Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-31

All shades of opinion on the question
of prohibition are represented in COM
ment on Henry Fords recent statement
that If legaliZed liquor came back he
would not think it advisable to continue
manufacturing automobiles. Those who
dissent from Mr.. Fords conclusions
question particularly his assumption
that the eighteenth amendment is ef-
fective.
1T is hardly necessary" in the opin-
ion of the Roanoke World-News. Ito
argue Mr. Ford's major premise that the
saloon must never come back in this
country. No real body of public opinion
favors its coming back. But there is
need for a great deal of careful thought
and study of problems presented by
present-day conditions. For, in many
respects. they are far from satisfactory.
A growing body of thoughtful men and
women now hold that as to this subject
the last word has not been spoken
The Harrisburg Telegraph however,
expresses the view. las one walks
through the center of the city and notes
the bakeries, jewelry stores, shoe shops.
department stores. restaurants, ETC., that
are doing business in places formerly
given over to the sale of drink, he cam
not but be impressed with the thought
that much money that formerly went Tor
booze is now going to the purchase OF
articles for the Improvement of the
home and the happiness and comfort OF
women and children
1.-THE economic phase of prohibition
says the Aberdeen, Wash, World. rs
seen by one of our great industrial
leaders, perhaps our greatest. 1t Is true
that MI. Ford feels strongly on this
l,A De hnff ~
oustrialst than he is sociologist, but
he represents a business opinion that,
more than any other one thing, brought
prohibition into existence, and which
will keep it, despite all assaults. Case
line and liquor do not mix and this IS
the gasoline age" The Charlotte News
adds that I'VE must have abstinence IN
order to keep our machine age running
on an efficient pitch"
He is perfectly safe" advises the
Worcester Evening Gazette, lin say
is through with manufacturing. For
with the eighteenth amendment safely
imbedded in the Constitution, he will
not have to make good on that pledge.
When he says that prohibition
is 80 per cent effective, he Is neces-
sarily guessing. But when he talks
about drinking among the workers in
his factories, he is in position to back
up his statements. If he says his fac
tories are dry, he is probably right.
And there is no question that he is
right in his declaration that heavy
drinking cannot be combined with the
swift and accurate work demanded by
modern large scale factory production"
Mr.. Ford is not the only manu-
facturer, not the only employer of labor
who holds that opinion" declares the
Washington Courthouse, Ohio, Herald.
Almost every man who employs labor
thinks just as he does. The trouble
is that too many employers of labor
don't obey the law themselves We are
confident that Mr. Ford does, but many
do not, and that's just where the trouble
arises" The Savannah Morning News
holds that "the trouble Is that the drys,
like the vets. do not seem to be able
to get together on their facts. The
country is so large, the bootleggers are
so numerous, the drinkers still so many,
the liquor so varied in its goodness or
badness. that nobody knows just what
the situation is. 1t will be easy enough
to disagree with Mr.. Ford, but 1t will
be just as easy to disagree with the
extreme vets in their opinion that pro-
merely to cut down liquor consump-
ticn."
X X X X
Charging that Mr.. Ford is "intem-
perate" in a statement about wages
which would be taken away by a saloon
and about putting automobiles in the
hands of generation soggy with
drink" the Cincinnati Times-Star re-
plies: This is very incorporate
statement and, we are sorry to say,
characteristic of Mr.. Ford. He evil
IDENTIFY puts light wines and beer in the
same category with whisky and gin,
and any future settlement Of the liquor
problem meaps to him the return Of
the saloon. AYlhe trouble with Mr.. Ford
is that he leads the clnistral life of. a