Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1922-10-20
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1922
WHO VOTED WET?

We are curious about the identity of those who voted
in The Literary Dgest national prohibition poll and cast
the totals which give the vets the most comfort they mao
in months.
Who, for instance, are the 6o,362 women who voted
wet while only 48485 voted dry? Do they represent
true cross section of the motherhood of America Are
they the mothers of boys and girls are they the guar
dans of hip TASKS and caretakers of poodle dogs DO they
speak English without burr or gurge? Are they, per-
chance fair representation of the neglected wives
whose husbands formerly cashed their pay checks at the
corner saloon? In Kansas, for example Where genera
ton has grown up without seeing saloon did the
mothers cast the vote of 1905 dry and 685 wet?
We are even more curious about how the biggest
and biggest industry in this country represented
this poll We trust The Literary Digest in its canvass
has been farer to the farmers than it has been many
times in the past when it published symposium articles
on important agricultural subjects and quoted author
ties not farm press of America but the city
papers, often identifying authorities the fuzzpped
reporters and cybred editorial writer's many OF whom
bird or bric-abrac This method of determining what
farmers and do and think by of or less
sy1nposums obtained from habitualy mlsunder-
standing manifesty unfair that it result
ed in protest from thoughtful farm leaders and 1t is only
just to say that have noticed some Improvement in
The Literary Digess recent agricultural discussions But
as to prohibition poll properly representing the sentiment
of that almost half Of population which lives on the
farms and in agricultural villages and towns and cities,
do not believe it for moment Our information IS all
the other way.
Prohibition started with farm folk. It generated
protest against the universal practice Of dumping rot
gut whiskey and cheap beers the small communities.
Drinking there seldom surrounded by of the at
tempted artistry and ncetes which the cities had The
country saloon usually sordd sWllng place. hog
pen of gluttony spiders web set to catch those for
whom no adequate social life had been provided It
accompanied by the worst of politics and lsrue folsted
down from the bigger cities by brewer and politician The
liquor business local industry with farmers,
not market for and barley, farmers have
found from the better prices of recent prohibition
days The brewers and dstiers and the crooked poit
clans spent millions to hold the saloon in rural territories
but the agricultural folk finally determined revolt
and banshed the saloon and no poll which records the
of 100000 people out of population Of 100000
is convincing evidence that farm folk have changed their
mind.
prohibition joke, and through stiffened public
tent to notify enforcement officers that they must get
busy Despite all that has been said to the contrary by
enemies of prohibition the Eighteenth Amendment rep
resented popular majority. 1t majority that has
been many years growing 1t headed up when the world
afame with Money at that time import
ant men The biggest lump Of money which the nation
could possibly find the tWo-biondoar annual drink
bill We drafted those booze dollars, baptized them in
blood and made patriots of them.
Later passed through the most trying reconstruc-
ton period of half century with scarcely bread line.
More lattery still have two great public necessi
tes crippled by strikes and an unparalleled opportunity
presented for boodshed But there were no open saloons
in which to brew frenzy and breed crime and with the
exception of the Herrin riot and few small outbursts
the strikes passed off peaceably
Does The Literary Digest's poll give due weight to
these modern miraces And does present fair
section of that great percentage of population which
goes work every morning to living and has little
time for hell raising at night?
How about the one-thrd of our population which on
June thirteth had 595 900 in savings accounts
in American banks Do they wish to return to the spend
thrift DAYS of open saloons? Do the so-caed main poll
totals of 225 for enforcement 1926 $40 for modification
and 164453 for repeal take proper account Of the best
judgment of this vast army of savings fund depostors
Do these figures represent the sentiment of Henry Ford
and the other automobile manufacturers of the packers
the railway executives the steel Makers the machinery
manufacturers and the heads of those other industries
which much to national prosperity and which
have found absences from work less and accidents fewer
under prohibition?
These all pertinent questions for the enemies of
prohibition, who have pounced geefuly upon The Lit
erary Digest figures They have taken the results of
ballot which offered chance to vote for prohibition
as u.s. with all its prejudices and mistakes dragging like
anchors and two chances to vote for weness they hop
ed wanted to be and then have added the votes for
modification and repeal together shouting Ths is the
proof of the unpopularity of prohibition"
To us one chance to vote for prohibition and two
chances to swat it unfair but adding modification
and repeal votes together the foes of prohibition emf
nently right The who wants light wines and beers
is wet matter what he says. He is not voting for
grape juice and near-beer He wants Something in his
all he get by with.
The poll seems unfair inadequate and unrepresenta
tive to particularly if is to be used embodyng the
sentiment of the agricultural half of this nation On that
latter point gathering evidence. The farmer
client and we don't want him msrepresented.
In the meantime there is need for sober thought
this whole question Prohibition is here and here to
stay is the duly constituted law It's enemies noisy
but they not so the thoughtess might
suppose few frogs in small pond make big racket.
We have let the richards all have their say, have