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

sudden. overnight change of heart.
Adoption of the Eighteenth Amend
ment was the elimination of many
years of observation and experience;
the result of testing many and various
means for the control of liquor. 1t was
the elimination of long series of
noble experiments
The States had tried with high
license, with local option. with State
dispenSaries. with other means, to make
a law-abiding person OF John Barley
corn. All these efforts had failed. John
Barleycorn is not cut out for law
abiding citizen.
so the States and the people were
looking for something better. They be-
lieved that with State and Federal reg
ulation combined John could be looked
after and guarded and held in re-
straint a little more closely in the pub
lie interest than he ever had been
before.
"A good start was made with prohi-
bition.
Then New York State, with a great
liquor stronghold within its borders,
and a city government that never had
obeyed any liquor law, went back on its
agreement. New York carly became a
backslider 1t repealed its State En-,
forcement Act, and has insisted ever
since that prohibition is a failure A
few other States in which the liquor
ways been strongly intrenched, followed
New York's example in multiplying the
Constitution.
"Of course, this did not help the ex-
pertinent of national prohibition; nor
has it been helped by the constant
stream of propaganda against the law
that has come from that part of the
country.
Frankly, am for continuing the
experiment nationally. We went through
similar experiences in Kansas for 80
| years before we really had really eff
fective enforcement. 1t must be ad-
mitted that National prohibition has
not been entirely successful up to date,
but I am satisfied, and the most au-
\ thentic statistics we have all indicate
that prohibition is doing more good
than harm-if it is doing harm. And
the records of the Treasury and of the
Department of Justice studied calmly
and dispassionately, prove the increas-
! ing efficiency of the laws enforcement.
Il do not believe we should ex-
pect to wipe out an age-old curse like
| the liquor evil by statutory law in a
dozen years, nor in score of years. If
we are really making progress, as in
many respects we undoubtedly are, we
should be encouraged by this progress,
not discouraged, and should proceed to
make more progress.
1T is said that in spite of prohibi-
ton, a man can get a drink almost
anywhere in the United States. Doubt
less that is more or less true. Also a
man may still commit murder any
where in the United States. and many
men do, although laws against murder
have been on the statute books for
ages.
Here are Just few of the reasons
I have for believing that prohibition is
far from being a failure, and many
other dependable facts in support of
this belief can be obtained:
Before prohibition, the average al
.coholic death rate for a number of
years averaged So per 100000 of popu-
lation. For the, IL years since prohi-
bition it has averaged 81 per 100000
of population. That Is a reduction of
A per cent. At the present time the
death rate for drink Is the lowest it
has been since 1924.
Before prohibition. cirrhosis Of the
! liver, an alcoholic disease, had taken
an average of 1873 per 100, 900 of popu-
lation for q number of years. Since