The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-12-15
DIR. Cherrington said in part:
America-The World Laboratory of
Prohibition

America-The World Laboratory OF
Prohibition
No nation. past or present, is so re-
markedly suited to the testing of Pro-
hibition as is America. This is true,
not only as to the Prohibition policy
itself, but as to the possible applica-
ton OF that policy to the different con-
ditions to be found in different sections
of the world. ,oa nld i'
America is the melting pot and the
laboratory Of the nations. The peo-
plesof every race and cline that make
up the American nation hold their ira
dit. n behind them and keep their
ideals before them, but they are bound
with peculiar cords to peoples OF all
countries whence they came.
There are 1924 distinct languages
and dialects in all the world: Africa
has 276, Europe 587, Asia ,c37, while
America has 1924. One hundred and
sixty foreign. language daily newspa-
pers. with daily circulation of more
than two and half millions, are pub
lished in America. here are, in fact,
1,404 foreign language periodicals. with
a combined circulation of almost
100000.
The Country of All Races
America has one-tenth as many ne
groes as the entire continent of Africa.
America has three and one-half mil
lion Jews, or one-third as many as all
the rest of the world. One and half
million Jews are in the single city of
New York. There are as many Jews
in America as in Russia; there arc so
-, &t,,.
in both Austria and Hungary. There
are FIVE times as many Jews in New
York as there are in Palestine and Ar
menia. There are, in fact, more Jews
in the city of New Yo.k than there
are, all told, in all Of North America
outside the United States, all of South
America, all of Asia, all OF Africa and
all of Australia.
The American population is made up
of almost every clan of every race, OF
every color and of every nationality
on the face of the earth. Almost one
third of the entire population of Amer
lea is either foreign-born or the chill
dren OF foreign-born parents. :.
Why America Adopted and Must
Continue Prohibition
A library of statistics might be pre-
scented on the beneficial results OF Pro-
hibition in America. Great facts stand
out like beacon lights in the records
of states and cities since 1917 when
Prohibition by state law spread rapidly
through the United States until the
coming into effect of wartime Prohibi-
ton on July l, 1919, and of constitu-
tional Prohibition on January 10, 1920.
Numerous factors, OF course, natur-
ally enter into and affect statistical
records, yet it is significant fact that
In spite of the tremendous develop
ment of the railroad activities in the
United States of America there were
actually fewer persons killed on or by
the railroad operations in 1920 than
had been killed by such operation dur
ing any year for more than thirty
years. Fewer miners of coal were
killed during the year 1920, in proper
ton to the number of miners employed
and in proportion to the number of
tons OF coal mined than in any similar
period for quarter of century.
The records OF 100 largest American
cities show that there were fewer sui
eides during the year 1920 than during
any previous year of the twentieth
century. The per cent of deaths of
children under FIVE years of age for
1918, 'l9 and 20. was les than for any
similar period for third of century,
and the full death rate in the United
States for 1919 and 20 was less than
It had been for IS years.
Fewer deaths from automobile acci-
dents in proportion to the number of
automobiles in use have been recorded
under Prohibition than during any
previous similar period. The statistics
Of crime, pauperism and insanity, show
q remarkable falling off under Prohi-
bition as compared with similar peri
DDS under license and regulation. The
ledger of public charity is significantly
marked by the passing of the legalized
liquor traffic, while improvements in