Evening star., 1922-10-08
AS | See 1t.
Continued from First Page.)

Hudson is exactly where it was
five years ago in half a dozen big
inland cities that have since been
getting dryer and dryer. In New
York it is fairly diflcult to- get a
drink over bar. It is hard to
get drink at a restaurant. But
the bootlegger is in his golden
cage. His is an organized indus
try. Men buy concessions for
certain territory-as. for instance,
the top floors of a rich Office
building, the street before a great
store. Moreover, in one of the
famous hotels a former politician
and ex-government Official has q
suite of Offices where he con-
ducts bootlegging as an organized
industry de luxe. with his own pri-
vate warehouse. Only the rich
must drink 1t at home. The in
dustry which depended for its
maintenance upon creating abnor-
NAL oppetites for liquor and get
ting rid /of a big daily supply; the
business. which took more money
from the poor man for booze than
he paid for clothes or rent, and
often took 1t at tho expense of
his clothes and his rent-that
prohibition ever tried to do, and
in that much in its real aim pro-
hibition prohibits in New York
Millions of cases Of liquor ac-
tually come into the country. And
much liquor is consumed. But
when one considers how good
business a first-class bartender
did in a good corner saloon, and
how much booze he sold in q long
day and a night, it is easy to see
that the gross consumption OF
liquor Is vastly lower even in New
York than 1t was ten years ago.
If 1t was not lower the liquor in
terests would not be bowling the
rivets of their necks loose and
putting up millions for Tight
wines AID beers"
~ + +
Politics in Hickville has just seen
an edifying spectacle. In each
party a free. strong man has boot
ed the bosses out of temporary
control of the party machinery.
OF course, tho man who booted the
boss is himself as much of boss
as the bosses he booted out. But
between Gov. Miller and the re-
publican bosses there Is a funda-
mental difference The bosses
wanted to control the party for the
spoils. Miller demands control for
the good Of tho party and the state.
Patronage does not interest him.
In the democratic party former
Gov. Smith overthrow Murphy.
Hearst and Hylan. with no thought
of what he might get out OF it. He
and Gov. Miller look at public serv-
ice in about the same way. To
them public service is a burden to
be borne that certain definite ends
may be achieved. With the average
party bosses of any party public
service offers an opportunity for
spoils. The boss game is SIM
ple one. He trades public honors
to vain men, for the privilege Of
plundering the public by taking
the heart out of public service and
selling it to the highest bidder.
This game both Gov. Miller and
former Gov. Smith destroyed for
the moment in SO far as it affectss
the public business of the state of
New York. Naturally. Gov. Miller
and former Gov. Smith desire, first
Of all, the public good. But they
differ Fundamentally in their con-
ception OF what is the public good.
Miller is. an intelligent and honest
conservative. He believes that the
public deserves only what he and
the wise leaders about him find is
good for the public. His leader
shin has been, on the whole, excel
lent ,HAAasfa1slY bssn-reaetion.