New Britain herald., 1926-05-25

necessary legislation and then ulti- mately in their argument point to prohibition. Apparently the one extra law that worries them most is this one of alcoholic control.
 Prohibition is q great social ex- pertinent that must succeed in America. Its failure would tell the iworld that American democracy cannot govern itself. That remark , able woman. Justice Florence F. Allen of the supreme court of Ohio, tells the story of one of her friends who was a teacher of a class in English. One day she gave the girls a test and one of the questions she asked was this; "What did Shake ! speare do in his experimental Iperiod ?" Of course, the right answer to the question was that in his ex- iperimeutal period Shakespeare wrote Loves Labor Lost" or some i such similar play. But one of the 1 girls who had more Of any eye for the realities of life than for the technical periods of mans 1 career. answered; Shakespeare married Ann Hathaway" Marriage seems to be somewhat of an eXperi- ment. Is not all progress an adven- iture? The eighteenth amendment Twill suceed-the wet city press to |the contrary. Our newspapers are published downtown. They reflect downtown opinion and viewpoints, iThe convictions Of the homes where Ichildren are being reared and the future of America is being moulded are not often represented in news Ipaper columns.
 Law Must be Observed
 "The prohibition law must be observed. Even before enforcement Icomcs observance. Let the campaign ] of education go forward until every violating citizen realizes that his smart boast of violation is a vital Iblow at the foundations of the con- jstitution and the republic.
 1 "Tt can he enforced. President Nicholas Murray Butler of Columbia and his other idealistic' associates ! to the contrary. If for no other req son than to save her self-respect America must enforce this law. She | is big enough to enforce any of her laws. To acknowledge defeat 10 the well ll-organized and highly-financed IConspiraCy 10 defeat these laws would be a bow so low that the country would never recover its self respect. President Coolidge strikes the right note: Tt is the duty Of citizen not only 10 observe the law but to let it be known that he ! is opposed to it's violation.
 Repeal Called Impossible
 That d repeal of the IS amend ment is practically impossible was indicated in the address by WinsloW ! Russell, vice-president of the 1 Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Co.,. of Hartford. Mir Russell said:
 There is probably no ordinance in town or city. nor is it likely that there is a single piece of controlling i legislation. state, county or national. ! that does not at some point curb the activitys or so-called liberty of the l individual. In most cases law break ! ing is the result of a resentment on 1 the part of the law breaker over the fact that he may not do or have what i he desires, regardless of the law. i But the community says that we cannot do that our own way. The town and city ordinance steps in. It ] assesses us for a concrete street or a sidewalk when we are reasonably well satisfied with things as they were. It tells us when to straighten our curbstones and restricts us when we leave our own car in front of our own home.
 But it doesn't stop there! For the same reason that home rule will not work when there is more than one home, so town and city ordinances will not entirely solve the problem of community life when a single town or city become part of a group of communities. Then the state takes our personal liberties and we are again told. by law what we can and cannot do.
 If there were but one state, the control of the individual by state enactments would be simplitied, but
 just as it is found impossible in the cases cited, the nation became a means of further curbing certain &C., tivities of its individual citizens.
 From the very beginning of the
 national life of America. pro-
 gram has been in effect which of necessity took all these things into
 careful consideration. National con-
 stitutional provision recognized
 through far-seeing eyes, practically
 every difficulty which a nation of
 free thinking individuals might en-
 counter and pointed the way for
 the greatest good to the greatest
 number.
 No route except the one which
 led to the adoption of the 18th
 amendment can successfully save
 the present situation. No charge ot
 it's having been put over under the influence of war and by a minority
 of the voters will stand intimate inspection. The passage of al
 amendment to our constitution k impossible under those conditions
 Any student of the subject vii
 find the probable and comparative
 contribution of the war to the tina
 passage of the 18th amendmen
 was not nearly as large as recen
 propaganda would lead us to be
 lieve it was.
 Away back in 1S46, nearly three
 quarters of a century before thu
 adoption of the 18th amendment wholesome state discussion of thi
 subject resulted in legislation ant
 immediately 1t spread to othe states. Then there seems to hav
 been a slight recession, and abou 1880 a spread of legislation begal ! to envelope the west and south O,,n et,ta aftar opOtbpr by tba ey