The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-08-22

PR0HIBlTIoN ISSUE STILL ALIVE

might stipulate that no suhs;av
should be paid to company which
had bars or permitted the sale ~
tntoxicants on the vessels which n
operates. Another might emhnir
q change in the volstead law SO that
it would not apply to United Statss
ships when they are outside tba
three-mile limit. and would thus L.
galise unquestionably what is nor.
being done. Still another misht
eimply, provide for the repeal Of ia
enforcement act.
The last, whether proposed as
rider to the subsidy or any other
bill or submitted as distinrs
measure. is the one way Of return
to pre-prohibition days. No ons
now contemplates seriously an A.
tempt to- repeal or revoke m.
eighteenth amendment. To ascom.
plish this would require another
constitutional amendment ana
when it is recalled that only three
states refused to ratify the e<h-
teehth amendment it is apparent
that It will be impossible to securs
the votes of three-fourths Of thu
states to q new amendment that
would eliminate prohibition fro1
the nations organic law.
However, thu eighteenth amend.
ment merely prohibits the mann.
facture, transportation, sale, and
use for beverage purposes Of intox.
icating liquor. 1t does not define
intOxicants end it does not provide
any penalties for violation Of the
amendment or any means for en-
forcing it. All this was done in the
volstead law and i it were to b.
repealed prohibition would be a
dead as John Barleycorn Is nov
supposed to be.>
But it is not anticipated that m
effort will be made in earnest to re-
peal the Yoistead law. 1t may be
proposed /as tactical move but
with no idea Of putting it over. ONLY
the. wettest Of the vets favor q re-
turn to the days OF the saloon and
hard liquor, and they are in hope
less minority.
Accordingly the real play will be
for such a modification of the Vol
stead law that beer and light wines
may be manufactured sold ard used
anywhere in the country, except In
those states that had state prohibi-
ton before tho amendment of the
federal constitution. Advocates Of
this proposal claim that it will pro-
mote temperance even if it ID
blow aimed at absolute prohibition.
They argue that it will go far to.
ward ending the present illegal traf-
! fic in whisky, moonshine, and other
hard stuffs, basing their contention
on the idea that those who insist
upon having some kind of alcohol.
! ic stimulant will be satisfied with
wines and beer that are not dis
tinctly harmful and will cease pat
ronizing bootleggers and rum run
ners.
The drys see no force to this,ar
sument and are opposed to any
changes in the Volstead law save
such as might make it stronger.
They Insist that if the bars are let
down-or, rather, opened up-to
beer and light wines, the whole OBJ
|pectionable liquor traffic will fas-
ten its tentacles on the country
again. Moreover, they are quite
confident that an overwhelming
majority of the people Of the United
States are with them and that they
have the vets defeated in any move
they may make. Prohibition is not
a failure, they say, and it is only
a matter Of time until its enforce
ment will be practically absolute.
With the plans and arguments OF
both sides clearly in evidence only
one thing is certain and that is that
we have the prohibition question
still with us and that it will con-
tinue with US for some time to
come.
MEANWHILE the subject remains
the favorite topic of conversatiaa
wherever people gather together
Europeans who visit us express
amazement that Americans find so
little else to talh about, and they
are even stronger in their comment
on the, fact that so many otherwise
respectable citizens are frankly and
openly violators of the law.
Perhaps they will understand the
why and wherefore of all this when
they have prohibition in England
and on the continent