Evening star., 1925-09-19

/ Church Council with the comment:
! Mere ma joritieS in the case Of so hot
! ly contested an issue as prohibition
/ presents are of little permanent siSnih-
/ cance, because of the stress laid upon
| moral issues" Yet a republic has no
/ clearer way of expressing its sovereign
| viii than by mere majoritias." Some
! times even d plurality is accepted as
! controlling laws.
The report cites the increase of ar
| rests for misdemeanorS since prohib-
| ton was enacted. overlooking the in
crease in automobiles and the "crmi-
nal' 90 tendency of citizens TO forget
| traffic rules and park overtime or in
! the wrong block. Prior to 1920 scarce
/ ly any city was suffering from acute
| automobilitiS, as all cities do today.
| That trend, it is claimed. is not fairly
attributable to the Volstead law. Yet il
is ~sed as proof that prohibition is a
| failur>.
On the other hand, the report dis
closes that even in wet New York
| there are fewer cases of alcoholic in
| sanity. In Bellevue Hospital in 1914
| the rate was 120 cases per 100 900.
| population; in 1915. 102; in 1916. 124.
an average of 115 cases. The last FIVE
wears, under prohibition, the average
! has been 20 cases.
Industrial insurance companies agree
| In showing a great Improvement in
health, but the Church Federation re-
port minimizes the inference by say
| ing: The tendency is toward a higher
| standard of living and thus naturally
| toward improved health and increas-
| ing longevity"
The allegation that there is gen
orally higher standard of living to-
| day, when all living costs are more
than double what they were before
the war. is not supported by any evil
denCe beyond assertion
| Army statistics are quoted in the
| report, although they show that prior
to the war the admission ratio TO
Army hospitals on account of alcohol
ism averaged Is per 1000, and since
the war, during the five years of pro
h1bltion. the average has been sos
The period of actual war showed only
an average of ., but that is explained
by Army discipline during the war"
Army discipline" itself is nothing
more or less than Army prohibition,
and that was applied in the Very
the Nolstead law, and beyond its
jurisdiction.
\ summary of the contrasts be.
tween conditions today. after FIVE
years of prohibition, with condi-
tions preceding the Volstead law ap-
pears in the North American Review
Among many points of improve
ment cited are: Prior TO prohibition
there were 177,799 saloons and 10000
| "speak-easies" now. no saloons. but
some "speak-ea sizes" just as obnox-
| 'ous. Then, 1,247 breweries producing
2,000, 100000 gallons of beer; now no
breweries Then. alcoholic death rate
of 5.S per 100000 annually: now, an
| alcoholic death rate from I n
annually, in spite of the poisonous
character of bootleg liquor. Then.
275 drunk cures all busy; now. 81
drunk cures. most of which handle
alcoholic cases as a side line. Then.
crowded county jails: now, 200 900
fewer Jail commitments in spite Of
bootlegging and including automobile
cases. In some communities traffic
cases constitute 90 per cent of arrests.
In several States the total arrests
scarcely exceed half of what they
were before rohibition-Indiana, Con
necticut and New Hampshire are thus
indicated. New York and Massachu-
setts. although rated wet" show
marked decrease in arrests. In
Chicago United States District Attor-
ney Olsen attributes the crime increase
there, not to prohibition, but TO the
breakdown in its enforcement. State
Attorney Grove denies the statement
cent more crime in the country than
Ave years ago.
In his message to Congress Decem
Der. 1929, President Coolidge said:
There is an ineSca pable responSi-
bility for the development character
of industry, of thrift and self-control.
These do not come from the Govern
ment. but from the people themselves.
Plrt the CxnuornO,art "a n nd ShnrtlI
always be expressive of the steadfast
determination. always vigilant 10
maintain conditions under which
these virtues are most likely TO de-
4 velop, and secure recognition and re.
ward. This is the American policy.
1T is in accordance with this pIin-
ciple that we have enacted laws for
the protection of public health and
have adopted prohibition IN narcotic
drugs and intoxicating liquors.
i Copyright. 1925. by Paul V. Collins