The New York herald., 1922-09-01

/ guments that good beer and wine at
reasonable cost will put the boouegger
| out of business and that. those who
drink would prefer to buy something
safe. even though it does not contain
high alcoholic kick. rather than intoxi-
cants which are strong but impure.
Party Sentiment Big Factor.
canvassers show that women in fair
| circumstances, whose husbands. sons
and brothers occasionally buy bootleg
intoNicants. have 10 some extent at
least. come TO this way of thinking. On
the other hand, the wives Of industrial
workers who want the money that used
to be spent in the bar rooms taken
home Tor the grocer are opposed to
any modification of the Volstead law
They are Of the opinion that the harder
il is for their men folk 70 get anything
10 drink the better 1t will be for them.
or this view also are the members of
many womens organizations.
II is said. however. that many women
favor the sale of beer and wine because
they want the drinks themselves. IN 4
limited way. believing that, with the
saloon gone and gone probably for good.
there is no reason why some slight
snodificat ton should not be provided.
Another woman element expected to
contribute to che vote OF wet candidates
Is that which Is little concerned with
prohibition, but rather with other issues.
such az straight party politics. 1t is
held that only small percentage OF
Republican women voters would vote
against a Republican candidate simply
because he was wet, or vice versa.
The interest women have been taking
in the modification Of the volstead law
is evidenced In the mail of Representa-
tive Hill. Because Of his recent ex-
change Of letters with Prohibition Com
missioner Haynes he has figured very
much IN the newspapers. He raised the
question Of whether cider and fruit
juices such as women put up in summer
may exceed ons-half OF one per cent. In
alcoholic content and still come within
the law This. he believes. brought to
the forceful attention OF women through
out the country the grave question OF
whether they have violated the Volstead
law in allowing such beverages to fer
ment.
The realization that the law probably
has been violated has brought to M.
Hill hundreds OF letters from women
protesting that its provisions are too
stringent.
MY canvass of the people represent
in Maryland. together with the stacks Of
letters ] have been receiving on the
I
said to-day. that women are fully as
interested in the modification of the
Volstead act as men.
The fact that Wayne B. Wheeler's
tool. Mr.. Haynes, the Commissioner of
Prohibition. has not answered whether
or not prosecutions will be launched
against those who make cider and fruit
juices of more than 275 per cent. alcc-
holic content. has focused attention to
the righteousness of the situation.
There is no reason why. II cider and
fruit juices may be fermented TO 2.75
per cent. alcoholic content. beer and
wine. with the same strength. cannot be
provided for those who want that
Unfair To City DvcIlers.
"As the volstead law now stands 1t is
unfair for those who live in the cities
The country people are able to get their
cider and fruit juices, and yet those
who live in cities without the advantages
OF country people for such natural
products. cannot get such beverages
without being raided by prohibition Of
ficers."
Commissionar Haynes holds that
women are more in favor of prohibition
than ever
Even In Milwaukee. which is COM
monty regarded as one Of the normally
wet towns of the country" he said to-
day. home brewing Is declining
rapidly.
In Milwaukee recently | had con-
ference with the chief Of police and other
police officials. Finally | called in one
of the patrolmen and asked him how
conditions were In the territory with
which he was most familiar. lie told
me that one of the storekeepers who
sold ingredients for making home brew
said to him that within the last few
months the sale Of such Items had de-
creased IS per cent. The reasons for
this arc that the products the people
have been getting IS unsatisfactory and.
more 10 the point. the women are getting
disgusted with the mess that results in
I 81, Lsftghrr