The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1918-07-05


adopted by vote of 8 to 3 the Pro
hibition amendment offered by Sena
tor Norris of Nebraska as substitute
for the Jones amendment to the
emergency agricultural appropriation
bill. The result OF this vote is a fav'
orable report by the committee ano
action on War Prohibition on the
aoor of the Senate, when the bill Is
taken up.
Preceding the action OF the Senate
committee, extensive hearings were
held at which opponents and friends
Of War Prohibition testified.
Fear Effect on Labor
Those against War Time Prohibi'
ton argued that laboring men, chiefly
ship builders, become discontented
and work less efficiently if deprived
OF beer. Mr. Bainbridge Colby of the
shipping board declared that taking
liquor from ship yard employees
would reduce their efficiency and the
tonnage output about rs per cent
Secretary of the Navy Daniels re-
futed this statement by telling the
actual experience in navy yards in dry
territory, where, as matter of fact
and not opinion, work is going ahead
with greater speed than in yards To-
Gated in wet districts. The records oil
the shipping board show that the
highest percentage of efficiency in all
yards has been maintained in the
Puget Sound district, located in
Washington and Oregon-both dry
Bishop James Cannon of the Legisla.
five sonihsttee of the 4Anti-SaloeE
sLeague brought out the fact at the
hearing that the great ship yard at
Newport News, Va, had not only
suffered no diminution in production
under Prohibition in Virginia, but
that the output had been increased
owing to the increased efficiency OF
the workmen after the state went dry.
Among other testimony favoring War
Time Prohibition was statement by
the manager of great ship building
corporation in which he said, unable
to see where War Prohibition will in
any way hamper ship building pro-
gram. On other hand, it will be OF
distinct benefit to ship building. DR..
Dinwiddie pointed out to the commit
tee that when Secretary of the Navy
Daniels threatened to make Mare
Island Navy Yard dry, he was told
that such action would play havoc
with the ship yard workers, but Sec
retary Daniels made the yard dry with
'the result that great destroyer was
launched in II days, which was record
time.
Calls Prohibition Experiment
Mr.. Hurley, chairman of the ship
ping board, expressed the fear that
Prohibition would not work we'll, and
declared that in his opinion the ex-
pertinent should not be tried at the
present time.
Mr.. Bryan, arguing for War Prohi-
bition, called attention to the fact that
Prohibition is not an experiment and
that actual records in ship yards and
other industries in dry territory prove
that increased efficiency results. Mr..
Bryan said:
Why Make Predictions?
"Why should men come before this
committee with predictions as to what
effect Prohibition will have upon the
shipping output? Why do they not
come with the data and statistics
from ship building yards where Pro-
.hibition is in effect and where all the
testimony shows that it has Won
derful influence for good? Why do
not they tell us that the record time
for building ship was made in a
yard protected by dry zone?
"And why is it that when the Amer
lean Federation of Labor has had Ma
tional Prohibition before it as an inn
minent probability for many months,
representatives of that organization
come in opposition to this measure
without action of the convention au-
thorizing them to do SOP
Treat All Like Soldiers
"These are unusual times. We are
taking our young men from their
homes and asking them to give up
their lives if necessary, and in order
that they may be 100 per cent men we
have forbidden the liquor trade to sell
its drinks to them. What is there ur,-
fair about the proposition of asking
laborers whose lives are not in danger
to be 100 per cent men in order that