New Britain herald., 1928-04-23

would. have been, where We would
 be right now. if there were oper
 saloons in America. We forget tha'
 the penalty that exists today is nO
 the penalty of prohibition; the
 penalty that exists is the penalty o1 a prosperity such as no nation in tho
 world has ever seen. Let US think ot that phase of it as we discuss these four facts. face the four questions , that we must discuss.
 ''l. This thing ought not to be because it was put over while the boys were away at war
 70. We did not have chance to vote on it.
 ''SS. The working class wants light wine and beer
 ''4. If we can only get something different so that people can get liquor it will stop hootlegsing. Let's have the Canadian system.'
 What about this being put over: II is my conviction after studying this thing very intimately for q long time that there has no law ever been passed in American history-and certainly no amendment to the Con- stitution has ever been passed which had as well-orgapized oppo- sitlon, with as much money back of it, and as long an opportunity to pre- pare itself to defeat if, and as fine q political organization to prevent it's passage, as had the 18th amend ment. Anyone who will study it and not take the headlines Of the news papers, can absolutely find no other answer. It was the hardest fought law that has ever been attempted in America, And what happened" As you all know, long before the war 22 states had by their own initiative and vote passed it.
 'EHery attempt was made to de feat it. Not only that, but before it was put up for 8 vote.-the power of the opposition, as the last straw. there was tackled onto the 18th amendment the provision that it would not be effective unless it was passed on by three-fourths Of the states within period of seven years. Every attack that was possible all the way up through, was attempt cd. and at every point it failed.
 'The vote in the L. S. senate was 65 to 20: in the house :S2 to 1os Thirty-siX states, as you know. voted.
 "The second thing is we did not have a chance to have 3 direct vote on this question: That is true, and if our present representative form ot government is right we never will have a chance to vote directly on constitutional amendment.
 "Thc third thing is light wine and beer If light wine and beer is non- intoxicating it does not need any change in the Nolstead Act
 ''Thc fourth is the "Candan Sys- tem.' The Detroit News thought they would look it up. and they sent a man over into Canada to every place they had this law. The things they found were Of very great inter- est 10 me: In Vancouver. after four years under government control, he believed there were 1000 bootleg gers, and concludes with the gov liquor policy is a disgrace
 "1n Saskatchewan under prohibit ton, in 1922 there were 7os viola 'ions. in 1928, T3 violations 1924. So5 violations, and under govern ment control in 1925, 1912 violations.
 Then Quebec took it over, and an official of the liquor commission stated that the menace of illicit liquor is one of tn. many problems that faces the City of Montreal. It is increasing. and the commission estimates that there are more than one thousand illicit stills in full oper- ation in and about the city Is that the answer?
 Gentlemen. we have got to take either one Of two views. We have 1 got to think this thing through and join hands with one force or the other. Which will it be? Will it be the group (which I fear sometimes is increasing in numbcr) that will promote the growth of this sort of thing-thc bootlegger, the liquor dis tributing organizations?
 Don't forget this: If we nullify the 18th amendment i'll times of and because of certain torms of social control that we have, there is going to be very consid- erable group of men who in days of stress and depression and unemploy- 1 n1ent will very quickly pick out some other law which they have just as