Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-12-06

prohibition the rate has averaged 7.3
per 100000.
"Brights disease, Of which something
more than so per cent was formerly
attributed to alcohol, has declined from
1858 to 91.5 per 100000.
"A remarkable drop in arrests for
drunkenness is shown. In New York
City, for instance. arrests for intoxica-
ton averaged 23,404 from the years
1912 to 1918, inclusive. While from
1926 through to 1880, the average was
only 1000. The arrests for this cause,
you will notice, we're reduced almost
one-hah, although the citys popula-
ton had increased nearly a million.
These figures will be found on page 553
of the 1882 World Almanac, published
in New York City.
In a recent public statement, the
Attorney General of the United States
made known that prosecution of gang
sters for income tax violations disclosed
that not to exceed 20 per cent Of their
money came from the liquor traffic,
and this was diminishing.
Corrective Not Assured.
"'The removal of the Illicit traffic in
liquor as a source of revenue the At
torney General declared, would not end
gangsteriSm and racketeering.'
Reports from more than 300 col
leges declare that for the past seven
years there has been a notable and
gratifying decrease of drinking by stu
dents. DR.. Alfred Worcester testifies
that at Harvard it has reached its low
est level in the last two or three years.
These are facts and cannot be waved
aside. There is much other convincing
evidence that the law is benefiting the
country as a whole.
while we cannot hope to remake
our part of the world, in this particular
in a comparatively few years, the prog
ress we are making should not be
halted. We should not be misled by the
flood of liquor propaganda. Nor by the
results of the recent election. The
election results were a protest of the
people against economic conditions
against the worldwide depression-not
against the Eighteenth Amendment.
Before prohibition We had $4,000
American students enrolled in Amer
lean colleges. Now we have more than
100000 college students. Before pro-
hibition we had 100000 American
boys and girls in high school. Now we
have more than 100000 in high
school. Remembering that money for
beer came out of the family income,
prohibition is entitled to some of the
credit
For more than five years the Asso-
citation Against the Prohibition Amend
ment has been flooding the United
States with propaganda against prohi-
bition. Eight millionaires contribute Al
per cent Of its war chest; So million
aires provide rs per cent of these
sinews
Why are so many millionaires back
ing an enterprise of this kind?
rs there any particular reason why
so millionaireS should be doing their
utmost to make the use of liquor legal
and general?
Apparently there is. The files and
letters Of this organization, as uncov-
cred by the Senate, indicate a belief
on the part of this organization that
If liquor could be brought back, il
would provide the Government with
revenue to an extent that would re-
lieye these millionaires of high income
taxes and big corporations of theil
burdensome corporation taxes.
so far as these men are concerned
they hope to shift their tax burdens tC
the wives and children of the work
ingman-these are the ones that ulti.
mately pay the bulk of the beer anc
whisky bills of the country. Not Sc
many children would get to high school
not SO many young men and women
could prepare for acollege-but the in.
come and corporation taxes could bt
reduced by the amount of Fedora
revenue collected from a legalizec
liquor traffic.
IF there is any ideal way of han.
ding the liquor traffic, I don't believe
the world has yet discovered it. II
Canada the vets told the people i
they would repeal prohibition, lawless
ness would decline. Statistics from thu
Office of the Dominions Attorney Gen
eral show that during the eight year
from 1928 to 1880, lawlessness in tn,
Dominion increased from Is to 1873 pc
cent. Canads's jails have never beer
so full as they are now, nor her court
so crowded with business.
'All over the world colossal struggl
Is going on between right and wrong
Crime has increased everywhere. A
the population of the world Is large
than ever before, I doubt If it ever ha
witnessed so gigantic contest between
good and evil as is now taking place.
III IIIlS COuLlIIy Tie WeJS point u
prohibition as the cause of this condi.
ton. In Great Britain it is laid t.
the motor age" and to the war. II
one Of its reports, The National Proba-
tion-not prohibition-Commission de
clares that prohibition is not one of tn,
five major causes of crime in tn
United States. This fatty contradict
the oft-repeated wet argument.
THE World War had much to d.
with this mushroom growth of ever.
kind of wickedness throughout thu
world. But conditions for its rapic
development had long been rife. espe.
cially in our graft-ridden American
cities.
Greed Is responsible for most of oul
economic troubles. Greed always ha.
been behind the liquor evil A lifetim,
of observation has convinced me thai
We shall never get anywhere by tempo.
rizing with liquor. All our history show!
we never have.
Speaking in New York City, March
20, 1919. Al Smith, then Governor O.
New York. said:
1.-The liquor interests have opposed