The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-05-20
PEOPLES FORUM

Editor Pensacola Journal:
Since Samuel Gompers has con-
demned the eighteenth amendment,
some others are talking along the
same line. They seem to think that
Gompers expresses the opinion OF all
the laboring men and women OF Amer
lea, but they only seem to think. The
fact is, they don't think at all They
let Gompers and his Kind do their
thinking for them. No doubt he would
like to have all laboring men dull their
keen perceptions with beer and wine.
The delicate brain tissues are trophied
by alcohol, no matter in what form it
is taken. Many a workman has been
called out on q strike Of which he dis
approved. Men with intellects dulled
and passions inflamed by alcohol are
easily influenced by flood OF oratory.
while sober men wait for reason and
common sense to guide thefa. Laboring
men form the majority Of the voters
Of the country To every employer
there are many employees. This be-
ing the case, why were 80 states voted
dry before we had national prohibition
and before women had a vote? These
states gave no wine and beer privi-
leges Is It conceivable, then, that the
mothers, wives, daughters and sisters
OF those voters viii go to the polls and
kill the votes OF the men who gave
them prohibition? The eighteenth
amendment is not new or untried The
only provision which seems to have
caused the makers, sellers and drink
ers OF liquor TO lose their mental equi-
limit of alcoholic content. A majority
OF the states already had this law.
Congress faced the problem OF ignor-
ing the experience OF those states. or
aching upon It. II congress had set
higher standard, Il would not have ie-
Called the sale OF liquor IN the states
which had the one-half OF one per cent
limit. II would have led the union
formed in those states to believe they
could ignore their state law and sell
what congress allowed This would
have caused confusion and law viola
ton. The light wine and beer proposi- !
ton has been submitted to the voters
OF a number of prohibition states In
the last few years. and IN every case
has been voted down. Washington
voted mo" by $4,000 majority; Mich
igan. by 100000 The first important
result from prohibition is that arrests
and convictions for drunkenness have
decreased. Any policy Of government
which decreases drunkenness Is a step
in the right direction. In 1918. Cinoin- |
natl had 1910 arrests for this cause. |
In 1921 there were less than 600. New
York City had, In 1917, 1884 arrests. !
In 1921, only 6.247. Similar reports
come from cities all over the country. |
A survey made by the Cosmopolitan
Magazine states that the number o.
drinkers Of intoxicants has decreased
from about so,oo0.oo TO 2.5oo.oOo under
prohibition, Crime puts heavy ox-
pense on tho taxpayers OF the country. |
r.iouor ia a crime breeder. Liquor not
only kills the intelligence It kills the
II simply eliminates the
man and leaves the animal. Thirty
seven life Insurance companies do SO |
per cent % the business Of the coun-
try, According TO their statement. 1921 |
was the heaithiest year OF the United /
States. The public school teachers OF /
say that since pro-
libition pupils ere better fed