The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1919-04-11

ist. He proceeds by the right
method, by exposition and ex-
PLANTATION and warning. But we
would not have DR.. Evans as
dstator OF personal habits in Chi
eago. He would improve the
health, but he would ruin the will
of every citizen who needed his
attention.
That is precisely the difference
between tho development OF char
actcr by teaching and by expert
encc and the suppression of it by
statutory Prohibition. Chicago
Tribune.
The above is fair sample of the
sort OF editorial the Tribune has been
feeding its readers lately. Let us fol-
low this sort OF big town Stiffness just
through one short reel and see where
we would arrive:
1t is the personal habit" of some
people to burglc. II burglar entered
your home the Tribune evidently
thinks you should follow the DR.. Ev-
ans method of exposition and ex-
PLANTATION and warning" Evidently
you should invite the burglar into the
parlor and give him lecture on the
harmfulness to his disposition of en-
gaging in burgling, explain the Jolly
OF his ways, warn him that if con-
tinued long enough he might become
a regular loop-hound jazz as per
sonal habit burglar
1t is the personal habit" of some
folks to pick pockets. II one caught
a man picking his pockets he should
evidently give him three slaps on the
wrist, and whisper in his left car,
Naughty, naughty, naughty" What
do you think of such sillinesss
1t is the personal habit" of some
men to burn buildings. When we
catch hrebug we should take him to
the club, judging by the big town silli-
ness advice, and give him good feed
and argue with him becomingly and
tactfully, that if he sets fire to build
ngs the dad blamed things might not
know any better than to burn down.
II brute should commit assault on
a defenseless young woman we should
ba,,.t - al
soul who would hand him exposition
and explanation and warning" that it
is not becoming to interfere with the
personal habits" OF other folks.
Excuse us, but what hell on earth
we would have if we followed that
course. We pass laws prohibiting MUIR
der, prohibiting burglary. prohibiting
pocket picking, prohibiting arson, pro-
hibiting rape, prohibiting fast driving,
prohibiting splitting on the sidewalks
prohibiting throwing ashes on the
pavement, and a thousand and one
other things. Our personal habit" is
stepped on every day by the big No.
AS Of the law-and we do not object.
Every law we face is a prohibitory
law. SO what sense is there. in news
paper of so-called quality going wild
over another prohibitory act that has
been before the people for a hundred
years and was finally adopted--not by
a bare majority--but by two-third
majority OF the members OF the houses
of representatives and senates of As
out OF 4S states?
The liquor traffic has been outlawed
because it has always been lawless.
The saloons OF Chicago for which the
Tribune is working SO hard never
obcyed any law and never will SO long
as they are permitted to exist. The
national government discovered that
it could not make an efficient army
and permit liquor to get to its SOL
diers. Liquor was ordered out of
camps and for miles around encamp-
ments In an emergency the country
needed sober men and made sure to
get them.
If keeping liquor away from the
soldiers in the army was so good for
their personal habits" and made the
finest army in the world, the folks at
home decided that keeping it away
from all citizens would prove good
thing for the country. The army Of
hcers did not stop to explain and
warn" They just Ordered" the stuff
off the ground and kept it off, under
heavy penalties.
That is what the people OF the coun-
try have done through their duly
elected representatives in the various
states by due process of law. News
papers that stand for good govern
ment certainly ought to fire any editor
who will hand out such big town silli-
ness as is being given to readers of
the big city dailies.
The constitutional amendment has