The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-01-17
BY BRUCE CAPTION NEA Service Writer

(COpyflSM, 1DJl, NEA ScFSlcc, AHC) American newspaper editors who Support the prohibition amendment do so, in the main, because they be- lieve it has conferred vast moral and economic good on the country as a whole.
 Some of them are far from satis- fled with present conditions but be- lieye that the defects of the existing situation will disappear in time. Others believe that repeal or modi- fication of the law would only make matters worse. {. All of this develops from an examination of the comments made by editors of dry newspapers who took part in the nationwide news paper survey conducted by NEA Service, of which the Waterbury Evening Democrat is a client. This survey, conducted along the lines of the one which Federal Prohibition Director WoOdcock announced and then abandoned few months ago, showed 389 dry newspapers, 343 wet ones, 38 that favor modification and lS7 that are neutral.
 Editors Give Reasons At the end of the questionnaire l a space for the editors to outline their reasons for following the poll' cies their papers have adopted. To- day some experts from replies made by editors of prohibition papers arc presented.
 Typical is the following, from an Indiana editor:
 1 "In our section. at least we are q lot better off under prohibition than we were in the dsya of the saloon. We shudder to think what would happen should as many folks as formerly get drunk and think they are able to drive their cars A Michigan editor remarks: "Poor families are benefited be- cause of prohibitive prices. The liqu- or appetite must gradually dlsap- pear. Law enforcement agencies will become so rotten that the publlc will be awakened to the need Of action, out of which there should develop temperance. bot hin crime and liquor consum ption.'
 "Has Reduced Evils"
 A California editor says that his paper supports prohibition "because of the terrible evils of the liquor traffic which we have experienced in this country. Every form of reg udation having been tried at some period of our history and failed. and prohibition, with all of the difficult ties, has unqeustionably reduced the evils toa minimum and will con- tnue so to reduce them until finally they approach the vanishing point. ;
 An Illinois editor lists his points as follows:
 Better conditions in homes of workers; increase in home owning; ending of drunkenness as an indus trial evil; increase in savings which has enabled many in present bad business period to live on savings which would otherwise have been spent for liquor. This is an industrial district and my statements are based on servey among employers, building associations, bankers, busi- ness men"
 A similar note is sounded by this, from an Alabama editor:
 Present conditions are an advance over the licensed saloon. The old man isn't lit up so often and the kids get more shoes and more stockings"
 "Fcwer Hungry Children
 Similar is this, from Michigan editor:
 Under the 18th amendment there are not nearly so many women wash ing and scrubbing and not nearly so many children going hungry and barefooted as ther were before it's a doption."
 The inherent lawlessness of the liquor traffic is point many editors keep in mind. A Montana editor writes:
 "The liquor traffic has always been lawless, whether under licensed sa- looms, government operation or pro- hibition. No compromise with it ac- complishes any good purpose. The traffic is evil and the logical course is to fight it with prohibition. In the Canadian province to the north of this state. about 40 miles away from here. they have government liquor stores-also speakeasies and boot leggers."
 The same sort of argument comes from an Oklahoma editor:
 There never was any law that ever restrained the liquor traffic which the liquor traffic did not wig orously. viciously and insistently vio- late. Liquor has always been law less. It always will be lawless. There Aoi V II "o aio to hdNe u soSiSty tildl obeys laws. we must stamp liquor out. It will take time. much time. but even so far it has been done ef- fectively enough to make the vets howl"
 Attacks Big Papers
 Agreement is voiced hy this, from an Ohio editor:
 ''The liquor trade has always been law breaker and its influence on politics before prohibition was evil. Prohibition has not had a fair trial. and sentiment has been made against