The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-10-30
BEER AND LIGHT WINES.

BEER AND LIGHT WINES.
The Argus believes that every voter in I'LL
nois should express himself at the November
election on the proposal to restore beer and
lieht wines The majority of the people OF the
state. through their representatives, have placed
themselves on record in favor of prohibition.
and have subsequently concurred, through
their representatives in congress, in an amend |
ment to the prohibition law in the form OF the
yolstead act, which permits the manufacture
and sale of beverages of low percentage al |
coholic content, presumed not to be intoxicat-
ing You are not asked at the forthcoming |
election to vote for repeal of the prohibition
law You are asked to favor legislation Of great
er alcoholic percentage beer and wines, with |
the reservation, in the event they are ever re-
stored. they are not to bring back the saloon
~ an institution enjoying the licensed privi-
leges 1t operated under previous to the enforce
ment of the prohibition law j
At best your vote next month can be no |
more than advisory, unless there be concealed |
purpose on the part OF the promoters of the
proposal. in the event ID is supported by ma
jority of the voters of the state, to defy federal
authority and proceed with the manufacture
and sale. within the limits Of the state of llli
nois, of beer and light wines, on the grounds
that the people of this state have rights that
they may exercise without interference from
the federal government. This lends to the pro-
posal phase whose seriousness ought to be
fully weighed by every citizen before he casts
his ballot. We don't want here in Illinois the
spectacle Of state defiance of a federal law,
whether it be against liquor or anything else.
\ There is no denying that the volstead act
has encouraged crime and corruption in this
country. You don't have to 60 away from Rock
Island for confederation of this. But the condi-
ton is attributable not to the Volstead act, but
to the criminality of your sworn officials The
Volstead act would be a success in this coun-
Try II 1t were possible to rid the various govern
ments of purchaseable officials There have
been instances where it has been done, but there
are few men in this country engaged in viola
tons of the Volstead act. either as manufac-
turers, conveyors or retailers, who are not d.
Nding their profits with officials and fxers,
Just as they have been doing right under your
own eyes in Rock Island. few months ago
there were scores Of persons engaged in the
manufacture and sale Of whisky in Rock Island.
They held no license, either from the federal,
state, county or city governments to carry on
their business because such licenses were not
teebe had Therefore they knew that they had
to become outlaws if they engaged in any angle
Of the business. There was nothing except their
own conscience to prevent them frAm starting.
but before they got very far they were checked
up by the agencies that controlled the traffic
here through official connivance.
It is possible that the majority of the people
Of Illinois want beer and light wines returned,
They will have an opportunity to express them
selves next month. But they should remember
that carrying the proposal will not bring back
beer and light wines. 1t will be only an ex-
preston of sentiment. registered for the pur-
pose OF influencing representatives in the
state assembly and in the national congress.
The Illinois legislature is on record in favor
oe prohibition. OF course there is nothing to
prevent the legislature changing that record,
bHtdt can't be done until majority of the rep
resentatives are converted to the desirability
Of such a change. Then Illinois will be but one
OF the IS states, all of which must be heard
from in order to bring relief in congress to the
beer and light wines advocates.
The simple situationAs that it isn't going to
be as easy as some people imagine to invalidate
alaw for which its advocates fought 80 years
before accomplishing its enactment The
! Argus believes that the whisky trai1ic is per-
manently ended in this country 1t believes
tnat the legalized saloon is a relic of the past
However. it isn't so sure that beer and light
wines won't come back some day, but it be-
lieves that day is being only delayed by the
present disregard of the volstead act In those
quarters that are advocating the beer and
light wines modification. The quickest and
surest route to the restoration Of beer and
light wines, The Argus firmly believes, is by
strict enforcement of the present law. Break
Ing a law does not weaken its supporters. 1t
only makes them fight the harder for its en-
forcement.
Bootlekging bars were operated In Rock Is
land by official consent because officials al
lowed themselves to be deluded by belief that
the majority of the people favored the sale Of
whisky. The Argus appreciates that Rock
Island has always been a liberal city, liberal in
/ the Interpretation OF the Jaw but it refuses to
assent to the claim that the majority Of the
j citizens Of Rock Island are supporters nj law
lessness Whisky selling is lawlessness. That's
! 0e reason the majority Of the people Of Rock
hland-yes. IS per cent Of them-ars oppoes9
q the bootlessing bar. The men who ere saw