The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1924-02-08

focuses the attention OF Legislators
The distiction between drinking and
drunkenness is we'll drawn in the
record OF Great Britain's war ex.
perience in munition making;
Above everything else and at all
times stood out the national drink
habit a chief enemy TO topnost out
put Whether statesmen believed or
disbelieved in prohibition as a principle
mattered nothing there were the facts
with which the government had TO
deal. Workingmen whose brains we're
dulled with beer were inefficient pro-
ducers. Vt a time when every second
was precious to The national welfare.
beer Was causing the loss OF time that
mounted into the equivalent of months
1t was largely because of beer that
commanders were clanmorng in vain
for shells. and the western front was
often silent for their lack
1t would be mon>trous. OF course. 10
affirm or to suggest that drunkenness
was the rule or even common among
British workers: but drink was COM
mon, and it was drink that worked this
havoc.
How the British Government over
came the workman's prediction for
beer without melting revolt, and the
result upon output. is told, with this
moral
Efficiency is promoted by taking
away part of the alcohol. Does not
that indicate surely the taking away
OF the rest? And TO that question no
one has yet been able to frame a
really apt negative.
Since the war, and after two years
of prohibition here, representatives @
Britain's industries have visited tic
United States to learn the secret of
our alarming production output. One
OF these was. an anti-prohibitionist:
On his return he was quoted as dc
claring in speech at Birmingham
that seven American working men
with the same plant. same materials,
same facilities, would produce more
than ten British working-mcn.
Another found that the American
worker was producing. man for man,
three times as much as the British
worker.
As for the effect upon British public
sentiment.
Whcir the British Parliament is in
session, hardly a day passes without
discussion or mention OF the subject.
and from hour to hour across the le-
bates grows the SHADOWS OF an obvious
uneasiness. Like a graveyard whistle
now the once confident assertion that
Britons never, never will suffer life
without beer
Other countries also are watching
the spcctcr OF American production
and the prospect OF having to adopt
prohibition in self defense
The only escape from it would be a
miracle that would restore the saloon
in America. and no imagination could
suggest thing more improbable.
Norway is not quite correctly dc
scrbed as "a country having prohibi-
ton i'll full swing for Norway has
never had full prohibition. only partial
prohibition. that o. liquor over u per
cent alcohol. and in describing
Frances dealing with Norway
internal liquor policy the soft pedal is
put ON in the wrong place. Mr.. Rus
sell says.
France has been compelled to seek
from countries that have adopted pro-
hibition commercial concessions to ad-
NIT French wines.
One would never guess from this
that France did the compelling and
Norway the reluctant yielding when
faced with the alternative OF allowing
French wines to come in or giving up
French markets for her chief products.