The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-05-19

Our own laws.
ture and traffic of beer and wine the
entire Prohibition policy will have
been overthrow.
As has fttingly been said, most peo-
pie who advocate beer and wine are
thinking of a cocktail. They argue
that the government is not powerful
enough to enforce the Prohibition law
as it now stands. They do not ex-
plain how they expect this same gov
eminent to enforce law that fixes a
limit of alcoholic content of 275 per
| cent on beer and IA per cent on wine.
How do they expect this government
which they say is not strong enough
to enforce Prohibition as it now
stands, to prevent the man who man
ufactures and sells beer and wine
from manufacturing and selling dis
titled liquors.
However, the liquor interests think
they have struck popular note in the
demand for beer and accordingly they
are trotting out their candidates in
practically every congressional dis
trict
More than thirty wet organizations
have been formed since the advent of
Prohibition to make the fight for the
liquor interests.
Perhaps the most active of any of
these is the Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment.
Like the others this wet organiza-
ton insists that everyone directly con-
nected with the liquor interests is
barred from membership. They claim
to be financing their campaign on the
money raised from membership fees,
which fees are dollar per member
per annum. 1t is taxing the credulity
of even the most ardent wet to believe
that the extensive campaigns now be-
ing staged by this association are
financed in this way.
The probabilities are that the brew
ers are pouring millions into these
campaigns.
The Digest points out the activities
cations, especially this Association
Against the Prohibition Amendment.
David Lawrence, well-known Wash
ington correspondent, is quoted as
pointing out that against these wet
organizations there are IS Protestant
evangelical associations with 24,000,000
members, and that there are 10000
pulpits from which pastors actively
and constantly are supporting the
Prohibition cause. When to these are
added the Anti-Saloon League, the
w m an Christian Temperance
Union, and a number of fraternal or
CARNATIONS, it will be seen that the
campaign is not one-sided by any
means.
The Digest quotes number of
newspapers that are advocating the
beer and wine proposal but also quotes
the Chicago Post which defends the
Volstead law. The Post says:
The moral reasons for Prohibit
ton stand up. The economic ar
guments grow stronger. The
Eighteenth Amendment with
each year will become more firmly
imbedded in the nations organic
law. Patiently and lawfully and
periodically the anti-Prohibition-
lists may continue their labors but
we warn them that in hoping to
restore the pre-Volsteadian era
they are imagining a vain thing.
The Digest quotes the Union Ban
neih, a labor paper published at Fort
Worth, which declares: "The rank
and file of labor in this country will
fight to keep liquor out as they did for
years to keep it in"
Yes, the greatest fight in the history
of Prohibition in America is on. No
man or woman can be neutral. But
bear it ever in mind that the issue is
not Prohibition. AS stated above, not
even the most ardent vets are ser
ously advocating the repeal of the
Prohibition Amendment, but the issue
is law enforcement, or reduced TO its
simplest terms, defense of the Con
stitution which the outlawed liquor in
terests are seeking TO nullifv