The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1929-10-11
THE AMERICAN TEMPERANCE
LEAGUE.

The progress made by the American Temperance
League since it was organized here in Plentywood
only few months ago has already attracted ma
ton-wide attention, the fire of the anti-Saloon
League and its program has been received with
mixed approval and opposition thruout the country
This is promising beginning.
That prohibition is not prohibiting the manufac-
ture sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages
is as plain as wart on a nose enforcement Of
prohibition is impossible and the attempts made IN
that direction are ludicrous when not tragic. In
stead Of diminishing the of alcohol, prohibition
has proven to be an incentive to excessive con-
sumption Of liquor. All sincere friends of temper
ance now admit that temperance in the use of IN
toxicants, not 10 speak of total abstinence cannot
be brought about at the point of a prohibition
agents gun
The Anti-Saloon League leaders, their opposition
mainly dictated by the law Of economic determin-
Ism, have sailed forth In battle array to strangle
the infant temperance league. With the advent Of
government control of liquor, on the Swedish and
Canadian models, the spell-binders of that heter-
ogenous collection of witch hunters and mediaevil-
lists would have to dig up some other excuse for
cleaning the pockets Of the gulible go to work or
commit suicide. Naturally they shudder at the
prospect Of doing either. There Is plenty of graft
and glory in prohibition.
Among those who have given left-handed wei
come to the Anti-Saloon League is Alfred Knutson.
editor of the United Farmer, published at Bis
marck, North Dakota Since Mr. Knutson is
Communist, and since Communists are USUALLY well
informed, we shall present Mr.. Knu sons arraign-
ment of The American Temperance League as
well as our reply
Mr. Knutson's indictment is briefly as follows
the issue abstracts the attention of the workers
from real problems: the A. T. L. is merely a capi
taIlstlc scheme to get power and money for the
promoters the prohibition issue serves to cover ND
the lack of real difference between the two main
capitalist parties the liquor evil is a disease of
capitalist society and only the overthrow of Cant
talism will do away with bootlegging and corrupt
prohibition enforcement.
Now for the answer
We join Mr. Knutson in regretting that such an
issue as prohibition exists to distract the atten
ton of the masses from the real, issue, which is
the abolition of capitalism and establishment of
the rule OF the workers and farmers In fact we
are sorry that the Temperance League is distract
ing Mr. Knutson from his task of mobilizing the
farmers around the program presented by his pa
| per- But the masses have been distracted" limo
before prohibition ever conceived in this conn
try outside the mental womb of Carrie Nation and
other Freudian subjects. And there are MANY 9th
er distractions to divide their attention even todav
We have the league of nations, Ramsay MacDon-
aid, Anne Mcpherson, Wilbur volivia. the emf
worm and the boil weevil. It's simply too bad but
such is life
Whether or not the American Temnerorco
League line the pockets of its promoters i moi
the determining factor in passing Judgment On the