The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1921-08-19
Says Prohibition Fails.

To the Editor, The washington Herald:
wish to dissent from some Of
the conclusions arrived at by Joseph
Fratantuona in his open Court"
letter.
He says that the saloon has been
eliminated. and thot future genera
lions will not have tho temptations
to indulge in intoNicants: the result
! that we will have a race OF men
clear-cyed, healthy and with brains
capable of straight thinking.
As public institution the saloon
is Of the past, but IL stills exists
in a more iniquitous form in blind
pigs, soft drink parlors. in restsu-
! rants. barber shops. lodging houses.
in cellars, back alley hole-in-the-
walls and divers other places that
will give cover to the bootlcgger.
In many Of tho large cities the
saloon still exists, but in covert
way and in many instances even by
protection" OF the authorities
charged with the enforcement of the
law.
In the first place the Eighteenth
amendment was passed at a time
when the country was in the throcs
of great war.
People accepted the proposal as
an economical aid TO win the war.
Most people believe in temperance
az regards the use OF alcoholic ne
erages and we all believed IL is a
most excellent virtue for the other
fellow so we voted in the legisla-
| tors. who. in the respective States
ratified the amendment.
However. the biennial election Of
1918 disclosed an anomalous result
in California. ON the bal OF Q.
State the elector had the privilege
OF voting yes or mo- on a pro-
posed constitutional amendment to
make California Statewide dry. The
amendment failed by an overwheIm-
ing majority: yet the same electors
on the same ballot named the mem
bers of the State Legislature that
ratified the Eighteenth amendment
by only seven dissenting votes.
What does this disclose? That the
astute and cunning managers of the
dry movement had seen to II that
| only such men who favored the pro-
hibition question were placed on tie
ticket. The issue was clouded In the
minds OF the "wets" by the proposed
constitutional amendment, and the
"wets" were sound asleep when the
Legislative candidates were selected.
The dry" leaders thought straight
and achieved their objective.
Thomas Marshall. then Vice Pres
ident. made the remark last winter
in Richmond that had there been
secret ballot on the prohibition
amendment in the Senate, not more
than 20 per cent would have favored
It. We indorse prohibition when We
are acting in a public capacity and
violate lit secretly as individual
members of society.
Mr.. Fratantuona enormously con-
cludes that time will eradicate the
evils that he Is frank to admit now
exist in enforcing prohibition. He
assumes that when all the living
yiolators of the law shall have
passed on to that realm where cock
tails. mint juleps, and gin rickies
are part of the daily menu, the PEG.
Pile who succeed them here will be
free of the evils. Unfortunately.
perhaps, but we cannot hope or ex-
pect that all the booze-hounds. bot
tie drinkers. bootleggers. home
brewers. bathroom and basement
distillers. Canadian booze runners
anu trusted arlstOcratC CluO CHI
ployes. are all going to die on some
certain day. The coming genera
tion" is coming in every day and Is
likewise being Initiated into the all
national sport of vio-
llating the national prohibition
law. No one Is barred in this smooth
and enticing game and anyone aan
play It. The expert players impart
their skin and fineness to those just
breaking in. with the result that
there are always. more players thar
necessary to keep the game going
merrily.
All levity aside. in the history of
jurisprudence IL is an inyariable
rule that no prohibition law can be
successfully enforced that is op-
posed even by q strong and militant
minority; and in the present in
stance how futile must be te ef-
forts to enforce the law when we
see the best elements in our social
fabric winking at the laws viola
ton. The Eighteenth amendment
sas been established pr oye- two