The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1921-01-28
Official Paper Enlarged For Wet
Campaign
PURPOSE TO PREJUDICE PUBLIC

the incoming state and national ad-
ministrations with the idea that Pro
hibition is a failure Realizing that
the very apparent benefits OF Prohi-
biton arc rapidly strengthening pub
lie opinion in support of the law, the
interests desiring the return OF the
old licensed liquor system are making
desperate drive to poison the minds
OF the people against the Eighteenth
Amendment and its enforcement.
Newspapers Help Wets
The most powerful influence favor
able to the wet publicity campaign Is
the appearance of matter untavorable
to Prohibition in the newspapers.
Practically every department ot the
big city papers has been used OF late
to discredit Prohibition.
Cartoonists have been particularly
guilty of using their space to ridicule
the dry law With great cunning
pictures are drawn to give the inn
,pression that no one takes the law
seriously and that violations are
--a.Yftfsi4ie sport Recently in-thf. sa1lls.
number OF the Tribune, McCutcheon
and Briggs. two OF the best cartoon
sts in America, had cartoons based
on the idea that the law is being uni
formly and universally disregarded.
Wet News Stories
On January 10 the Chicago Herald
and Examiner commenced printing a
series of articles purporting to be let
ters from their readers on the success
of Prohibition. Practically all of the
letters printed are unfavorable to
Prohibition. The apparently studied
,otaton in order OF the most common
wet arguments makes this series OF
letters appear much more like the
work of one person than the report
OF correspondence from readers. The
fact that the letters are signed almost
invariably with initials only and the
few names given are not of publicly
known persons gives further ground
for this suspicion. In presenting hg-
ures the Herald and Examiner Prohi-
bition series which is announced as
an open forum on the success OF the
law emphasizes unfavorable figures
and disregards or dismisses in general
statements such favorable figures as,
for example, the reduction of murders
by 81 per cent in Chicago last year.
Other Wet Propaganda
An extraordinarily vicious propa-
ganda program has been carried out
in the voice OF the people column of
the Chicago Tribune recently. A
writer pretending to speak for the dry
forces ascribed methods and motives
to them in way designed to arouse
prejudice. Regardless of the knowl-
edge of purpose OF the editor the re-
suit of this letter was the printing OF
many others derogatory to Prohibi-
ton. "A business man from 1NSW Olk
visiting in Chicago reported the fol-
lowing recent observations: At
large popular public meeting in New
York city, the lecturer derided Prohi-
bition very evidently for the purpose
of arousing prejudice against the law.
In Chicago a little later this same
man attended a meeting addressed by
one of the city's Sunday lecturers. AS
part of his sermon lecture this man
who speaks to large crowds every
Sunday argued against the principle of
Prohibition. A fake parade in New
York city was another form of propa
ganda described by the visitor from
the metropolis. Noticing FIVE. moving
picture machines, stationed along
Fifth avenue, this man waited to dis
cover their purpose. Soon their APP
peared floats and marchers carrying
banners attacking Prohibition and re-
form in general. The whole affair was
very clearly organized and financed
for the express purpose of being
filmed and sent to moving picture
theaters as a news feature all over
: the country. 1t was in no sense the