Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1920-01-17
WE ARE "DRY" FOR GOOD.

The United States is today nation
the constitution of which prohibits the
manufacture and sale of intoxicating
liquors, except for certain closely de-
fined purposes and under rigid regu-
lation as to those purposes.
The law putting prohibition into eff
feet declares unlawful the manufac-
ture or sale of any beverage contain
ing one-half of one per cent or more
of alcohol; declares places where liq-
uor is sold in violation of the law a
common nuisance, abatable as such;
search and seizure powers are given
prohibition enforcement officers, ex-
cept for the search of private dwell
ings, but even private dwellings may
be searched If used in part as places
of business or if there is good reason
TO believe they are being used as
places of illegal sale of intoXicants;
liquor seized is to be destroyed, vehi-
Giles aud other property employed in
the sale OF Illegal intoxicants to be sold
and proceeds paid into the United
States treasury; advertising of liquor
by any method is prohibited permits
may be had for home manufacture,
for personal use. of notwithstanding
elders and fruit juices, the term non
Intoxicating is defined by the law, to
contain less than one-half of one per
cent of alcohol; permits may be grant
cd for the manufacture of alcoholic
liquors for sacramento and medicinal
ipt &c
may be granted for the manufacture
of alcohol liquors for industrial and
scientific purposes; possession OF in
toxicating liquors in the home is al
lowed if it was purchased before the
law went into effect at one minute
after twelve o'clock this morning;
physicians are prohibited from pre-
scribing alcoholic liquors for their pa
TENTS, unless in good faith they be-
lieve it will afford relief for some all
ment, and not more than one pint can
be prescribed in one month for one
person. Not much hope here for a
prescription" doctor or a drug store
that would like to be successor to a
saloon,
It can be seen at a glance that the
law has teeth of the sharpest sort.
While state laws may be disregarded
sometimes, because of local preju-
dices or influences we all know that
the federal laws are drastically en-
forced, without regard to expense of
enforcement. should it cost the fed
eral government a million dollars to-
punish a man who has sold pint of
intoxicating liquors, the million would
be spent. |
This condition has been brought
about by an agitation started by Mel
Dow In Maine, not more than life
time ago. The prohibition party, which
probably did as much harm as good
to the cause OF prohibition, was organ
lied in 1869. The Woman's Christian
Temperance union came into exist
ence in 1874, and from that time on
was the greatest active force making
for prohibition in the states and IN
the nation. The state of Maine adopt
ed constitutional prohibition ten years
later.
But the movement did not assume.
really formidable proportions untli
the railroads and big manufacturing
plants began a crusade against the use
of intoxicants by their employees.
About the same time strong agitation
in the southern states TO take away
ruinous temptation from the negro
became general. and practically every
southern state soon joined the ranks
of prohibition, under the leadership OF
a western commonwealth. the state of
Kansas, where enforcement was actu-
ally attempted, as it seldom was in
Maine.
Then the colleges took up the sub
ject tnd began to give out startling
data regarding the effects of alcohol
on children, on disease, on promotion
of crime and poverty. The question
thus assumed a sociological status, and
from that time on progress was rapid
and sure.
For prohibition coming so quickly,
we may thank the great war. Lessons
were brought home to all of us that
could not be gainsaid, and congress
and the states acted promptly.
Thus we have a dry nation.