The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-06-26
TO KEEP 1T DRY
Country Doesn't Want Beer and
Wine Back, Says Wheeler.
Tells Sunday School COnven-
ton of Fight Against 1t.

Kansas City, Mo, June 26.-"Facts
not theories. interest hard-headed
Americans" said Wayne B. Wheeler,
LII. D., general counsel and legislative
superintendent of the Anti-Saloon
League of America. at the convention
of the International Sunday School
association here.
The national prohibition act is
based upon experience in the states
and common sense. Thirty-seven
states adopted prohibition before the
eighteenth amendment become oper-
alive. All of these states prohibited
light wine and beer and practically all
adopted a one-half of one per cent
standard because it was necessary to
aw enforcement.
IF congress should repeal or
change the definition of liquor we
should still have thirty-six states with
a one-half Of one per cent standard,
three with a one per cent standard.
and the other nine with a variety of
standards.
Don't Demand a Drink.
The cry that labor demands beer
and light wines is unrounded. on
May 16 test was made in the 33rd
district of Pennsylvania. now the
greatest industrial district in the
United States. with its steel mills. fac
tories and mines. Seventy-five thou
sand dollars was expended by the beer
and Vine champions to defeat Con-
gresham Kelly. who is an outstand-
ing advocate of prohibition. He was
renominated for congress on the Re
publican ticket by a majority of H.
800, by vote of three 10 one on the
Democratic ticket, and unanimously
on the Prohibition party ticket.
"Seventy-eigh United States sena-
tors and majority of congress come
from states where the state itself has
prohibited even one per cent beer A
scr TOR
against Fthe standard maintained by
his own state for law enforcement
does not deserve the support of law
abiding citizens.
Senators like the senior senator
from Missouri, who have fought law
enforcement measures ana spent their
time in abusing and misrepresentinay
those measures enacted for the public
good. have forfeited all claim on good
citizens
Thus far We have established two
facts; Prohibition enforced is "a sue
cess, and even when only partially
enforced it is better than the license
system. The following results prove
it: Drunkenness has decreased more
than one-half. Those opposed to pro-
hlbiuon admitted, after a survey made
recently, that consumption of bever-
age liquor has fallen off 10 per cent
over 100000.
Grimes related to liquor have fallen |
off materially: and all existing crime !
induced by drink proves our conten- |
ton that alcohol proyokes crime and
should be eliminated.
1921 Was Healthy Year.
The year 1921 was the healthiest |
year in the United States. Liquor as a
factor in poverty is now
negligible. over 50, 500 900, 600 wasted |
for drink has been turned into useful |
channels. Bank deposits and savings |
have increa Sed. and the net increa Sed !
wealth OF the country last year was /
sc, 900. 100000.
1.-The attempt of the liquor interests |
to nullffy this law is a challenge to |
Americans. No law abid- |
ing citizen can choose the laws he |
The higher the individual in social or |
business life, the greater the RESPONSE |
bility that should be attached when |
he defies the law of the land. The /
genuineness of ones good citizenship |
is measured not by his obeying laws |
which he likes, bu+ in obedience to /
laws made for the public good even |
tho he may dislike them. The man /
who buys liquor from a bootlegger is
as blame-worthy morally. if not le-
gally, as the bootlegger himself.
1T is as indefensible for a congress-
man or a senator to vote to support /
legislation as for the |
bOotlegger to break the law A public /
officer who by his inaction protects |
the law-breaker is as dangerous as
to catch the latter, but the former,
like the Stacker. fails his country when /
he is needed. The eighteenth amend
ment was adopted by twenty-twenty-
ton than ever voted for the ratifica-
ton of any other amendment. 1t is
therefore entitled to proportionately
greater respect"