, 1924-06-25
PROHIBITION HAS COST THE AMERICAN
over ten BILLIONS OF DOLLARS

IMAM the brlC1Sn war QeDt, CnarleS A.
Windle, editor of the Iconoclast, of
Chicago, who took up the economic
phase of the dry law, told the mem
bers of the House judiciary commit
tee.
To bear out his contention, Mr.
the direct and indirect loss to the
farmer, the business man, the worker
and the government, as well as the
enormous cost of the attempted en-
forcement of the Volstead law.
In presenting these figures, Mr..
Windle pointed out that the $35,000,-
600 collected by the Anti-Saloon
League from the American people to
make the country dry, is not included
by him in the total cost of prohibi-
ton.
"When any proposition in business
or government costs more than it is
worth, reason demands that it be
changed or discarded" Mr.. Windle de-
clared.
During our first two years under
Volsteadism we had 6,0OO,0 900 jobless
workers in the United States. Even
many of the returned soldiers could
not find employment. Then came the
coal and railroad strikes which added
to the distress, already great because
of the high rents and prevalent pric-
es. Drys are quick to claim credit
for prosperity, but shirk responsible
ity for loss of employment and hard
times, when they happen to be in au-
thority.
prohibition destroyed a business
representing an investment of more
than a billion dollars, and giving en-
ployment to a million workers.
Former employees of the liquor in
dustry and allied trades continue to
compete for jobs they never sought
until prohibition denied them the
right to work at their own trades.
"Amend the Volstead Act as pro-
posed and you fortify American work
ers against the day on which our for
eign competitors regain their foot
hold in the markets of the world.
"Volsteadism hurt the farmer when
it made it unlawful to use certain of
his products, rye, barley and corn, in
the manufacture of alcoholic bever-
ages. If the law could be enforced
it would hurt him worse. 1t has prac-
tically ruined the rye and barley rails
ers. A lot of corn is still used in the
manufacture of lawless liquors and
legitimate alcohol for mechanical, me-
dicinal and scientific purposes.
"Volsteadism could not help the
wage worker and farmer, the two
classes upon which all sound pros
perity depends, but it hurt both. The
record shows that prior to the pass
age of the Volstead Act savings bank
deposits we're rapidly increasing, but
no sane person would think of CIV
ing the legitimate liquor business all
credit for their constant increase, de-
spite the fact that the average sum
credited to each depositor was great
err before prohibition went into effect
than it has ever been since.
despite this fact, it is amusing to
study the extravagant claims of pro-
hibition defenders. When they hear
of an increase in savings bank depos-
its, they rush into the press, or pro-
claim from pulpit and platform that
Volsteadism is making our workers
rich-literally filling the banks with
their money. While the amount per
depositor shows a decrease since pro-
hibition went into effect, the gross is
larger. Some depositors have more
money and some less.
"This improvement is due to sever
al things. First to our enlarged vol
ume of business, due to causes alrea-
dy enumerated; second, to an increase
of more than 100 per cen in wages,
for which organized labor, not Vol
steadism, is to be thanked.
81 am going to be perfectly fair
with the opposition. Prohibition has
made lawlessness profitable. In all of
our great city banks many of the
large deposits undoubtedly represent
the profits of bootleggers, moonshin-
ers, rum-runners, hi-jackers, bride
taking officials, grating prohibition
agents, and a hord of blind tiger
keepers.
"These criminals have prohibition
to thank for their profits and their
power. AS Volsteadism has defend
ers, but no defense, it would be cruel
not to give it full credit for all the
bank deposits of its beneiciaries, in
Guiding all the payrolls of the Anti
Saloon League. For there years the
claim department of the Anti Saloon
League has been working over time.
"When some commercial enterprise
like certain bakery companies, regis
ter n signal success, champions of
Volsteadism call immediate attention
to the idea that workers are buying
bread instead of beer When some
shoe manufacturer issues a favorable
report dry claim agents remind us
that people are buying shoes instead
of booze They have always been
weak on logic but strong on a~llitera-