The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-01-29

''i'NI ~ fI'l'hl AEhlnHt NplUr recent Niia
toria4 In The World aucnt tho prohibition farce.
Doctor Dutt, ntor expressing his dIsapproynI
declaring that prohibition f. here 10 stay and
is supported rs most classca Of people. ndds.
"t r. Tho RED element that ~ nov trying TO
mako them rok OF their bargain
We gladly give Doctor Quits ar,iclo apnco.
because We believe with our whole soul In Oman
discussion ~ every subject. that from such dis.
ouSsion, conducted IN a fair. honest manner. the
truth win eventually emerge. We 10 not be-.
Hove thrre BE- a single subjoct IN which man ls
Interested Tint has properly been closed. ana
we do not believe that any individual ought 10
be afraid Of tho most scrutinizing examinatoa
Of every philosophy. creed. doctrine or prom
sluon.
Nevertheless we cannot permit his structure
To 20 unanswered. Tho statement that ~ a
tho RCD oiomont that ~ now trying Ia make
them sick Of their bargain IL not true. II does
not oven approximate tho truth. The mon ana
women who arc raising their voices against the
prohibition farce rs It exists today are In most
cnsca possiouatcly attached 10 Temperance In
all things. oven In speech, they cavii. not that
tho saloon may be returned. for they are op.
posed to That; not because they want q drink
themselves taithough there would be not an atom
OF crime II they did) hut against the hypocrisy
that Is raging rampant In the name OF a moral
Issue.
It seems difficult, n not hopeless. TO oven
expect to make scores Of good men and woman
understand that II IL not the saloon or spirits
that In being defended. hut a monstrous. mis-
chicvous principle In political economy which
Ia being opposed. II is precisely nothing 10
quote statistics showing that certain crimes
have abaiod since the era ~ prohibition. because
like most statistics these are misleading. they
speak a half truth or a whole ralsehood
What Of the impossible ana unnumbcrcd num-
Der or new crimos7 In most part these find no
expression In tho statistics because the prohi-
billion enforcement service has been seized on
10 make rich men. because " every house
holder In tho land had n prohibition enforce
mont officer attached to him, violation OF the
law would 20 on. since a very large per cent Of
tho so-callcd enforcement officers would refuse
to see the violation Of the law for private pur-
pesos any crime whatever. hut would sec In It
an opportunity to feather their own nests. when
law violations AFRO not reported they cannot be
enumerated In the statistics.
Prohibition has not resulted In even approx
mate temperance. II is our belief that II never
will, And the rcbut,al to that argument Is not
to be found In Statistics showing that tho con-
sumption OF liquors. has fallen off materially.
Rigid regulation OF the liquor business along
any one Of several lines would speedily result
In n vast increase In actual temperance.
II Ia exceedingly difficult TO nominate ac-
curatcly tho rulo involved. A law which does
not command universal acceptance is danger
Gus. Now shall we elucldate TT Shall we say
prohibition only for those things which are ad-
mittedly all evil, leaving TO the mind OF the
reader TO suggest them; they are easily enough
enumerated, while regulation for those things
which are evil or sood according to their use,
with the degree OF regulation consistent with
their abuse?
II cannot he asserted that the use OF stimu-
lants is evil per SO. Then the whole OF human
history 20 the present. It's greatest characters,
including the most nlustrlous in both ocelesi.
astIcal and secular circles. have been altogether
bad. Individually liquors are capable OF doing
lmmeasurable harm; but not more so than tho
lure OF sex unrestrained by self discipline.
II, as an ever growing number OF thinking
men, themselves above reproach. contend, that
tho prohibition farce is destroying regard for
government ana all forms Of law, FEEDING
II n ON RADICAL
ISM AGAINST GOVERNMENT. n the result is
not even approximate temperance, ia It stiIl to
he a crime to raise an admonishlng voice against
tho miscellaneous idea?
II IL true that scarcely a student OF govern
ment hut il becoming alarmed at the conditions
following closely In tho footsteps OF prohibition.
and OF this number the vast majority never take
"a stimulant They are moved to their positions
ana conviction through practical political con
stderutions, and they are deliberately misun-
dcrstood by those who refuse TO see In the pro-
hihition law anything but a moral issue,
History Is replete with examples OF the inabil-
ity OF government 10 prohibit that which It can
very easily regulate into an acceptable practice.
Tho Issue between The world and it's critics
Ia not concerning tho mischief the liquor habit
does, but concerning the practical results which
follow the tarcicai attempt TO bring about tenn
poranco through prohibition, And We protect
against Intolerance and bigotry ascribing base
motives because we insist on considering tho
issue from a political standpoint rather than a
moral standpoint Government per sc rccog-
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