Evening star., 1923-02-19
PROHIBITION EFFECTIVE
IN TWENTY YEARS
SAYS THE PRESIDENT

SA1S IhE PkESlUENT
Continued from First Pase.)
INVASION of the personal liberty OF
the individual who knows how to
drink with moderation.
No Two Sides to Issue,
The question OF prohibition enforce
nent Itself. however. really doesn't
have two sides to- IL. Even the Ma
tional Association Opposed to Prohi-
bition comedies that the yolstead law
and the federal amendment should
be obeyed as long as they are in
enect. This association has Its doubts
whether the law can be enforced and
It's arguments will be set forth
subsequently,, but the controversy
over the repeal OF the amendment is
separate and distinct from the Ques-
tion OF whether prohibition can real
ly be made effective.
The first thing the proh,bitiontst
draws to your attention is that before
1920 two-thirds OF the United States
was dry. that is. dry laws were on
the statute books OF more than thirty
s,ates. In which two-thirds OF the
American people lived. He will ad-
NIT that enforcement in those states
was not all that could have been de-
sired. but he will argue that prohi-
bito mean be made to work and that
II has long since ceased to be mat
Yer or public controversy IN most Of
the original dry states.
Old Report Cited.
1t .s important to remember this
group of dry states. because when
ever the subject OF modification comes
up the prohibition advocate shrugs
his shoulders and gives an impression
of utter hopelessness-he says the
original dry states are numerous
enough to prevent change. However
that may be. 1t is interesting in get
ting ones bearings on the prohibition
the famous sc eommttee & a 'os of rsnSt' fif.y on on
which men like Charles w. Eliot.
Seth Low, DR.. Felix Adler, DR.. Wash
ington. GLADDEN. and others served
from 1893 to 1897. and read this ex-
Prohibition legislation has succeed
ed in abolishing and preventing the
manufacture On a 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 1t has made II
hard to obtain intoxieants, thereby
removing temptation from the young
and from persons disposed to alco-
holic excesses. In pursuing It's main
ob5ect-which is to make the. manu-
Impossible. or. secondly, disreputable
II possible-it has incidentally pro-
moted the invention and adoption of
many useful restrictions on the liquor
traffic
Failed to Exclude.
But prohibitory legislation has
failed to exclude intoxicants COM
pletely even from districts where
public sentiment has been favorable.
In districts where public sentiment
has been adverse or strongly divided
the traffic in alcoholic beverages has
been sometimes repressed or harrass-
ed. but never exterminated or rem
dered Improbable. In Maine and
Iowa there have always been coun-
ties and municipalities IN complete
and successful rebellion against the
law. The incidental difficulties
created by the United States revenue
laws and medicinal demand for al
cohol and the freedom of interstate
commerce have ever been overcome.
Prohibition has, of course. failed to
subdue the drinking passion. which
restrictive legislation.
There have been concom!tant evils
of prohtbitory legislation. The ef-
forts to enforce 1t during forty years
past have had some unlooked-for ef-
fects on public respect for courts.
judicial procedure, oaths and law in
general, and for officers Of the law,
legislators and public servants. OF
course, there are disputed effects of
efforts at prohibition. Whether it
ton OF intoxtcants and diminished
drunkenness Is matter of opinion,
and opinions differ widely. No dem
onstration on these points has been
reached, or is now attainable after
more than forty years of observation
and experience"
Fight Just Beginning.
That was twenty-five years ago. In
what respects may a disinterested OBJ
server revise or affirm the statements
then made?
One Of the first questions asked
President Harding when We sat down
to talk over prohibition was whether
he believed We had reached In the
last three years a climax In federal
efforts to enforce prohibition or whether
We were In the initial stages. He re-
piled instantly that the fight had only
begun, and told him Of the various
estimates that had been made Of the
length Of time that must elapse before
a matured judgment could be given on
the question Of enforcement and the
effects of prohibition. The President
put his own estimate down at twenty
years. Chief Justice Taft in a speech
not long ago thought ten years would
demonstrate. The important fact to
be borne in mind is that these public
officials regard prohibition as a problem
OF whole generation and not a single
administration. IT'S from that view
point the subject will he discussed in
succeeding dispatches in this series.
(Copyrirht 1Q24N