The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1921-03-11
SKY PILOTS ATTITUDE ON
18TH AMENDMENT, CLEARING
DR.. Conwell Favors Prohibition;
But Opposes Present Lax
Enforcement
DOCTOR GIVES REASON
Dry Law Enforced Too Well
on Doctors Medicinal
Jamaica Ginger
DOCTOR GIVES REASON

Sidelights on the attack on the
Eighteenth Amendment by Rev. DR..
Russell Conwell are interesting.
There was great curiosity i'll the
minds of friends of DIR. Conwell as
to the cause for his sudden outburst
against the amendment. The secret
came to light in an interview which
he gave to the Philadelphia Public
Ledger last week. He said
am for Prohibition. | voted
for the amendment. | want TO
see Prohibition succeed but it can
not do so under present condi-
tions.
But why does Dir. Conwell attack
the law? Why not go after the Off
Gals who are sworn to enforce the
law and who are derelict i'll their
duty? 1t has been proved time and
again that police officers in many
cities are aiding and abetting the
booze criminals in evadng the law.
L L
never had chance, real, fair chance
in Philadelphia. Certainly it never
had a chance in New York City. DIR.
Convict should give it trial at
least before condemning it. At all
events, people will be glad to know
that DR.. Convict is for Prohibition
and is not attacking the Eighteenth
Amendment for the same reason that
the brewers and distillers are attack
ing it.
"Jakie" the Cause of 1t Ali
There were some people who i'm
agined that DR.. Conwell had fallen
for the booze strategy, that subtle
strategy which is involved in the
scheme of openi~~violating the law
and setting up such a lawless condi-
ton that good people will become dis
gusted and say that it is better to
license the criminals than to attempt
the so-caled impossible task of sup
pressing them. However, DIR. Con-
we'll disposed of that theory by rclat-
ing his experience as follows:
Only the other day | went to
drug store near my home and
asked for some Jamaica ginger.
/ was not feeling well and |
wanted to use it as medicine.
The druggist informed me that
he could not sell it to me. He
said that the Eighteenth Amend
ment would not allow him to sell
it to me.
Now when | voted for the Pro-
hibiton Amendment | did not in
? tend to vote medicine away from
myself. OF course I probably
could have gotten it with a doc
tors prescription. But that
would add to the cost No per-
son wants to add to the cost of
medicine if it can be helped
So there is the cause OF all this
Juror 1t was the dose of "Jakey"
Which the venerable doctor was UNI
able to get without a prescription,
and the reaction caused such re-
belion in his righteous soul that he
forthwith started his campaign for
the amendment of the Eighteenth
Amendment.
In this same interview he declares
it to be well known and proven sci
entihcally that one-half of | per cent
alcoholic content and higher is not
Intoxicating. He also asks what the
hospitals will do without alcohol
The whole situation is rather anus
ing. For instance. the Public Ledger
declared editorially that the Prohibi-
ton Amendment had been put over
without consulting the people and
without their acquiescence, and yet
the very man whose declaration called
forth the editorial declares he voted
for Prohibition, which means Of
course that he was consulted and &C
guessed in it. 1t is evident, there
fore, that the Philadelphia Public
Ledger editor must make some re-
vision in his statement about the peo-
pies not being consulted. Moreover,
the discovery that the whole storne
was caused by the effectiveness of
Prohibition rather than its failure is
more than amusing. 1t is highly in
structive. To the minds of thinking
people it is another convincing argu-
ment in favor of the Eighteenth
Amendment. DIR. Conwell's query
about alcohol for the hospitals is not
we'll taken. All the alcohol needed
for the hospitals can be gotten in the
legal way without the slightest diff
Guilty