Arizona republican., 1920-12-26
TIe Dry Point of VietD
By Frederic ]. Haski1

WASHINGTON, D. C., Dec. 3d. Nore laws to enforce prohibition and tricter enforcement of the laws all l ready passed. This is the gist of the beHigerent program with which the Anti Saloon league approaches the beginning of a new administration. It is backed by a congress overwhelmingly pledged to enforcement of prohibition and to no modification of tho laws in the way oI leniency and it is faced by the fact that the prohibition amendment Is be- ing widely and variously broken
 The question of enforcement is now admitted to be the crucial one That is. there seems to be no doubt but that the prohibitiOnists can pass all the laws that are needed. They dominate not only congress but most of the state legislatures. Thirty-eight states have already passed enforcement codes and it Is predicted tha. most Of the otheJs will speedily do so.
 But passing n law is one thing and enforcing it is another. In spite of all these laws liquor is pouring into the country over both borders and through every port It is being taken out or bond and sold. It is being nlicltly made and sold. It is being made III many homes by the occupants thereof for their own use and these Illicit max CTS of beer wine and whisky include persons of great variety or classes poor and rich rural and urban.
 Can this wave of lawlessness DC checked? The prohibitionists have presumably convinced the American electorate that prohibition IS sooa thing if it can be made effective. But if it cannot be made effective II IL gives rise merely to an elaborate sys- tenn of law breaking, then the question ,totr~ a WnHIner it is a good thing In such eircum- stances. In other words, the best point of attack which the opponents of pro- hibition have is that law which can- not be enforced is worse than no law at all and that intelligent regulation, which could be enforced, would un- doubtedlv be better than complete pro hibition which cannot be enforced.
 Prohibition on Trial
 The prohibitionists evidently realize this fact. Prohibition may be consid- cred to be on trial now as practical proposition just as it was on trial for a long time as theoretical proposition If enforcement is made year by year more effective, 1t will be hard indeed for the opponents of the law to make an effective attack upon it. If Jne wave of w-breaking gathers and spreads, if the law is a dead letter in a considerable part of the country, then prohibition will be. attacked as a prac- tical failure, whatever its theoretical merits.
 The present situation seems to be about this: Whisky of the standard distillery0 brands can be purchased ie most large cities by anyone who can pay from s8 to SIP a quart for it. Various noonshine brews can be pur- chased in many rural sections. Ger tain alleged medicines, containing large percentages of alcohol and prescribed on the bottle to be taken fin doses of several glasses a day may be pur- chased at very reasonable prices In drug stores and delicatessen stores al- most everywhere Above all, almost anyone who has ordinary cooking facn- ities can make in his own home either ale. beer, wine or whisky, and beyond a doubt great numbers of persons dc so How can all of these breaches oi the law. and especially the last one, be stopped?
 We talked this matter over with Wayne B. Wheeler, who is general counsel for the Anti Saloon league, and has often been referred to as the brains of that organization. His point of view is most interesting and presumably may be taken as representative of that of the active prohibitionists in general A profound faithhin law and in police power is the basis of MT. Wheeler's philosophy He sees the present wave of law breaking as a mere temporary thing which will inevitably be crushed
 The Iaw-breaker always fails, he says. "He may give us lot of trou- ble but we win get him in the long run"
 Campaign Against Lawiessness
 He outlines at some length how the illicit sale of liquor would be checked bv laws governing the disposal oi whisky in warehouses by strengthen ing the enforcement organization, anC by a campaign of education agains lawlessTess. Ee ks 6t Ma ha
 "The man who breaks the law is { traitor and ought to be shot," he said He added that the American people could not hope to stamp out polsheVisn and anarchy as long as they tolerated the lawlessness of those who break tn prohibition amendment. The Anti-Sa loon league, he intimated, will deVot much of it's educational etfort to orlE ing homo this idea. In other Words, will try to make the man who break the prohibition law an object Of socia odium. That is undoubtedly one thin which is lacking. It is considered n disgrace to make your own.' Tn best people do it. The methods ar discussed at the most fashionable an otherwise feSpeCtaptc SdlucIlh5S.
 The prohibitioniSts recognize this a Iamentabie states of affairs. The realize that men do not fear the pun ishments of the law half as much a they fear the bad opinion of their Tel lows. They propose therefore 10 mak the Ilduor-law breaker pariah, to pu him in the same class with the bushy bearded, bomb bolshevis of the cartoons.
 This would be easy if he were a isolated figure. But it will be har when there are large, solid blocks such Iawbrcakers, when whole com munitIes. and especially whole socl; classes foel the same way about It.
 The Elusive Home Brewer
 Mir. Wheeler was convincing in h statement of how prohibition Will enforced, except fin the matter of hon brewing. There indeed is the diffiou part of the job. TO restrict the sal of malt and hops win hardly solve tt problem, for you can make a goo beverage out of almost any fruit ( vegetable. and tho ways of doing 1t al multiplying aud spreading. Unless Il