Evening star., 1923-10-12
A LETTER TO A MAN
In SHANGHAI
BY DIR. FRANK CPANE.

A man from Shanghai writes me, In
substance. that, noting / have re-
Gently visited his city and believing
that I am in position to know
American conditions pretty well. that
I am not a fanatic nor a propagandist
and that am honest enough to tell
the truth as I see it, he would like
to get from me my views on prohibi-
ton in the United States.
From the newspapers he gets the
most diverse opinions. Is prohibition
a farce? Is 1t being violated every
where? Will 1t be repealed? Or modi-
fed?
My answer is simple Prohibition is
in the United States to stay. The
saloon Is gone forever. The law may
possibly be modified, but not probably
in our lifetime, but the gist of 1t will
remain.
Alcoholic beverages will never again
be sold openly on the street to all
comers.
This drug has been placed for all
time along with opium. cocaine and
other habit-forming drugs. to be sold
only under the supervision of the
medical profession.
Prohibition rests upon constitu.
tional amendment. This is the hard
est kind of law In the world to pass.
First, an amendment must receive
an overwhelming majority in both
the national senate and house. After
that 1t must be ratified by three
fourths Of the state legislatures. All
this takes much time and the utmost
publicity.
The richest lobby in the worl.
fought this amendment at every step.
Almost every agency Of public
opinion was against 1t. 1t was op-
posed by the greater part of the
N hHy ha a
tions, by the leaders Of society. by
the intellectuals and by the enormous
momentum of tradition and habit.
Nobody was left except the plain
Main street folks, and there were so
many of them, and they were so
solidified in conviction, that they
swept the amendment through by a
decisive vote, and with few excep-
tions every body Of legislators that
has been elected since has been even
more strongly in favor of 1t.
Americans never pass an amend
ment to the Constitution unless they
mean 1t thoroughly. And none has
ever been repealed In history.
There isn't a chance in the world
of prohibition being repealed; at
negro emancipation are repealed.
You Will see the saloon come back
about the time you see the auction
block once more set up and slaves
sold in the market place.
Personally, / am not a teetotaler.
But even that does not make me
blind or cross-eyed to facts. And
the fact is that no human being ever
needed alcohol except as administer
ed by a physician in a crisis. The
further fact is that the open sale of
alcohol is undeniably prejudicial to
public welfare, provocative of crime
and disorder, and a recognized enemy
of efficiency.
The fact again Is that the state
has has a perfect right = to regulate atoth; the
and this right is acknowledged in
every country on earth.
Prohibition was not put over by
fanatics, but by hard-headed business
men and sober-m minded common-sense
folks. They simply got tired of the
saloon. which always was and always
will be a dirty. septic hole and a
menace to civilization, and they
wiped it out.
It was the greatest moral gesture
In carrying 1t out there will be
mistakes, extravagances and foolish
things done, of course, for we are
human.
The law is violated in some parts
of the country. But we have had
laws against murder. theft and adul-
terry for thousands Of years. and they
are still violated by certain class.
But in nine-tenths of the United
States the law is we'll observed.
Millions of boys and girls are grow
Ing up and never see drunken man.
Savings have increased. thousands
of homes are happier, labor is more
efficient and property and life are
more secure.
The President is fatty In favor of
the laws enforcement, over forty
of the forty-eight state legislatures
are for 1t, the Supreme Court ap-
proves 1t, the women (who can all
vote) are solidly for 1T; 50 that If
you hear one Say that prohibition is
a failure in the United States, you
may be rather sure that he Is talk
ing through his hat, or seeing things
through the bottom of an up-ended
beer mug.
Three things have brought on pro-
hibition. D Science, which declares
that alcohol is not a necessary food
and Is a habit-forming drug; (2)
business, which found out that the
drinker is a poor worker; and (3l
conscience. which recognizes that any
mans right to pursue happiness Is
limited by his power to injure other
peoples happiness.
fappers. the old soaks, and all who
put their pleasure and freedom be-
fore their sense of responsibility.
will go on violating the law. But
they will die out after a while.