The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1919-03-01
London Simply Can't
Believe a Continent
Can Go Entirely Dry
By GEORGE T. BYE

-OlluOIIi ICD' II - IlC CONCLUSIVE I
tidings of the national foreswearing :
Of alcoholic drink in America has
much more awed London, believe,
than the peace conference. People
in these days see events in their inn
mortal values. A great many Lon
doners regard the sel:-,mposition OF
prohibition on more than a hundred
million souls as one OF the highest
peaks of mortal accomplishments in
known history, and they give it rank
alongside;
English Magma Charta (the first
Declaration OF lndepandence.)
French and Italian Renaissance.
The Reformation.
The World War.
London believes that America S
victory over self-indulgence will
greatly strengthen the power OF
President Wilson at the peace con-
ference, since he has given the ideals
OF America as his authority in pro-
posing equitable re-adjustments
throughout the world. National
ideals usually sound such cliimerical
dreams. Americas, by her present
act, voluntary, considered, deliber-
ate, front the world today like a
glorious, visible sunrise.
But it has stirred up some Euro
peans. 1t is generally approved as
a great step toward the control and
perfection OF human nature until
people are ready to stand without
government of any kind, and fits
ideally in a rational program of state
socialism. But thousands OF French
and Italians who depend for a live
lihood upon the wine and liquor in
dustry shudder to think OF their
losses from the stoppage OF the rev
enue paid by American importers
Thousands OF bottles of champagne,
especially prepared for American
conSumptiou-swcet champagne and
labelled "Goute Americana" or An
erican taste-will never reach their
destined tasters. This is a financial
blow for all France.
Prohibition, like bolsheyism, might
spread. America undoubtedly hopes
it will A great many people on this
side OF the Atlantic who do not feel
alcohol as an indispensable requisite
OF their lives may be inclined to stop
or moderate their drinking. Drink
ing is presented 70 them, to the
world, in fact, for the first time as
an undesirable thing even in mod
Grafton, and some are beginning to
have qualms OF conscience. This
might lead in the distari future to
British and, ultimately, European
prohibition. The prospect, however
distant, is being made as gloomy for
England as the liquor men can make
it.
The liquor interests are following
the tactics of their American eX-
associates. Little items are appear
ing in the papers summing up losses
in taxation and unemployment that
result in America. They do not
point, OF course, to the years OF sue
cessful experimentation OF dry
western states, now more prosper
GUS than ever in their wet decades
They do not mention the uses that
breweries and distileries can be put
to at once re-employing their "alco-
hol labor They do not mention
the lessened expenses in the COM
monwealth to the police, sanitarium
divorce court, orphan and insane
asylums budgets. They do not men-
ton the stimulation to constructive
industries that the enormous saving
in beer and whisky money will cause
the growth of bank deposits, the in
crease of investments in progressive
enterprises, the private building oi
homes and the vast increase in mas:
contentment which is the cement
that gives nations Solidity. And thC
devotion of liquor stuffs to food
the heightening OF health; the re,
finement of life for the more gentl,
rearing OF children.
Drug taking, they say will resul
from prohibition, forgetting that &C
caine and opium practices usually
flourish in "tenderloin" district.
where alcohol is rampant. You have
heard all their other arguments.
Londoners-some of them-sim
ply cannot believe continent car
go dry. A surprising question was