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

average beer drinker.
But this matter Of drink is undoubtedly a
very troublesome question and one that de-
mands a great deal of careful consideration.
Across the Atlantic lbs the United States
whole federation Of nations, not to be loosely
called country in the sense that we GILL Eng
land, France or Germany country-but
huge continent of na+onS. There they have
tried the experiment of prob bition. AS far
the direct results of the experiment are con-
cerned, prohibition has proved, absolutely and
convincingly satisfactory. Even the men who
buy liquor from bootleggers for their own con-
sumption vote prohibition because they realize
the direct beneficial results which have ac-
crued to the community by the experiment.
QUT some CT the indirect results of prohibi-
- ton in America have been very trouble
some indeed. The Introduction of prohibition
started the bootleggirg Industry. The profits
derived from it were enormous; and where
you find profits sufficiently attractive people
viii go to the most extreme lengths and risk
everything they have IN order to get them.
So you find IN America something very much
like open warfare-armed fleets of smugglers
fighting armed flerts of revenue cruisers
miniature Trafagars between the bootleggers
and the authorities
Furthermore. the immense profits from boot
Logging enable its organizers to corrupt and
intimidate the forces of order and justice
Throughout the land This corruption of the
police and Intimidation of juries is proceed
ing continually. To such lengths have they
gone n some of the Eastern States that boot
Logging has become a comparatively safe and
established line of business.
This having been accomplished a further
development took place. Some of the more
thoughtful bootleggers, realizing the extent to
which law and order had been corrupted and
intimiGated in the interests of drink began
tho Ol>yi1,- Faot that
was not the only ilIe9al activity that might
be made to flourish and 20 pay large dividends
by the same methods. There in every
country people who have. peculiar distaste
for established customs and institutions In
America these formed themselves into gangs,
and. without going to the trouble of smuggling,
merely took advantage of the corruption of the
forces of order to intinidate private citizens.
They soon found they could walk safely into
shops in the leading cities of the country and
demand, say, S. 900 at the point of the pistol.
And if the money was not forthcoming, the
unfortunate shopkeeper would be shot up. He
usually pays up, because he has lost confidence
in the authorities
This was an unfor0Seen result of prohibition
But it is by no means . convincing reason
for going back on it. 1t is certainly very
serious reason for re-eGte blishing law and order
and it involves also extensive interference
with private enterprise. Por the position is
enormous liberation which exists in America
for any form Of commercial adventure, ire
Spective Of whether it Is consistent with the
public welfare or not. This respect for private
enterprise Is termed liberty" and is symbolized
by huge statue in New York Harbor. once
got into trouble by praising this monument
the ground that the proper place for statue
of Liberty is on its tomb
But the position remains that the authori-
ties in America are being corrupted and in
Inundated; and 1t WAS prohibition that began
that reign of terror and corruption The ques-
ton which Americans have to face therefore,
is: rs your civilization going to be beaten by
the liquor trade?" It IS q problem for which
have no immediate sc.-......n.
h low to take the other extreme. The other
day I visited . country called Russia, in
which all the difficulties caused by the
American federation Of private enterprise in
conflict with public interest have completely
vanished. The maximum lifetime Of gangster
or a prohteer. if he started his activities in
Russia. should put at about 10 minutes. You
could not possibly get in Russia the state of
bribery and intimidation that exists in
America.
The Russians have scientific form of gov
eminent. There you do not find the people
undertaking the government and control Of
the country without the slightest qualification
for the task. Russia is governed by men who
have studied their business and have given
serious attention to questions of public interest
and national economy did not find men IN
high pieces in Russia who believed that drink
is splendid thing, and that not to drink Is
weak and enemnate Yet that sort of man Is
common in this country-one might say the
average type-and has considerable influence.
I asked the Russians why they had not MAIN
tained prohibition IN their country.
The answer given me was that they had
tried ~ ign IN Russia and it had failed
for C. Int reason. II you deprive an
agricu-,u r-ople Of their supplies Of drink,
tl,ax win make Il for Themselves That II