The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-10-26
FACTS AS TO PROHIBITION.


 News, in its issue of October 13, edito- rially gave expression to opinion on pro Ihibition enforcement that, to say the least. was not of a nature to encourage the agencies of law and order, yet there lis abundant reliable authority for the contrary view. Will any thoughtful per son believe that there is any encourage ment for the officers of the law or re- buke to lawbreakers in the following from the editorial of the Evening News above referred to?
 The ostrich sticks its head in the sand
 and thinks it is concealed Good, zeal
 ous persons think that by the passage of
 the prohibition amendment and the vol
 stead act, that all is well and the .orces
 of law have the situation in hand. Those,
 !. who face the cold facts know that :. fatuous optimism is not getting us any 1 where, and that these great problems must be met and solved.
 Complete facts as to prohloltlon are difficult, for the simple reason that vlo- llations going undetected are naturally mot recorded. It is of this uncertainty Ithat those who advocate breaking down of the present law and who assert that lit cannot be enforced avail themselves m ltheir sweeping statements regarding the nrevalence of violations. On the other hand. there are facts, which are accurate and of official record, which indicate that Ienforcement is becoming more strict. These facts are the records of growing numbers of confiscations of prohibited Ilif uors. of arrests and of convictions. ITbere are also many cases of lmpeach- Fment and removal from office of public officials who have neglected their duty Tn this respect, or who have actually been implicated in the violations and the illicit traffic. Savannah and Mobile are two outstanding examples of vigorous as sertions of the authority of government. It is believed that the near future hoidS still more striking exhibitio:- of official determination to enforce this law.
 The testimony of many eminent observ. CTS is not to be overlooked in benal1 o1 law and order. It does not appear to De either wise or logical to advocate the re- neal of a law because those who defy lI have not vet been made obedient. Such course would be to confess that gov ernment, when put to test, IS lmpotenV' The repeal of the prohibition statutes on the ground that they cannot be enforced would be the most substantial encourage ment society has ever given to law-break- ers It would be a reversal of the entire theory of sovereignty. If the prohibition statutes are ever revoked, the dignity or Government demands that it must be for reasons equally as lofty as those that called them into being. Such reasons are not given by the present enemies or law enforcement, nor by those who en- courage law violation and discourage agencies of the law by declaring that IL cannot be enforced. .
 Among those whose voice is strong Tn championship of the dignity of the law IS Dr. Stratton D. Brooks, president or the University of Missouri: "lnstead or the Eighteenth amendment causing lawiess- mess. it is lawlessness that has caused tne amendment not to work. It IS that law, Ilessness that has been sweeping the Worla since the war" American industrial leao- CTS and executives would not advocate re- peal of the statutes, for as the Houston IPost-Dispatch says: "Prohibltlon haS tne support of modern science, modern ousl, hess, modern organized soclal serVlce ana modern religion" k. 7. MerTlck' qlTi' sional enforcement chief ot New 1orA' declares: .,
 The prohibition law is being enforced
 in New York today more successfully
 than even the most ardent advocates
 would have believed four years ago. It
 
 is being violated, as all other laws are
 heinz violated, but that does not give a
 substantial reason for repeal of law:
 The Reverend pr. Clarence True VII
 son general secretary of the Methods
 Roard of Temperance, Prohibition an' Public Morale, tells the nation that pro hibition "has promoted temperance ana is giving millions a respect for law" Ant Ieven Governor Pinchot, Republican gov ernor of Pennsylvania, has repeateoi! declared that the Republican national ao n,inistration "is not using it's full power to enforce these laws" There IS ot rec ord a heated interchange ot letters pc tween Pinchot and Mellon in which tn' 7 governor convinced the people or thi Country that the treasury department wa , deliberately negligent in promoltion eh forcement. As Mir. Mellon IS sald to D' proprietor of the largest whisky ponoe' warehouse in the country, 1t IS not naf' : to deduce where his sympathes Woulo He , It is only another instance ot the manne lin which Mr. Mellon has apparently use. his official position in manner not Ill
 mical to his own interests.
 Perhaps we are too close to the sceh' % of events to get the true perspectlve , Witness then what David Lloyd Geo!g : had to say aDOuG AHSlASAA FA after his visit to this country last spring ] went there with the usual European preiudce against it, hearing that It was demoralizing America, and that there was more liquor than ever. It is not true' . to say the least. There are some men 3 who get it. but it is very bad. Some oi them have been poisoned already and others are getting frightened for fear It will be their turn next But that gene I ration will disappear. The vast majority are not drinking. Driving through town. said: That is q very fine build . ing They said: Yes, that IS an oid f distillery.' said I suppose it IS empty 'No," they said, It is full Of wooden goods drove along again and said: What is that?' The reply was That is another 'EmptyY No, Motor f ears for workmen.'
 Although he may be regarded a preiudiced in favor of an optimistic vleH of prohibition results, yet MT. Wayne D f Whecler's opinion cannot be entirely dls counted when he says that before prohi
 bition there were twenty-five million reg q