Evening star., 1922-03-12
ny MAYME oBER PEAK.

quarters hero In Washington
Is an important new desk. oc-
cupied by the first woman prohibi-
tion agent, Miss Georgia Hopley. q
fragile blue-eyed, fair-haired wom-
an not much bigger than the minia-
ture typewriter on which she rattles
out back talk" at lawmakers and
lawbreakers alike.
The desk bristles with newspaper
clippings, marked copies Of masa-
zines and correspondence. Overhead
are tackled autographed pictures of
the President and the first lady
Ohio neighbors of Miss Hopley's-
conferred by a clearcut profile Of Abra-
ham Lincoln. Underneath the group
is conspicuous print of the famous
Lincoln appeal: LET reverence for
the laws be the political religion of
the nation"
Pointing to this as her "declara-
tion of principle" on the afternoon the
writer called to ascertain what man
ner of woman Uncle Sam had sin
gled out as "moonshine chaser" Miss
Hopley observed: The only way to
have respect for the law is to see that
people obey the law. It is not what
one wants or does not want indi-
vidually, but what is on the statute
books for enforcement is the question
which should be uppermost- The dis
respecter of law is the disrespecter
of government.
* x X X
H\J7HILE sober facts show a re-
markable indication on the
part OF the people at large to respect
the eighteenth amendment, the re-
beilion against 1t in other quarters
and the evil effect is obvious. 1 am
just now answering through the press
statement made by representative
on the floor of Congress that for the
past few years conditions under pro-
hibition have been nothing but
straight HE'LL by quoting the highest
authority of the nation-President
Harding-who stated recently: In
every community men and women
Rave had an opportunity now to know
what prohibition means. They know
that debts are more promptly paid.
more money finds it's way into the
savings banks. The liquor traffic was
destructive of much that was most
precious in American life. In another
generation I believe that liquor will
have disappeared not only from our
politics. but from our memories
From everywhere come reports Of
improved conditions-civic, domestic,
social, physical, mental, moral, finan-
cial and spiritual. School superin-
tendents are unanimous in their
opinion that continuation Of the en-
forcement means better Americans.
They report pupils healthier and hap
pier, more punctual and thrifty, with
fewer echoes of trouble at home
Social workers state that their ex-
perience with families shows that the
difficulties formerly met with, occa-
stoned by intemperance and alcohol
ism, have almost entirely disappeared.
Their nurses in follow-up work re-
port marked improvement in the con-
dition of the parents of the children
and family life of far different at
mosphere. Former depressed and dis
couraged state of mind on the part of
mothers has disappeared.
"One of these nurses told a story
which is typical. Hailed across the
street by woman who was an ex-
patient, she was asked to come and
see my baby carriage. In ten years,
with eight children to carry round
in my arms, have never been able
to buy baby carriage. Now, thanks
to prohibition, have a baby carriage
instead of Jack hanging round the
corner saloon
Another woman, mother of six
children, says: L thank God for pro-
hibition; it has given me a home and
Johnnie is going to high school in
stead of to work"
:. X X x
H7THE two general ports of refuge
for heavy drinking men-the
hospital and jail, where the ultimate
effects of drink may be observed in
all their nakedness-are no longer
deluged with human wrecks. The
vanishing Of the open saloon has re-
duced both emergency and chronic
diseases. A Boston institution. for
merly a home for the care Of alco-
holic and drug cases, became last
July boarding home. National pro-
hibition worked SO well that there
was little for me to do reports DR..
c. J. Douglas, who conducted a SINH
lar sanatorium in Boston, and con-
sequentIy I have sold my property to
a religious order
Aside from the liquor business it
self. this Is about the only business
that has been hurt by the eighteenth
the manufacture or sale of drink
have been converted into useful con-
Germs. where more people are en-
ployed in legitimate and non-destruc-
tive enterprises than formerly.
The worlds banner whisky towns
Peoria. Ill, and Louisville Ky.-are
now banner manufacturing towns,
with more men employed and more
money involved than in the old days.
But the greatest asset which has
come 10 Peoria and Louisville be-
cause of prohibition has been the fact
that the young people are not drink
ing or learning to drink. In the past
they would start to drink beer and
proceed from that to stronger liquors
Now they absolutely refuse to try
to cultivate liquor appetite on hair
tonic. shoe polish, varnish, moon
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