control bill.
) The chairman of the national COM
mittee of the Prohibition party gave
the whole Ease away yesterday when
he issued a statement assailing the
President and declaring that "we
would undoubtedly have had nation
al prohibition within thirty days were
it not for the interference of Wood
row Wilson," No pretense il made
by Mr.. Henshaw that prohibition is
an essential element in food con
troll. On the contrary, it is a meas
ure to be sneaked through for the
benefit of the moral forces" by men
who knew that on its merits 1T would
have no chance whatever of enact
ment.
This is frankly government by
fraud and false %pretenses. Tammany
in it's palmiest days never attempted
a more dishonest measure of legisla-
ton, and crooked government Is
crooked government, whether the
manipulation is done by men who
are looking out for their own peck
cts or by men who claim to represent
the "moral forces" Of a nation but
cannot produce their credentials.
One thing is certain. The men in
Congress and out Of Congress who
are responsible for this rider are
not concerned with the defeat OF
Germany. They are not concerned
with the triumph of democracy in
this war and the ultimate victory Oh
free government. They are not con
cerned with the unifcation of the
American people and the mobiliza-
ton of all the military, economic
and financial power of the United
States to destroy a~utocracy ano
make the world safe for democracy
There may be men among them who
are sincere in their fanaticism, but
fanaticism may be as dangerous as
open and overt treason in time Of
national peril.