The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-24

! O- Pennsylvania, received a popular vote of only 5,6O8. Four years later Green Clay Smith of Kentucky re- ceived only 9,522. Then came Neal Dow, the distinguished temperance champion of Maine with 10,305 votes. Up to that time little was heard of prohibition, although the Woman's s Christian Temperance Union, the fore runner of the Anti-Saloon League, was active in quiet way.
 In 1884 the prohibition party began to cut figure, for John P. St. John of Kansas, the presidential candidate, boiled 151 1909 votes. In the succeed ing campaign the popular vote rose to 294,907. It kept above 100000 from that time on but few people ever took the party as a party seriously.
 
 And they are not taking the party seriously now. It is evident that MT. Watkins himself does not take it seri- ously, but so rampant are some men in his following for running a party of their own that they are loath to quit the business notwithstanding pro- hibition has become a part of the or ganic law of the United States.
 These are days of wildcat stills and bootleggers. But what can a handful of political cranks do in suppressing the traffic? That is for Uncle Sam to tackle. He is doing his best to en- force the law.
 ! The German delegation at Paris says the size or the indemnity finally de- cided on by the allies doesn't matter to Germany, as she cant pay it. anyway" Germans regard "can't" and won't" as l interchangeable terms. l The per capita consumption of wine in Italy is approximately thirty-one gallons. Prohibition has not yet, strict l ly speaking, obtained foothold in Italy.
 If Hiram Johnson believes implicitly 1 in what Senator Harding says about the League of Nations, it strengthens the impression that he hasn't been read | ing the papers lately. Governor Cox says he does not object to Judge Taft's becoming water car rier around the old guard political | camp" Nevertheless, since the chief asset of an ex-President is dignity, he ought to stick to 1t.
 # # * The bean lady bird" which is play not a bird at all, but bug. However. we should never dispute with ento- ! mologists.
 Judging from the anonymous com munications received from anarchists. what they need more than anything else, unless it is bath, is a good com mon school education. * # % Blind basket makers of London struck for more wages. Still, nobody can ac- cuse them of squandering their pay on the movies.
 Wall street was an unsafe place to fool around in long before that explo- 1 sion wrecked the banking house of Brother Morgan.
 < < j. Political arguments may disrupt the | family circle between now and next | November but that is better than sit- | ting around and knocking the neigh bors
 l Mir Ford evidently wants to put the Ford car within reach of a lot of peo- | pie who thought they'd have to spend their lives dodging automobiles. 1 Mir Barnes is a bit sensitive about his book He has right to be. The critics have been quite severe and Its literary merit is negligible. l Chicago's South Side doesn't know the first principles of how to settle the race question.
 l Although private stocks are being rapidly depleted. preparations are be- 1 ing made for Christmas eggnog il many parts of the country. | x se <
 Had it not been for the pajama epi sode. Deschaners tenure of office would have had little or no news value. H # A
 While to all intents and purposes tn. League of Nations lacks punch, it ii