San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-19

You can talk to the leaders of both
sides today and both groups will in
sist that before. you make up your
mind whether prohibition is a good
thing or a bad thing, the experience
of the past should be carefully cx-
amined. As for conclusions, the wet /"
viii argue that the record shows pro.
hibition cannot be enforced and makes
for a gradual diminution in public re-
spect for law and the oath of public
officials. Conversely, the "dry" will
say that when you have read all that
has happened ON the subject in the
last fifty years YOU will be convinced
that the movement had been from The
outset the inspiration of the best citi-
zenry Of the nation and that the varied
forms Of restriction imposed by the
states did not always permit Of real
enforcement because the power Of the
federal government was lacking and
that everything which occurred before
1870 was only an argument for the
need of an amendment TO the federal
constitution.
Law Should Be Obeyed.
So the writer will concentrate not
on the moot questions OF the past hut
ON the actual situation today, now that
liquor amendment is in the federal
constitution and an enforcement law
is ON the federal statute books. To
get at the facts he sought the aid Of
both sides in the hope that the informa
ion obtained migt enable the reader TO
form his own conclusions. For the OBJ
ject of this series is not TO champion
either the viewpoint of the extreme
prohibitionist who doesn't even like
TO discuss the hypothetical circum.
stances under which light wines ami
beer might be made an exception 10
the constitution and law or the view
point of the "wet" who makes no dis
tinction between one kind of intoxi-
cant or another and says the whole
thing is an invasion of the personal
liberty of the individual who knows
how TO drink with moderation.
The question of prohibition enforce.
ment itself, however, really doesn't
/ have two sides 10 II. Even the Ma
tional Association Opposed to Prohi.
bition comedies that the Volstead law
and the federal amendment should be
obeyed as long as they are in effect
This association has its doubts wheth'
err the law can be enforced and theiI
arguments will be set forth subse
quently hut the controversy over the
repeal of the amendment is separate
and distinct from the question oil
whether prohibition can really b
made effective.
Two!thirds Dry Before 1920.
The. first thing the prohibitionist
draws to your attention is that before
1920, two-thirds of the United States
was dry, that is dry laws were on thc
statute books of more than thirty
Estates in which two-thirds of the
American people lived. He will admit
that enforcement in those states was
not all that could have been desired
but he will argue that prohibition car
be made to work and that it has Ions
since ceased to be a matter of publ,
controversy in most of the original dry
states.
1t is important to remember thi;
group of dry states because whenever
the subject of modification comes vi
the prohibition advocate shrugs his
shoulders and gives an impression oi
utter hopelessness-he says the orig
inal dry states are numerous enough
to prevent change. However that may
be it is interesting in getting ones
bearings on the prohibition problem
to go back to the report of the famous
COMMITTEE of Fifty on which men like
Charles W. Elliott. Seth Low, DR.,
Felix Adler, DR.. Washington Glad
den and others served from 1898 to
1897 and read this extract:
Fails to Exclude Entirely.
prohibition legislation has succeed
cd in abolishing and preventing the
manufacture on large scale Of dis.
titled and malt liquors within the
areas covered by it. In districts
where public sentiment has been
strongly in its favor it has made il
hard to obtain intoxicants, thereby
removing temptation from the young
and from persons disposed to alcoholic
excuses. In pursuing its main object
which is TO make the manufacture
and sale of intoxicants. first. impossi'
bic, or secondly, disreputable if pos
sible-it has incidentally promoted she
invention and adoption Of many use
full restrictions on the liquor traffic.
But prohibitory legislation has
failed to exclude intoxicants complete
lily even from districts where public
sentiment has been favorable. In dis
tricts, where public sentiment has been