New Britain herald., 1919-09-13
COMMUNICATED
Another Soldier on ''Prohibition." New Britain, Conn.,,
 Sent 10 i1Q O

New Britain, Conn.,.
 Sept. 10, 1919. Editor of The Herald.
 Lear Slr:-Will you be kind enough 10 publish a word from another sol dler ons the all-important question of thls hour. prohibition?
 nave recently returned from rance wearing the stars won with the gallant Ed division lover there." AS former resident of New Britain. now living in Springfield, Mass, I srll feel interested in my old home lo"h' and on reading the recent com Ill ih"hlca'lons on prohibition, 1 felt prompted to register, in your paper my agreement with Dr. Mann and nv absolute disagreement with "Sincere" and my fellow-so ldier friend
 corroborate my soldier friends accurate knowledge of how inc French and English stimulated their hghtmg men, and how Uncle Sam's men, who felt the need of it, were not excluded from the sources of supply which flowed to their foreien fighting brothers.
 l do not infer from pr. Mann,s communication that he claimed pro- hlblhon won the war;" as my fel- loW-soldler implies; out pr. Mann's modest claim is that prohibition helped to win the war
 And is it not true that prohibition helped to win the war, in spite of the free flow of stimulants to the armies in France?t
 The fact that war-prohbition came too late to become operative on the battlefield does not argue against prohibition; rather does it prove that the leaders of our great nation. from their standpoint of inside observa- ton, saw the need of arresting the evil tendency of intoxicants upon the soldiers; hence the specialization of the highest leading thought in the war-prohibtion edict.
 Whenever, in times of great stress and special need. a nation is called upon for her best, compulsory self sacrlhce must supply the lack not met by voluntary self-denial, even as !, the selective draft had finally to be resorted to, to compensate for the sad lack of volunteers
 Not all brave soldiers of our war ring nation fought in France. If 1 the valiant boys who went over were entertained in France with convivial hospitality, and many were glad for the special inspiration of spirits served in the trenches, it is yet true that prohibition had It's good effects on the people behind the lines at home. |, The millions of civilian-soldiers :: home suffered the heavy hand of pro- hibition upon them for the sake of us at the front, long before the spe- cial enactm ent against alcoholic stim- ulants came into effect.
 Thousands upon thousands found the prices upon the necessaries of life prohlbit1ve; and very often, govern- ment prohibition against the home use of such things SIS we needed at at home: and all this wartime legis- front was enacted by the government at home without the direct voice of the millions who suffered under 1t and without the complaint which many a returned soldier now makes against the governments instituting prohibit tion without the vote of the soldier in the field.
 I am one of the soldiers that be- 1ieve that supplying soldiers with strong drink proves nothing against prohibitions and on the other hand, I believe that prohibition enforced | throughout the world, would preclude 1 the future need of soldiers, as a sober world would not precpitate war, ...s. .~-' There was a time, when, in good l old New England, many a good par son, found special inspiration fos his U z ss1 U. day sermon. in 2 very liberal