Evening star., 1926-08-18
POLL IN NEW YORK
ON RUM HELD VAIN
Drys Oiscredit Idea Few
States Can Change Trend
by Voting on Drinking.
BY ROBERT r. SMALL.

NEW YORK, August ls.-The dry
elements Of New York State are be.
ginning for the first time to show
little interest In the wet and refer
endum which Is to be voted at the
polls in November For time 1t
seemed the referendum was to be igc
nored by the prohibitionists. Then the
vets began to say they would roll up
such a wet majority that the whole
world" would take notice of the pro
lest" Perhaps the drys have felt at
last they cannot afford to let the refer
endum go entirely by default.
The very potent argument is being
brought forward by the drys that the
talk Of turning this country wet again.
even to the extent OF permitting the
sale Of beer and light wines, is the
bunk as Gov. AL Smith himself
would say-on another question. The
drys will try to convince New Workers
that they are in a small minority, so
far as the country is concerned, and
that liquor with them is purely To-
cal issue The idea that a few wet
states can overthrow the natural dry
sentiment Of the country as a whole.
the prohibitionists say, is entirely
fantastic.
New York City newspapers are
nearly all wet In their sentiments and
convictions. The New York Sun. how
ever. recently sent an observing CORE
spondent out over the country. He
covered 90 Of the larger States which
would have to he depended upon to
sway a national referendum on prohi,
hition. This correspondent, starting
from q wet community and with a wet
clientele to read his dispatches, has
come back to the metropolis convinced
that the real sentiment Of America is
dry.
People Prefer Present.
His experience Is no different from
that of other observers. 1t makes no
difference how much you argue about
corruption in the Government serv-
ice and Of the evils of the system of
bootlegging which has spread from
coast to coast. the answer always
ie the same The people as a whole
prefer conditions as they are. rather
than to risk return TO the good old
whisky days"
The drys are going to try to con-
vince the voters of New York that
certain smart politicians are merely
trying to fool them by talk of wipinG
out the eighteenth amendment or Of
materially changing the Volstead act
II is easy to figure that the SO called
wet status OF the East, like New
York. New Jersey, Massachusetts.
Maryland. Rhode Island and one or
two others, cannot influence a ma
tional result, no matter how wet they
are Figures which show an increase
In drunkenness in most Of the large
cities since prohibition apparently
are given no consideration. Charges
Of hypocrisy likewise are cast aside.
The country apparently has be-
come accustomed to the present
system of dryness. with SUFFICIENT
bootlegging to supply the wet ele-
ment-at a price. The system Is
likely to continue Indefinitely. An
nouncement has come from Wash
ington of big drive to begin in
September against the Illicit fiow
~ rum The country has become
accustomed to the big drives, too,
and merely smiles. The drives have
been in progress annually. semi
annually and quarterly for several
years now, and the man who wants
his liquor and has the price generally
seems to get it,
Industry Has improved.
The great strength or the drys rests
with the industrial leaders of the
United States. The heads Of the great
corporations are in favor Of prohibi-
tion-even in the present state of
lax enforcement.
Conditions in the great industrial
plants unquestionably have improved.
II the laborers are drinking they are
drinking at home. II system Of
home drinking had been devised be-
fore national prohibition was voted
into the Constitution things might
have been different today. But the
vets stuck to the saloon in the old
days and when the saloon went the
legitimate liquor business was hit
between the eyes.
The writer recently visited some of
the largest industrial plants of the
Middle West. In eacn he heard the
management sing the praises of pro
hihition. The story was the same
everywhere. No more absentees on
Monday morning. no more wives ask
ing the management 70 allot them a
portion OF their husbands wages be-
fore the same could he spent in the
saloon no more appeals for loans and
other forms Of financial aid.
Prosperity and prohibition have
come together. You can argue all
around the topic until YOU are blue
In the face. but you cannot separate
them.
However. New York State soon will
he all steamed up over the referen-
Gum. which. according to Senator
borah. will mean less than nothing