Free trader-journal and Ottawa fair dealer. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1920-1927, 1920-08-24
HOOTCH.

The number Of DRINKS that have
been so much in evidence IN Ottawa
for the few weeks last past coupled
with the arrests of drunken automo-
bile drivers Of Sunday, have AGAIN
brought I'D for common street discus
sion the question as to whether or
not the eighteenth amendment Is any
good--if it accOmplishcs its purpose.
So far as totally eliminating booze
end drunkenness in Ottawa is con
cerned it has not That ii has cat
down the city's revenues is an undis-
puted fact. And there the arguments
for booze end.
The old personal liberty bunk has
been SO long RELOCATED to the scrap
pile that it isn't worth a thought.
But that general conditions from a
drink standpoint have very materially
improved is evident to any man VINO
is honest with himself and gives has
unbiased opinion.
That booze Is being sold in Ottawa
there is no question, even il nara To
prove to the average jury, A man
who has TO have" drink Will get
one, and you nor ! will never live to
see the day he won1 a booze tiend
will dig up a drink where the ordinary
man or one who in days gone by took
an occasional or even semi-occaslonal
drink would warp to death. But 1t IS
harder TO get and you don't see the
gangs" hanging around bars, tapping
up a dozen drinks when they only
wanted and intended to take one
.Accidental' drunks are rare by com
parison. Many a man in the old days
went into a saloon to get drink. met
the gang and left with very comfort
able tor uncomfortable jag. II a
man accumulates jag these days ii
lis a ten to one shot it was premedl
tated.
But the greatest thing the eigh
teenth amendment has done IS To cu'
down the crop Of corners. I'M
temptation for the respectable gro"
ing boy has been lessened The open
saloon with its thousand and one at
fractions for the boy just entering
manhood is already pretty much a
thing of the past The environment
that made moderate drinker, then
a booze fighter and finally the old
soak Of what started out as merely
a live boy has been so largely removed
that the benefits of the eighteenth
amendment will be more and more az.
parent as years so by ii the law IS en-
forced, as there is every hope 1t may
be in time. The mere obtaining OF .
drink is disreputable enough already
that it has few attractions for the
average clean minded boy.
The greatest enemy today Of the en-
forcement of the eighteenth amend
ment, however, is not the disreput
able bootlegger or soft drink parioi
anan who Cheats so much as the
alleged officer Of the law who hasn't
the nerve or moral stamina to use
his office to discourage drunkenness
The intIictiOn Of a merely nomina
tine on man who imperilS the lives
of women and children by driving {
car through Guy StitttH VI even vi
country road while intoxicated j,
such a farce that it would be ridicu
lous il it was not such a serious mat
ter. And the failure TO prosecute par
ties caught red.handed in handling
the stuff is on the same plane. The
compelling Of the enforcement of The
law is in the hands of the voters
sooner or later YOU can assist il
upholding or discouraging the uphold
ing of the eighteenth amendment Il
the constitution Of the United State
by your vote if you take the pains t
do so. Which are you gOing to do?