Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-06-09
HOTELS PLEAD
FORBOOZELAW
ENFORCEMENT.
Economic View Taken
by Association
on Issue.
SALES FLAGRANT
Special to Indiana Daily Times
and Philadelphia Public Ledger
Nv RICHARD SPILLANE.

PHILADELPHIA, June 9.-Declaring
the sale of liquor in New York not only
is open, fragrant and brazen but also IN
creasing, the members of the hotel asso
citation of that city have appealed to
President Harding, the Secretary of the
Treasury, the Attorney General and the
prohibition commissioner to enforce the
prohibition law.
Such an appeal from such an organKa-
ton must bring action. Nothing more
sweeping has come from business body
since the enactment of the Volstead law.
The men say they obey the law and. be-
cause of that fact they suffer heavy loss,
much of their restaurant patronage going
TO establishments where liquor Is easily
obtainable. Conditions are intolerable.
Bootlegging is common and. although the
law provides effective machinery for cor
recting the evil the law is not enforced.
SEE BELOW SURFACE
SIGNIFICANT ACTION
Persons without prejudice on the liquor
question may See In the action OF the
hotel association members more than
appears on the surface. If prohibition
becomes real it will be through the ad-
ditional strength given to the moral force
by economic pressure. With all due re-
spect to the Hotel Associations declara-
ton Of its personal virtue its members
have not lived up to the letter and spirit
of the prohibition law. 1t is common
knowledge that for any large gathering
in certain hotels you could have prt-
yate bar. You would have to provide
the booze but the hotel would rent to
you the rooms for the preparation of
the drinks and furnish the men to mix
the drinks, the glasses and all the ac-
cessories. The charges for such private
bar rooms and service were about all the
traffic would bear.
That, however. is not peculiar to New
York II is true of other cities. Every
one at all informed knows that when
the hotel association Of New York says
q. the proprietors of our hotels
have been and are conscientious
Iy obeying the letter and spirit Of the
law ." it INDUCES in
buncombe.
But that is beside the question. This
Nation has a prohibition law. 4 law
not enforced brings law into contempt.
There is vigorous opposition TO the pro-
hibition law. That is natural, for it
would change a habit or custom rooted
in the ages. Economic forces FASTENED
prohibition. The South voted for pro-
hibition not for the white man but the
negro 1t wanted to increase the work
ing capacity of the negro by keeping
liquor from him. The war. too, FASTENED
prohibition. Need of the greatest work
ing capacity Of labor forced action that
otherwise might be slow IN coming. Not
a few men favor prohibition for Others
while wanting the great est OF license in
regard to liquor for themselves. That
is the worst feature In the situation. 1t
has led many persons TO take pride in
and boast of violation of the law.
The demand on the President should be
considered for what il really is wholly
economic and in no <ense moral. The
hotel people the country over formerly
had large profit from the bar With its
abolition they sffered loss of revenue.
That was bad enough. but when restau-
rants found it eHsy to evade the law and,
in so doing, attract custom that formerly
went to the hotel restaurants, the hotel
people had additional loss. Now the hotel