The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1924-10-17
FALSE SENSE OF
SECURITY

the prohibition policy is the false
sense of security which seems to
possess many dry voters.
The prohibition law has been in
effect for little less than five years
and that seems to have been suffi.
cient time to lull to sleep many
voters who were aggressive and
active in the campaign to secure the
law. The fact that prohibition is
written into the Constitution in
creases. this false sense of security
on the part of many erstwhile active
drys.
1t will be recalled by those who
were familiar with liquor trade
journals during the latter days OF
the license policy, that wet leaders
were continually sounding the alarm
in an effort to arouse the saloon
keepers to sense of the DANCE
which confronted Z" the trade
These leaders for ten years prior tc
the ratification of the Eighteenth
Amendment saw prohibition senti
ment growing and realized that il
was but matter Of few years un
til the liquor traffic would be out.
lawed.
But in spite of their warnings
thousands of retail liquor dealers
and even many brewers and distillers
refused to recognize~the increasing
prohibition sentiment. They slept
peacefully on and even after the
Eighteenth Amendment was ratified
many of them refused to believe
that the dry cause had triumphed
| This is why many vets probably are
sincere in their belief that prohibit
ton was Y slipped over" They
were asleep and didn't know what
was going ON
Now the situation is reversed.
Thousands Of easy-going drys are in
clined to think the fight is over and
that wet interests are merely bluff
fing when they talk of reaction
and the return of beer. These drys
must awaken and get back into the
fight if they are to prevent the vets
turning the tables.
Dry apathy is far more dangerous
to the prohibition cause than wet
activity. Liquor interests are quick
to note it and SO while thousands OF
supporters of prohibition are re-
posing in fancied security these
liquor strategists are at work.
Why the Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment and why
two score more other nationwide
wet organizations ?
Why the liquor lobby in Wash
ington
Why this countrywide wet propa-
ganda
Why this pussyfooting on the
question of law enforcement on the
part of political parties in certain
wet states and active opposition to
enforcement by political parties il,
some states ?
| Why the introduction of SO beer
bills in Congress in one day last
spring
Why this persistent entreaty to
elect wet Congressman and wet state
Legislatures
That man is blind who fails to
realize the results of Indifference to
attacks to be made upon the federal
Constitution.
The drys have been so successful
at the primary elections in the nomi
nation of candidates for Congress
pledged to strict enforcement of the
law that there is danger in this
success. This success must not be
| permitted to influence dry voters in
| the belief that there is no hard fight
ahead. Without the successes at
the primaries the battle would be
lost now so far as the next Congress
is concerned and the drys therefore
have cause to rejoice over the resalt
of these primaries. But at the
same time it must ever be borne il
mind that the November election in,
wolves one more important BATH
that must be won if dry Congress
| is to be assured.
OF no less Importance are the
| elections of state legislatures.
Wet leaders have declared that
| the fight will be carried into the
legislatures in an effort to repeal
state enforcement codes and thus
will open the way for the legal traf,
fic in beer, should the federal ban be
lifted through the modification o.
| the Volstead Act.
The fact is, the drys are facing
the most important battle they ever
faced. in the coming November cleo
ton, The situation demands that
| every dry voter register where reg
istration is required, and yote-vote
inteliigentiy for known dry can
didates. Issue.