The border vidette., 1932-03-12
THE PROHIBITION QUESTION

problems OF this country. IL has
ceased to be matter of politics
as it has been since it's inception,
and now appears on the horizon
as an economic measure, which.
if the law were eliminated, would
help alleviate the present de-.
preston.
However, many things enter
into the prohibition question.
During the past year q number
of the chief ranking organiza.
tions in this country have gone
on record as favoring repeal,
modification, etc. Among these
and besides the American Fed
Grafton of Labor. which was led
this fight for the past few years.
are the American bar association,
and the American Legion.
1t is a we'll understood fact
that the main reason this law
has been not touched before is
due purely to political reasons.
Congresmen and Senators who
think and drink wet, have al
ways talked dry. This, coupled
with the fact that large news
papers over the country who
have sought the preferment OF
the drys, have seen fit to main.
tain a dry editorial policy, for
the reason that it has paid them
we'll to have such a policy.
The drys are organized, and it Is
just recently that an attempt has
been made on the part of the
ones favoring modification of the
Volstaad act to like wise organize.
Aided and abetted by newspapers
maintaining dry editorial pol.
icy, the dry societies have flour.
ished, and in many instances are
maintained at least in part
through large contributions made
by the bootlegging industry of
this country, which has made
millions as a result of national
Eprohibition. and which d a s
steadyily and consistently been
growing in power ever since the
dry law became effective.
It is a known fact that the
bootleggers do not want the pro
hibition law repealed, for to do
this would do away with crime.
racketeering and a number of
other things which have proven
80 obnoxious to Americans since
the passage Of the dry act. Be
sides the removal of the crime
phase of the prohibition act,
these men who sit in large and
commodious Offices and who con
troll the bootlegging industry.
would have to look for other
sources of monetary income, and
! they know they would have a
hard time finding any industry
in which one can invest so little
and secure such a high return
from his investment as q rack
eteering aud bootleging.
And thus we find through
channels of one kind or another
the bootlegging industry allied
with the dry forces which have
succeeded to such an extent in
keeping the prohibition question
aroused in the mind of the people
that representatives or senators
have been afraid to mention the
repeal of the 18Th amendment in
anything excepting an UNDER
tone. For most of the men who
are elected to represent the state
in the United States Congress
are indeed politicians, and they
do not care to have to secure
other employment because of
having made the mistake of talk
ing when they should have been
thinking.
That the prohibition act has
been not only complete failure
but also q drain on the taxpayers
of the country is not denied by
anyone who has gone to the
trouble of looking into the matter
from an unbiased standpoint.
The quicker the American public
awakens to the fact that they
have been duped by politicians,
and sets out to remedy the situa'
ton through modification, the
sooner this country will be rid of
one of the worst evils that was
ever inflicted upon it by unscrup
ulous politicians. South western
Labor Record.
St. Johns-Bids called for con
struction of five and one half
miles Holbrook-St. Johns high
way.