The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-01-20
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY z. HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)

Mr. Haynes, prohibition enforce
ment director, is quoted as saying
prohibition saved this country $20,-
600, 900 last year. Or was it 100000
100000? We read figures SO badly
and Mr.. Haynes is SO prodigal with
them What we want to know is
where is the money? We know, of
course; the bootleggers have it. But
we want Mr. Haynes to say.
Virtually everybody who drank be-
fore prohibition is drinking some sort
of intoxicant now. There isn't any
question as to that. 1t is contended
that many who never drank before
have since acquired the habit. We
don't know how true. that is; we never
were intimate, with many teetotalers.
What we do know is that in the old,
riotouS preprohibition days we spent
possibly s25 a year for intoxicants.
In particularly riotous years we may
have spent as much as $50. Now we
are spending $500 or $500 a year for
about the same amount of liquor of an
uncertain and inferior grade. Instead
of saving it for us. prohibition is cost
ing us money, and we believe that to
be the common experience.
The trouble with all liquor propa-
ganda, pro and con, is that it is fool
n.
of fact and logic. There are a lot of
people who believe prohibition was
slipped over" on the country. That
is one of the talking points of the
anti-prohibs. There's nothing to that,
either. Anybody with half an eye
could have seen prohibition coming
a long time before it arrived The
country was set for it as far back as
1910. The only question was as to
when it would detrain. We believe,
altho some of our editorial confreres
do not agree as to this, that prohibit
ton, if left to the whole country.
would have carried by an impressive
majority in 1912, 1914 or 1917. We
believe it would carry now. But the
majority would be not nearly so i'm
pressive as it would have been in, say,
1917,
What's the answer? A time ago we
Travelled from west to east with an
able and very influential member of
the lower house of congress- We
talked prohibition from Fort Wayne
to Crestline. He represents a pro-
voted for prohibition, altho not strong
ly committed personally to the idea.
Whats going to happen, Jim?" we
asked. oh" he replied, this thing
will shake down in five or six years,
and We'll get some relief By ire
lief% he meant the man who wanted
liquor would be able to buy it without
violating the law.
Maybe Jim was right; may be he
was wrong. And we suspect we are
too literal When we hear money has
been saved by prohibition we want to
know where it is. When we hear of
a workingman-it always is a work.
ingman in the story-who has quit
drinking as a result of prohibition we
want to see him.
The Lady Feels Better Now.
Sir--Eyerybo who reads the "On
Second Thought column knows that
you are a remarkably conceited, Smart
A1eck sort of person, sneering at
everything decent. we have also dis
covered that you are a brute. You
think it necessary to call down the
New York reporters who had the de-
cency to uphold the arrest and fine
imposed on the disgusting furrier who
turned a poor, frightened muzzled lit
tie fox loose on Fifth avenue Shame
on you! Any decent, self-respect-
ing man would decry such brutality,
and we wish the same sentence exactly
could be meted out to you. We who
are not smart are rather tired of your
arrogant cenceit. As for Adelaide
the Lord help her! NJ A. J.
It seems to US particularly appro--
pirate that Mr. GOmpefS introduced
Mr.. Wilson to the first audience he has
addressed since the~ cataclysm. Mr..
Gompers was assistant president dur
ing Mr.. Wilson's administration and
acquitted himself admirably in the
position.
A correspondent of the New York
Trib says Mr.. Ford is good, clean,
generous citizen, with a record for
sharing the fruit of his genius instead
of Sailing it all" Because of an
overmastering curiosity the "apprecia-
ton" momentarily intrigues us.
We want to know the name of the
gentleman or gentlemen with whom
Mr.. Ford divided.
Mr. Ford is a good machinist and
a supersalesman. He figured he could
make more money by selling motor
cars at $400 apiece-the figures are
approximate-thanh he could by asking
$500. And he figured correctly. If a
Henry car cost $500 nobody would buy
one.
Mr.. Wilson thinks there is no doubt
as to the vitality of the League of
Nations. He may be right, he may be
wrong, but his thought in the connec-
ton is illuminative of Mr.. Wilson. He
is the type which now and then
holds services over its dead, but never
buries it.