Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1925-02-13

!. Comment and Criticism

Severer puuishments for vjolatofs
Of the prohibition aet are recommend
ed by a House subcommittee iRsesti-
eating the question of prohibition En-.
forcement.
The subcommittee. i'm effect. lie
clares that the prohibition act Is not
being enforced and as a remedy fer
this state ct affairs. it urges heavier
penalties.
From common sense view. the
recommendation is absurd. rs long a.
no real effort IS being made 10 enforce
the prohibition law. Instead Of both
efing about heavier penalties. the sen
Slbe thing TO do would be 60 Try en-
forcing the law. melting GU. the penal
ties now provided for its violation.
The plain truth Of the matter is
that the prohibition law, except per
haps in a few communities, is not be
Jig enforced. There is enough public
sentiment against the law to make It's
enforcement a far ,cweuthhietlsretGti
enforcement a farce, with the result
that the law has been brought into
contempt
Ii the law had real public backing
it would be enforced. As long Us il
does not represent public sentiment
providing Of heavier penalties will NOT
enfore cit The House subcommittee
is wasting its time il urging mere
drastic penalties. Ii nigh, better be
( doing sometime useful, ike helping
to clean the streets of the National
Capital, which this winter have been
| choked with ice, snow and filth 20 ar
extent that has been denounced as a
disgrace TO the nation.
That popular education and train,
ing in cooperative methods aud prin-
eipleS is the one agency tina, will
cause the cooperative idea to take root
and prosper is pointed out by the
Federal Trade Commission in report
on cooperation in foreign countries.
Leaders of the cooperative move.
ment have time and again empha'
sized the fact that the best aid whiea
the state Is able 20 give to their cause
consists in promoting the study of co.
| operation, its aims and agencies, but
| otherwise TO allow it freedom TO de
velop independently by its own init
ative and through its own resource,
and agencies.
Experience in the United Kingdom
and in Continental European state.
shows that state aid along other lines
! has in the long run proved more of q
hindrance than a benefit to the 60.
operative movement. In some of the
newly formed states Of Europe. where
war had practically wired out indus
try there has been an exception 10
the principle of no state aid in tho
matter Of reconstruction. Here the
governments have given al least en-
porary financial assistance directly 10
the cooperatiyes.
Representative William T. kopp Of
Iowa recently paid a tribute TO the
railroad workers that il would BE- well
for every railroad executive anil
stakeholder in the United States to
read. Speaking in the House on i'm
provement Of the nations waterways,
he said:
''What a wonderful body of men the
railroad employees are. Think for a
moment Of the trainmen. They leave
their homes at all hours Of the day
and night. They 90 out into the rain
and the snow and the storm. They
constantly face danger, but they never
shrink or falter. Their courage and
heroism are unqueStioned. MANY are
MANNED and crippled for life. When
the supreme test comes, no matter
when or where, they are faithful