The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-12-23
Frederic Haskin,s Letter
The Dry Pc int Of View.

Washington, D. c.. Dec. 31.-Nore
laws to enforce prohibition and
stricter enforcement Of the laws
already passed.
This the gist OF the belligerent
program with which the Anti-Sa-
loon league approaches the begin
ming OF q new administration. 1t II
backed by . congress overwhelm-
ingly pledged to enforcement OF
prohibition, and to, no modification
Of the laws in the way Of leniency,
and it 10 faced BY the tact that the
prohibition amendment Is being
widely and yariously broken.
+ The question Of enforcement Is
now admitted TO be the crucial one.
That is. there seems to be 70 doubt
but that the prohibitiorists can pass
all the law, that are NJ eded. They
dominate not only congress but
most Of the state legislatures.
Thirty-eight states have already
passed enforcement codes. and it is
predicted that most Of the others
will speedily do so.
! But passing . law is one thing
and enforcing 1t is another. In
spite Of all these laws. liquor is
pouring into the country over both
borders and through every port. II
is being taken out Of bond and sold
It is being illicitly made and sold
! It is being made in many homes by
the occupants thereof for their own
use, and these illicit makers Of beer
wine and whisky include persons Of
a great variety Of classes, poor and
! rich, rural and urban.
Can this wave of lawlessness BIZ
checked? The prohibitionists have
presumably convinced the Ameri
can electorate that prohibition il
a good thing if it can be made ef'
fective. But il it cannot be made
effective, II 1t gives rise merely t.
an elaborate system q lAw-breaknt
then the question Iegitimately arises
again, as to whether it is . goot
thing in such circumstances. II
other words, the best point OF a.
tack which the opponents OF pfohi
bition have is that q law which can
not be enforced is worse than NJ
law at all, and that intelligent reg
ulation, which could be enforced
would undoubtedly be better thai
complete prohibition which canno
be enforced.
Prohibition on Trial.
| The prohibitionists evidently real
tize this fact. Prohibition may b
considered to be on trial now as
practical proposition, just as it wa
| on trial for a long time as a thee
retical proposition. If enforcement
Is made year by year more effective
it will be hard indeed for the oppo
nents of the law to make an ef
fective attack upon it.. II the wav
,of law-breaking gathers an
. spreads, If the law is a dead lette
. in a considerable part of the coun
. try. then prohibition will be al
, tackled as a practical failure, what
ever its theoretical merits.
The present situation seems I
be about this: Whisky Of the stand
lard distillery branGs can be pull
) chased in most large, cities by any
, one who can pay from IS to $12
/ quart for it. Various moonshin
, brews can be purchased in man
rural sections. Certain allege
, medicines, containing large pei
centages of alcohol and prescribe
/ ON the bottle to be taken in dose
/ of several glasses day, may /
j, purchased at very reasonable price
I in drug stores and delicatesse
81 stores almost everywhere. Abo,
hall, almost anyone who has ord
j mary cooking facilities can make
E his home either ale, beer, wine
whisky, and beyond doubt gree
numbers Of persons co so. How ca
t all Of these breaches OF the la'
s and especially, the last one.
= stopped?
o we talked this matter over vii
u Wayne B. Wheeler, who is gener
u counsel for the Anti-Saloon leagu
. and has often been referred to
1.-THE brains Of that organization. H
Il point Of view is most interestil
Il and presumably may be taken
I Representatives Of that Of the Acti'
4 proh,bitionists In general. A pr
4 found faith in law and in poll
!. power 10 the basis Of Mr.. Wheeler
h philosophy. He sees the prese
\ wave Of law-breaking as = me
Temporary thing which will inc,
!. tably be: crushed.
/ "The law-breaker always fail.
: he says. He may give us lot
trouble. but We Will get him in I
h long run.
: , Campaign Against Lawlsssnsss
~ He outlined at some length ht
- the illicit sale Of liquor would
I checked by laws governing the d