New Britain herald., 1924-02-28

since prohibition went into effect tha
 before. They have told us that infin 7 itely greater harm was done by tn 7 drinking of wood alcohol and the 5 varieties of vile hooch than durin
 the days of the licensed saloon.
 Personally I haven't believed
 word of it. It is so silly that it needn'
 be taken seriously. Any one who ha
 the slightest recollection of the day
 of the wide-open saloon knows tha
 conditions are very much better thai
 they were. The demon rum has had ;
 severe blow. He has been stunned, ant the chances are that he is breathin,
 his last. The 18th amendment is in
 deed q step forward and the Americai
 people are not apt to take a stel
 backward when once they have takei l the forward step. The day is unlikel, ' to come when the 18th amepdmen
 will be repealed. The fact may as vel 1 be recognized and our course adopted i accordingly" So spoke the late Presi dent Harding. And further he said; '"rhe 18th amendment is the will O ! America and must be sustained by the
 government and public opinion. elss contempt for the law will undermine our very foundation
 "It has enormously been said that | the 18th amendment was slipped owe, 1 by minority of tanaticsl people. Al d matter of fact when the |. s. en- tered the war in 1917 twenty-six states had voted dry and over S5 per cent of l.. .f t,r t.A n million was dry territery. Prohibition was not contagious disease or a
 prairie fire which spread rapidly over the L, s, II came gradually. The first
 state to adopt prohibition was Maine , in 1851. 1s years ago, 10 years before the outbreak of the Civil War. It came
 as the result of the will of the people.
 NO other amendment of the Federal
 Constitution was ever discussed so
 widely and continuously thru so long
 stretch of years, or opposed by such
 organized. we'll financed forces
 throughout every state. and no other amendment was ever adopted 50 over
 vhelmingly."
 Certainly no better indication of the growing sentiment of the people in favor of prohibition can be shown than tho result of the referendum vote taken in Ohio; 1914 wet by s. i52; 1915 wet by ss,ios; 1917, wet by 1907: 1918 dry by a5,7Ss; 1919 dry by ii,s5S: l92es dry by ls3,47a. believe that those figures show the gradually growing sentiment et the rank and file of the American people today. I have little doubt that if another referendum were taken in Ohio today the drys would have a mapority of at least 275.ooo. As time goes on thinking people arc beginning to see the benefits of prohibition greatly outweigh its dissdya ges. These sink almost into nothingness, The American people have shaken off tho shackie of the licensed saloon with all it's attendant evils, and they arc not going 10 be hoodwinked into again becoming its slave. They have been tasting for the past four years the atmosphere of freedom, and woe he to him who selfishly and mall ciously seeks 10 put them again in servitude, Prom every mouutain---" and hill side, from every plain and plateau freedom has been ringing since January 18th 1920, and I have no doubt will continue to ring in in. creasing measure thru the years to come.
 "As you all doubtless know Con. necticut and Rhode Island are the Nal. ss.-A s.yr ,sAa ,.s. 0.. sent time have failedto ratify the 1 Sth Connecticut, though not ratifying the amendment passed an set to enforce its provisions. This forhids the sals, or owning, keeping, or manufacturing for sale, Of intoxicating liquors, or keep. ine a bar or establishment reputed to be q place where intoxicating liquors are kept for sael. The legislature, by the same statute had increased the penalties for violstiens to ssoo .0o or 90 days in iair, or both. for the first offense. si.oo0 and 6 months or both for the second cffense and ,s.ooo and years or both for < thiyd offense. By this law the Legislature of Con. necticut recognized the existence Of Inc 18th amendment and provided In e machinery Of Connecticut laws and Connecticut courts to enforce it
 "Let us turn now to 8 considera. 1 Hon Of a few facts and figures re. gsrding the outcome Of the prohibi. i ion experiment here in our own state of Connecticut during the past three years. take these from g report prepared by T. Justin steusrt. Ststi- | .ian. for the Anti saloon League of America. who st one time spent years In newspaper work at the State Capitol in Hartford. The state is small l enough geographically yo that 1t is | possible 10 get within a comparatively hort time, close contact with con- Iitions in various cities and counties i The state is In population large ,lej 50 that there can De q balancing ,f conditions and not q drawing Of from too small evidence. | The state contains a fair proportion i ,f villages and farms. and yet tho Valley is one of the most intensive industrial sections in tho [. !. Connecticut has the difficulties Of proximity 10 Canada. to the high seas md the city Of New York. so that the coalitions Of enforcement arc not 'asier than in any other state
 These figures speak for themeelves. They speak louder than words. They i how what has been tho effect of pro- libition. What more is needed2 No loubt these 6gures can be duplfoat- i. perhaps improved upon in any ,tH .lnintc 1 nneon IIn-