Evening star., 1925-09-19
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL y. COLLINS.

Are the churches-ardent support
ers of the prohibition law-conceding
that the law is failure. after five
years trial? For quarter OF cen
tury after Maine pa SSed q State dry
law open saloons fiourished through
graft in many parts of the State. Car
rie Nation, with her hatchet. found
many saloons ~ smash in Kansas 20
years after stain prohibition. Yet the
Federal law has Mad only five years
test, and the report of the research
and education department of the Fed
eral Council of Churches has been
seized upon by the WITS" as cry
of surrender. An analysis of the
analysis, a study of the rerort of the
council, raises some questions as to
the justification of the wet i\terpre-
tation. although even friendly Nitics
are not enthusia site over the tone of
the report.
the report does not properly evalIate
the operation and benefits of the law
beca use:
First. there is an effort to be so
very scientific" ''impartial" and
fair" that it leans backward and
so modifies facts that it gives a wrong
version.
Second. the report was written in
New York City, the "wettest" environ.
colored by that atmosphere. so that it
is not representative of the whole
countryS conditions.
Wayne B. Wheeler, general
counsel of the Anti-Saloon League, is
authority for the statement that prior
to the Nolstead law 25,000, 900 people
in the United States used alcoholic
liquor in some form. This estimate is
based on three investigations, includ-
ing an elaborate questionnaire by a
leading magazine. Now he estimates
that no more than 5000 900 continue
the use. owing to increa sed difficulty
, iii obtaining supplies, the absence of
the saloon temptation with its treat
ing customs. and the knowledge that
| most of the bootlegger stuff is danger
Gus to life or health. Yesterdays news
contained the statement that even dry
agents, who are required to taste the
liquor they seize in order TO make
sure it is Contraband. are suffering
severe attacks upon their eyesight.
x x
The Department of Commerce re
Gently published a report showing that
there had been an increase of 33 pei
cent in 1924 over 1923 IN the amount
of Smuggled liquor coming in from
Canada and Great Britain 1t stated
that the amount in 1923 was $50, 900
| 600, and for the succeeding year $40,
100000 increase was added. But in
vestigation at the department brings
the statement from the authority for
the figures that the figures are not
based upon tangible data for either
year. On the other hand. according
to officials, the Coast Guard has been
operating with such vigor in recent
months that the smuggling has
greatly decreased.
Last years relea ses of industrial
alcohol and the tracing of such TO
actual industrial uses betrayed a
leakage of some 100000 gallons
which leakage is attributed TO diver
sion to bootleg liquor. Within the last
30 days a change of method OF
handling releases of alcohol for in
dustry has been inaugurated. Hith
erto such matters have been handled
only by revenue agents; now the re
| leases must be indorsed by prohibition
enforcement officers before being
acted upon by revenue agents, so that
the enforcement officials will have a
record of every gallon so released
| and will trace it TO its use in industry
X X x
The leakage of 5000 900 gallons oi
TSlSAScu dlCOnOl was KNOWN 0uTlllS tiIs
last session of Congress, as 1t wa:
brought out in the hearings on the
Champion bill to tighten it's control
The bill was passed by the House, but
was lost in the Senate. Most OF 1ts
provisions were subsequently embodied
| in rules and regulations and put into
force just before Commissioner Haynes
| was succeeded by Gen. Andrews.
| X X X
The Federal Council of Churches, IN
| its report, cites the supposed hostile
attitude of labor throughout the coun
try, but bases it's conclusions upor
casual interviews with 149 persons tr
| a city of Al 900 and with Ill from g
| city of 94,270 population. The ultra
| cautious report characterizes such in
| terviews as favored the law as due u
| certain aggressive elements in the la
| Dor movement" while such as were
opposed to prohibition came from per
| sons convinced and apparently sin
cere." The recent referendum election
| Of all voters in Massachusetts, approx
J ing Of the law is dismissed by the