Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-05

the charge Of religious intolerance found
mine.
I have said enough-perhaps too much
about myself. But II what 1 am to
say about prohibition, the most contro-
versial question in the public mind, is
to receive fair hearing, there must first
be presented a basis for belief that my
opinion and my actions are not those of
a zcalot unguided by facts and reason.
Why talk about prohibition at all?
Certainly have no overwhelming de-
sire to force acceptance of my views.
I have lived so much of prohibition
for the past eight years that sometimes
l wish l might never hear of the SUBJ
Ject again. But it is no more possible
to avoid prohibition discussion than to
avoid breathing. In every newspaper
every day of the year, on every street
corner where people stop to talk, at
every afternoon tea party, in every social
gathering of any kind involving any
class OF society, one subject recurS. time
after time and is of universal interest.
No political, economic or moral issue
has SO engroSSed and divided all the
people Of America as the prohibition
problem, except the issue of slavery.
There were and are millions and mil
lions of people who have not the slight
est conception of or interest in the
tariff, important as that subject really
is to every citizen. There are millions
of people who take only small notice of
the great problem of international dis
armament and the security of nations
against war. There are millions of good
citizens who are totally unaware of ma
tional immigration policies. But ninety
nine out OF one hundred people, whether
children in high school or grs ded school
or men and women in the vigorous or
declining years of life, have definite and
aggressive views on the wisdom or folly
OF prohibiting the manufacture and sale
OF intoxicating liquor and the methods
used to bring about enforcement of the
law on that subject.
1t seems proper to me, therefore. for
one who has given eight of the best"
years OF her life to an effort to enforce
prohibltion now to reveal the facts of
the situation and give an opinion re-
Sulting from such facts and exper ;ence.
l hope they may help to a clearer.
less emotional view OF the national
problem.
L snail endeavor to answer some of
the questions in which the great ma
jority of the people of America are
vitality interested.
Amendment Essential Fact.
I shall not discuss the wisdom of
adopting prohibition as a national pol
lev. Such an argument is not timely.
The essential fact is that imbedded in
the Constitution of the United States
is the eighteenth amendment:
Section /. After one year from the
ratification of this article the manu-
facture, sale or transportation of in
toxicating liquors within, the importa-
ton thereof into, or the expectation
thereof from, the United States and all
territory subject to the Jurisdiction
thereof for beverage purposes Is hereby
prohibited.
Section 2. The Congress and the
power to enforce this article by appro-
pirate legislation"
Congress has enacted certain laws to
give effect to that part of the Consti-
tuition. The arguments for and against
prohibition as national policy can be
found elsewhere, 1 propose to leave
those arguments to others and to de-
vote myself to answering such ques-
tons as these:
Is the prohibition amendment or law
unenforceable?
Is there a legal substitute for prohi-
bition Of all intoxicating liquors?
Is prohibition enforcement effective,
or is it. losing in effectiveness
Who is responsible for T1on-enforce-
ment of the prohibition laws?
Are the best methods being employed
in the enforcement Of prohibition? If
not. why not?
Is it justifiable to take human life to
enforce prohibition?
Should there be more rigid" enforce
ment; additional thousands Of prchibi-
ton agents; more severe penalties; en-
forcement of the law against the man
kr ka,,,, Aal TIT - rx,ni cks
for personal consumption. as we'll as
against the man who sells It: searches
of homes, either with or without war
rants: the use Of the Army and Navy
to aid in prohibition enforcement: de-
NAL Of the right Of jury trial in minor
cases Of infraction of the prohibition
laws? What about the Jones amend
ment? Are the enemies Of the eight
zenith amendment and prohibition en-
forcement winning their battle?
What is the prospect for prohibition
enforcement hereafter? Can prohibi-
ton be made popular? Is the effort
President Hoover doomed to failure?
. What are the big leaks" under pro-
hibition enforcement, as we now have
1t? Can our cities be dried up?
Is there any cure for the defects Of
prohibition enforcement?
On the answers of the great body Of
American citizens to these questions
within the next few years depends the
ultimate fate of the eighteenth amend
ment. When the people are sure wheth-
er or not we can actually have prohibi-
ton enforcement. then they will decide
whether or not there shall continue to
be prohibition amendment and pro-
hibition laws. We have the amendment
and the laws now. We have not yet
had effective enforcement of prohibi-
ton.
(CopyFieht, 1929. by Current News Features
All rights reServed)
CNote-In the next installment Mrs
Willebrandt will discuss the greatest
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