The Washington herald., 1920-04-12
Men and Business
By RICHARD SPILLANE.

For intoxicating liquors Great
Britain and Ireland expended ST.
$50, 200, 900 last year. This was di-
vided as follows: England and
Wales, S1,s15,0oo.o0 Scotland. $780,
000. 900, and Ireland. S13o.00o. 900.
Per capita. the drink bill for 1919
was s45 for England and Wales. S3S
for Scotland and sal for Ireland.
Booze is and has been cheape- in
Europe than America
Before prohibition went into ef-
feet in this country our expenditure
for liquor approximated S2,5oo. .o00.-
600 annually. or about SIS per cap
ita- In 1918 the American consump-
tion per annum per capita was LIZ
gallons OF distilled spirits, IS of a
gallon OF wines and 1859 gallons
of malt liquors
1t would appear that ten years OF
prohibition would effect a saving in
the United States equal to all our
monetary expenditures in the world
war and our loans to the allies in
cluded- There are offsets. however
One is the very large increase in
the consumption OF sweets Men ac-
customed to liquor or tobacco be-
come eaters of candy, although pre-
viously they had no use for candies.
That is one explanation of the pro-
nounced increase in the candy busi-
ness in this country.
| There is nothing peculiar In this
turn to candy. Sugar is a scfmu-
liant. A person accustomed to alco-
holic stimulation and suddenly de-
prived Of liquor Graves a substitute
and suffers in nerve or body until he
gets it. Candy does not satisfy the
alcoholic addict. but 1t helps him a
trifle, or, rather, soothes him a
trifie, for candy, unless eaten in
moderation, plays the deuce with
the teeth and some of the parts of
the human machine.
It is too early to obtain solid
facts on which to base Judgment as
to the effect prohibition has had
upon the worker. The confident
prediction OF prohibition advocates
was that the production Of the
worker would be increased Produc-
tion has not been increased, but this
can be attributed to the unsettle-
ment attendant upon such q convul-
sion rs the world war. There has
been the same epidemic Of strik c ;
and the same general unrest in la
Dor circles, in Great Britain, France,
Italy. Spain, Denmark and other Eu-
ropeaE countries that are wet as In
America, where II is dry, and fully
| as much IL not more of a decline Ia
production per man. There has been
the same eNtravagant spending hv
labor and the same insistent dc
mand for higher and higher wages.
Until conditions become approx
mately normal 1t, therefore, will be
impossible to Judge accurately pro-
lhibition in its economic phase.
One thing made clear, however. Is
that prohibition advocates and
liquor people were both wrong In
their representations. The drys
predicted much increased produc-
ton by labor and a great improve
ment in home conditions. The vets
predicted labor would not tolerate
without violent protest such an in
vasion OF its liberties as to deny Il
the right to drink or not to drink.
as the individual pleased There
has been no increase in labor's out
put and there has been no wild pro-
test from labor for repeal Of the
prohibitory amendment. In fact. a
QUESTIONABLE addressed to labor
leaders brought more replies favor
able TO prohibition than to liquor.
but the majority of the answers
were rather noncommittal.
Morally. prohibition seems to have
proved itself. Economically, II has
yet to demonstrate Il will do an its
ladvocates claimed.