The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1924-11-28
EVILS OF PROHIBITION
Clos Angeles Times)

clos Angeles 1imes)
Stand up prohibition and answer to the following in
dctment and accept judgment on the truth or fasty of
the charges:
You in the first place accused of being responsible
to a great extent for the problem of congesed traffic
that is today the bugbear of every large city government
in America. Since the United States went dry the auto
mobile industry has hourshed here to such an extent
that nearly 80 per of the motor cars in the world
are owned and driven by Americans Had you abol
hed the saloon and diverted the millions of dollars from
the drink traffic to the traffic we might still be
staggering in cups instead OF trundng along in
You are also charged with the appalling attendance of
peasure-loving people at the thousands of motion
picture theaters To such have you contrib
uted to the dependency of the American family on the
bright lights along film that today the United States
has an almost worldwide monopoly the producing
OF moving pictures Fathers of families who once spent
their evenings and their wages at the saloon now
escort their wives and children to the nearest picture the
alter. Thus you have made Hollywood possible and
greatly worried many minds with the question of public
censorship.
Another evil to be laid indirectly to your influence is
the overcrowdng of schools and universities Boys
and girls, whose fathers financially unable give
them education in the good old beer and whisky days.
attending the higher halls of learning and
scholarship. These democratzing classic stand
ards and robbng the university of its oncechershed ira
diton OF exclusveness besides increasing the burdens
of our teachers and professors.
Again you indicted for aiding and abetting exrav-
agance in the personal habits of calcoolzed cit
izenry. Millions of people, who never before had an
extra dollar, today have surplus money in the handling
of which they have little experience Through the joy
afforded by such unexpected prosperity the boys and
girls of the nation have entered of jazz and merri
and open frolic that impossible in the former
wet period when husbands and brothers took their eves
in masculine inebriety pots of Psener and three
fingers of straight whisky behind accommodating swing
ing doors.
Finally you have incurred the anmosity of the inter
nationalsts by increasing the efficiency of American la
Dor that the European worker, freed from these
shack1es his personal liberty finds the worlds mar
kets being gradually absorbed by his Yankee COM
petitors. Moreover in making American conditions
attractive you have caused bitter in the heart
OF the alien who longs be admitted partake in the
rgorS and restrictions demanded OF him by our Eight
zenith Amendment In addition you have produced the
paradox that foreigners who declaim your interference
with personal liberty breaking their necks
the land where that personal liberty is denied them
One count. By enabling a multitude to invest
money in homes and city lots money that previously
absorbed by the licensed liquor interests, you have
created boom in real estae-especiay in Los Angeles
causing excitement and confusion and so creating
new form of intoxcaton
Gentlemen of the jury you have heard the against
the defendant Is there any punishment you devise
commensurate with the enormty of his nauy ofenscs?