New-York tribune., 1920-11-08
Kramer Is Sure
Rum Will Flow
For Generation
II. S. Won't Be Dry Until the
Element Arrives That Does
Not Know the Appetite,
Enforcement Chief Says
Frowns ON Home Brewer
Puts Him on a Plane With
Illicit Distiller; Political
Aspect on Issue Changing

prohibition Will not entirely stop the
ranufacture and sale of intoxlcants
n, a generation, John F. Kramer, Fed
,ral Prohibition Commissioner, told ar
audience at the West Fifty-seventh
Street Y. NJ c. A. yesterday.
The head OF all of Uncle Sans liquor
.sen.s vouchsafed that admission in
,Le course of q talk on What Does
prohibition Prohibit" He remark ed
rat he himself hadn't chosen the topic
and veered away from 1t largely to ex-
nlain why the Eighteenth Amendment,
and the Nolstead act were almost in
lucrative in some sections of the
@Tll tell you when prohibition will be
,n absolute reality in the United
States" be said. 1T Will be a genera
ton from now, when this generation
has passed out and another has come
rnon the stage that does not know the
appetite or the desire for liquor.
You can buy drink to-day | know
Pit the stuF YOU buy is kept under
,se bar in a pitcher. ready to be dashed
into the sink if prohibition agent
comes in. For this reason the socia'
ssoect of the saloon has gone. The boy
n seventeen or eighteen, who used tc
start drinking, not because he wanted
. drink. but because of the companion
ship, will never start to drink now.
Prohibition Growth
"A boy won't so up a dark alley tc
yet wood alcohol. So, when you come
to look at it, prohibition is prohibiting
the vital things. But prohibition is 6
growth. Kansas has had statutory pro
Sibition for thirty-three years. yet ff
teen years ago whisky was sold openly
over bars in Kansas.
ave have disposed of the economic
argument against prohibition. We have
proved that the state does not need the
revenue il formerly derived from the
manufacture and sale Of liquor. The
crowded condition of every big hotel ir
the land proves they can make money
without bars.
There is another phase of the ques-
ton that IS pretty nearly settled-the
potical aspect Of it, This year we ole
party men weren't quite sure about the
matter Four years from now the two
parties viii be running a race to see
which one OF them gets prohibition ir
its platform first
Mr. Kramor, defending the achieve
ments Of his department iii the way
Of otenforcement. characte erized the Eight
eenth Amendment as the "most radical
change ever adopted in the history OF
the world and reminded his hearers
that there was q vast difference be
tween putting law on the statute
BOOK, and pu..inc into effect.
"The Maa daesu1 lovK very FIR who
.,t.r e.
prohibit mex eating beverages is going
reforms moya slowly. but they are NOV
rgh; direction and they never turn
baca'
Tie comm ssi0ner made i plain he
had no word Of cer-i.e even for off
Gals he admitted he knew winked al
violations of the law He said time
would bring them around. TOO.
Generally he said, officials take
hold Of tie duties that devolve upon
then and discharge them faithfully. 1t
is ne. so with prohi5ition I'll never
has been o. Dlt yeud be surprised
at the d,ftreucc in the attitude OF
state local and Federal officials now
aid q year ago. have never found
fault with officials and I won't fnC
tault with them now. for know how
Ions = takes 20 Get thom into line
also know that II is difficult 70 bring
the sentiment Of the people in many
loca.itice into line We have made
nsreelo1s AL ,ancemeut n a year
Tho Eighteenth Amendment is goin2
70 say u the Constitution forever
Nothing under tho sun can ever get j
out. Go anywhere and SEQ the political
tenG. Over ln Nov Jersey
How about Governor Edwards p
tom one asked from the audience.
I'm not gazing ~ he PERSONAL" Mr.
Aramer replied But i'm New Jerse,
they elected legislature last Tuesday
that IS tVo-tniris dry, and Pennsyl
vsan'a IS goinr 10 adopt g stringent en-
Y sorcemen' code
Question of Law Enforcement
you have no longer the question OF
prohibition That has gone over the
can forever To-day IT'S law enforce
Ment-obcdience 20 the law. Every
american citizen is for obedience to the
lsw. and the fellows who to-day are
violating it viii soon become 50 dis
susied they'll quit 30 man can con
nnue indefinitely with impunitv 20 defy
,he law, whether he is i'm front Of the
har or behind il A year from now
thousands Of those who are breaking
We lew are going to say: I will abide
ny The law and be an American citi-
Zen
When Mr.. Kramer concluded his ad
stess some one from the floor askec
llm what his departments attitude was
toward homo brew. intended for homo
consumption
Exactly tho same as its attitude
sy%afd s,S an Illicit distiller." he answered
| the be1oraGo contains more thar
! ohe-naf of ! per cent Of alcohol i
@aSes no difference whether it wa:
lasde by moonshiuer in the South OF
nome brewer in the North.
another man requested the Commits
ss0ner to elucldate the mystery Of WHY
that before prohibition saloon
Meeper could sell good beer for FIVE
vents glass. good whisky for 10 cents
seVe Tree lunch to his customers ant
fds a license fee, while now. with thu
nes lunch and license eliminated, HI
sau 10 charge a dime for beer ane
s rom half dollar up for whisky o
sVuouui reputation.
mr. Kramer begged to be excused, q
\ MI; ms 'ran was due to leave in tiftcel
I SOS, 900 Jiovor Seized