The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1929-05-03
1T TAKES TWO TO MAKE
A B~OOTLEGGER

NGAs ~ 0CAACoA1 " tAt GNIN~
of the New York Times):
Now that the smoke Of the cleo
ton battle has cleared away, |
should like to take up the present
situation in regard to the liquor
laws and ask a question or two.
These questions concern the prop
er attitude and conduct of every
American citizen and especially
of every great leader of public
opinion like The New York Times.
You and l are are on different
sides of the fence. | take it for
granted that you do not agree
with me in thinking that the fin
ancial profit of the country from
its prohibition policy is equal to
several billions a year, or that
there has been a great reduction
of the total amount of drinking
of alcoholic beverages in the
try. I take it that you do not
agree that there has been a vast
improvement in all those classes
of society with which our social
workers have to do. the class
for which Jane Adams speaks
with such authority.
On the other hand. however, you
probably do agree hat there is an
enormous amount of corruption.
involving the police and detective
systems. the political machines of
our cities, Magistrates Courts,
and officials of various kinds.
Moreover, o agree that till this
liquor question is settled. at least
as far as the methods of dealing
with it are concerned, no other
subject before the public, however
important it may be, can receive
the claim and wise consideration
which it deserves. The liquor
question will cross party lines and
confuse every debate and make it
impossible to interpret rightly a
popular vote.
To me, these two considerations
are of paramount Importance.
Now comes my question, a
hypothetical one. Suppose for the |
sake of argument we consider it l
settled that prohibition is the fix 2
ed National policy for all the {
future; that the Amendment is a c
permanent part of the Constitu- |
ton, and trat the Volstead Act a
can never be amended except in S
tho 6ipnGtinn nf Uyaatnr n fnoiNnnu L.
Please keep the hypothesis steadi- u
ly mind. | have found that this W
is very difficult for a Wet. Re- n
member that on this hypothesis, n
there is no escape from any evil o
through repeal or modification. u
You may shatter the hypothesis q
later, but let us proceed upon it L
now. If that is the case, do you q
think that the small amount of g
personal liberty involved in the a
in a practice which directly con al
tributes to the bribery fund, is the Sc
whole basis of the corruption we e
are considering, keep the whole w
question alive and makes it des- al
tructive of all healthy political II
life? If that is your opinion, are o.
you not more fanatical on person s.
al liberty than any ~long-haired
Kansan ever was on the liquor m
question? Please remember that N
we are not considering personal ii
liberty in the large. My usual an A
swer from a Wet is an eloquent ell
Grafton on personal liberty in at
general. The sacrifice of the. st
drinker is so pitifully small, the la
: ain to the country in every way lie
D enormous, that it seems to me
{ here can be only n answer, II tic
I am right, ought we not to con lii
centrate our attention on the 81
drinker? Ought not every drink in
er OF alcoholic liquor to abstain to
and still more, ought not a great al
engine Of public opinion like The Y,
New York Times to preach such is.
abstinence day in and day out and ey
refrain from the steady arguments TO
and sneers which serve as an ex- m
cuse to the empty headed for so
keeping up the corruption, and la
which, on the hypothesis have co
made, can be no good? On this
hypothesis, influence upon, and ru
education of, the drinker offer ha
absolutely the only way out. 1t is
has been we'll said it takes two Je
to make a bootlegger. The drink er
er has the remedy absolutely in ru
his hands. If he does not pay the TO
dollar for the drink, the boot Lc
logger has no appeal and the half va
dollar or more does not serve as no
a bride. We have gone on WI
hitherto with the entire wet press m,
encouraging drinking to the limit. err
| have read some ~unimportant lit
tie statements occasionally of be- TO
lief in temperance in the Times co
and other papers. l do not recall to
a word to indicate the responsib- no
ility of the drinker. ha
We sometimes see a defense of wi
moderate drinking. am not in co
least fanatical about drinking de
as such. But l am fanatical, if go
hat is the word, about bribery, DIR