, 1921-09-08
TEETorALIsM DOES NOT EXIST.

When Hiram Maxim took up his pen TO give the
public his views on the question of prohibition en-
forcement, he startled a controversy that is still GO
ing in the newspapers Of the country. Many of the
writers agree with him entirely, some of them par
tally, while the radical, un-eompromising anti-saloon
type find no good in anything that he has said. As a
fair sample of the fair and liberal minded writers,
those who take a reasonable view of the situation the
subjoined article from an ordinary citizen IS given,
because it reflects the average mind:
II am not prepared to say that 80 per cent or any
given percentage of our population Of 100000
are opposed to or in favor of national prohibition. No
one knows, but many will guess A large percentage
have always been opposed to saloons, but they re-
manned as the. poor mans clubhouse l believe the
consensus Of opinion would be that they are better
closed.
"A small, well organized minority in Washington
or at any state capital can pass any legislation l
should say that 80 per cent OF the people are unor-
ganized as regards anything. They are too busy chas-
ing the almighty dollar to care about anything.
What's everybody's business is nobody's business
Let George do it, is their creed.
"In the last thirty-fve years 7 have seen prohibition
and local option throughout the United States and
Canada, and there never was any trouble in getting all
the spirits, wines and beer that one wanted, either
openly or otherwise, and Legislature cities were the
worst of all. / have repeatedly seen local prohibition
voted down, voted for again, voted down again and
SO on. In the 1920 New York state legislature the
mayer of Toronto was brought to tell the legislators
what a splendid success it had been there and his
statement was that fines for infraction Of the law had
exceeded the city's license fees from hotels, restau-
rants and saloons. Even w. J. Bryan had to laugh
at this statement.
A to the effect of national prohibition I can only
speak of what / see and know, and that is there is no
trouble at all in getting all the genuine whisky and
spirits by bottle or case that one wants is he pays the
price; that decent beer and genuine light wines it IS
almost impossible to buy, as they arc too bulky; but
one can buy aduterated wines that the moneyed mid
die classes, men and women, are drinking more whisky
and gin per capita than they ever did; that pre-prohi-
bition non-drinkers are now drinking genuine whisky
and gin; that such is not done in public dining rooms,
but in private, and that restaurants and hotels are
suffering a loss of luncheon, dining and supper pa
tronage as a result; that The whole subject of CONVEX
sation between men and women is 'booze-Did you
bring any booze ?'-and that genuine whisky and gin
are being toted about everywhere. As for those who
haven't got the price for the genuine article, l am
satisfied from what l see on the streets and from what
/ know that deadly aduiterants are being drunk
"T am satisfied that if a special secret vote were
taken in New York City rs per cent and possibly 80
per cent of adults would vote against prohibition. and
that a large majority in other industrial cities would
do likewise, but possibly the percentage would be
smaller. !.
az am also satisfied that the Eighteenth Federal
amendment won't be repealed; not because it could
not by a special secret vote. The Volstead act is
bound to be amended sooner or later, and probably
sooner. .4
"while I must admit that the closing of the saloons
has been beneficial to the workers families, i am
satisfied that national or even worldwide prohibit
ton is, and must always be, a fake All nations and
all peoples in all ages have drunk moderately or 9TH
erwise, and they always will, notwithstanding the few
genuine and fake prohibitionists that claim other
wise"