The Washington herald., 1922-07-29
Views on Prohibition.

i have had your editorial, Inc
Truth About Prohibition" lying on
my desk since the day it was pub
lished. July IA. and have read ii sew
eral times. The correspondent OF
the Manchester Guardian, England.
found, in my judgment, what every
unbiased observer and conscientious
Investigator would find. 1t is actual
results rather than the weak spots
in the administration of the prohtbi-
ton law that, in the final analysis.
count. There is absolutely no ques-
ton that, just as the correspondent
of the Manchester Guardian found.
workingmen's families are in better
circumstances, jails are less popu-
lous, crime less common, savings
bank deposits larger than ever be-
fore and the number OF drinking
men decreased by millions since the
prohibition amendment became ef-
fective. Just how great a factor
prohibition has been in bringing
about these results no man can tell.
That it has been a factor no un-
prejudiced man will deny.
The management of The Herald is
to be congratulated for publishing
in its editorial columns facts IA
vorable to the prohibition cause. We
have had the weaknesses and tail-
ures of prohibition to prohibit
drilled into our minds so persistent
ly and insistently by so many met
ropolitan papers it is refreshing to
find one once in a while that will
give space to the other side.
Because Of your interest in the
subject, I wish to call to your at
tention the report of a lecture by
Miss Maude Royden in Eccleston
Clubhouse. London. May 2e. 1929.
on America Through an English
woman's Eyes" as published in the
Christian Century. June 90. 1922. The
Christian Work of July s. 1922, re-
fers to Miss Royden as the fore
most woman of England" In her
lecture, Miss Royden discusses
American singing. immigration. the
color problem, Americans and Eu-
rope, woodrow Wilson and the
league. and prohibition. This is
what she has to say on the last
named topic:
Now, lastly. there is one subject
on which I wish to say a few words
prohibition. No question Is more
discussed in America. or on the At
lantic liners. We hear that II is
both a success and failure. ! am
not going to attempt to pronounce
Judgment on an experiment so new,
for over a vast area like the United
States 1t is still very, very new, and
which had no opportunity OF Judg-
ing at first hand. / heard that the
prohibition of alcohol was complete
ly ineffective, that everybody was
able to get as much as they wanted,
and did get much more than they
used to, because the moment you
tell people they must not have a
thing they will begin to want 1t.
Also, I was told that nobody could
get alcohol, and therefore pepole
were taking to drugs. I was also
told that prohibition was passed for
very sordid reasons-that 1t was
passed in order to secure greater
inefficiency, that money was behind
1t, that capitalists were interested
because drunkenness makes for in
efficient workmen and decreases
production. / was told 1t was passed
by an excited country in the middle
of the war because. they wanted
more efficient soldiers. / was told
all these things. and l had no op-
portunity of judging how far they
we're true, how far they were false.
But l was told two facts on which
every person questioned agreed.
One was that prohibition wSs car
ried by an enormous majority, and
the other was that there is no pos
sibility of its being repealed. You
can draw your own conclusions
from that.
the ill-conditioned and ill-timed
jests that English people perpetu-
ally make about prohibition. and bv
which serious minded Americans are
justly and deeply wounded. For the
American people. n or m bus y
wealthy and practically without
danger from the rest of the world.
voluntarily to deny themselves what
has been the characteristic vice OF
the white peoples. whether they
have proceeded about Ii in a wise
way or not, is something rather
heroic. / do not know whether
America could have proceeded In a
wiser way or whether prohibition
Is the best way to attain the end In
view - Americans have rather
touching faith in legislation = but
when I consider the possibilities Of
luxury. the wealth and the absence
OF any real dangers. I confess ]
could not deny the spIendor Of the
scale on which this great adventure,
this great experiment IL being made.
,nd,it CALLED me to see English peo-
-