Evening star., 1924-08-24


n plant the bar in Latin
| wv America? Will pop" some
| day take the place of
! "pulque." of mescal, of
| chicha and the other native and i'm
ported wines and alcoholic beverages
now used so extensively in the coun-
tries of South and Central America,
Mexico and the West Indies?
These are questions which may
| evoke a smile, but which, neverthe-
less, can be asked with all serious
| ness. because, strange as it may seem
to the people of the United States,
who naturally associate Spanish
America with the land of the vine,
| there is a growing tendency toward
prohibition in many of the Hispanic
American countries.
| Restrictive measures already have
been adopted in a number of these
Southern republics, while educational
| work in the schools and through
anti-alcoholic leagues Is progressing
and efforts are being made in some
| OF these countries to bring about
more drastic prohibitory legislation.
| The restrictive measures usually have
had as their object the Improvement
Of economic conditions. Their main
purpose has been to prevent the In
dians and other native workers from
over indulgence in their favorite al
coholic beverages, which would in
capacitate them for useful labor dur
ing several days of the week.
| ObreEon Predicts "Dry. Mexico.
The Presidents Of several of the
Latin American republics have been
| taking a leading part in the move to
encourage prohibition. They have
been taking a leading part in the
move to encourage prohibition. They
have been actuated largely by their
belief that over indulgence in strong
drink is injurious both physically and
economically to the working classes,
and therefore to the state as a whole.
President Obregon and President
elect Gales of Mexico and President
Alessandri of Chilli are chief execu-
tives who are advocates Of prohibi-
tion, or, at least, of strict regulation
Of the drinking habit.
President Obregon has expressed
the opinion in a recent letter to a
prominent church official in the
| United States that he confidently ex-
poets that within the next ten years
Mexico will be dry" He declares that
the tendency in his country is
toward prohibition. and that at an
early date Mexico will enter that
state. The President elect of Mexico,
Gen. Plutarco Elais Gales, who, as
| Governor or sonora, few years ago
worked for prohibition in that state,
declared during his recent trip
through the United States that he
thought alcohol was harmful "po-
liticafly and economically" and that
prohibition was the best thing for
the workers and therefore the state"
| President Alessandri of Chile, a
strong friend of labor, who during
his administration has secured much
legislation of benefit to the working
classes, has gone SO far in his fight
against alcoholism as to make a per-
sona1 issue Of 1t by cutting down all
| the vines which he owned and to
plant walnut trees in their stead.
| The sale Of liquors in mining and
nitrate camps in Chile is forbidden;
bars are closed from Saturday eve-
ming to Monday morning and on all
holidays, as also in a number Of other
Latin American countries; and 1t is
unlawful to establish bars within a
| certain distance of churches and edu-
cational institutions. There are reg
| ulations to prevent the clandestine
sale of liquor. Chile has q national
league against alcoholism.
| Although Chile probably has con-
! Quoted more active campaign in this