The Omaha guide., 1933-11-18
OF EVENTS
Bv REV. ALBERT KUHN

National Prohibition has become past history. In
spite Of the iibeS that have been made at President Hoo
vers characterization Of Prohibition as a noble expert
ment' ! agree with him. The experiment has heen well
worth making and will be Of invaluable aid IN furtl r eff
forts to combat alcoholism successfully. In abo7'E one
third of the states, state prohibition still eSistg. 81 state
law. In most of them it will b dropped With next
year, anti-prohibition sentiment being at tie -asent
time in vogue.
1t had been preached to us that free beer would prove the
new life blood of America and that with its Introduction
would flow back again with a rush. Well, here
in Omaha the breWeries are open again, but their buSl-
ness can hardly be called booming and the number OF help
they hired has hardly made an impression on unemploy-
ment in the city. Thousands Of persons who shouted lus-
tily against prohibition have not even gotten to the
trouble as yet to sample the new brew. It's just like folk
fighting for democracy and the right to vote and then, aft
er they have won out, being too indifferent to vote
Now with hard liquor coming back it will be inter
esting to observe the development Of the new liquor
trade. Already some of the rankest wet papers, like the
Chicago Tribune, have announced that they will not adj
NIT liquor advertisements in their paper. The old cry of
"unclean. unclean" is already being raised against the
whiskey business. 1t may after all not be SO easy for hard
liquor to break into the circle of ethical business enter
prses. But let us make no mistake; the danger that large
portions of a people sink into alcoholism is ever existing.
Both the federal, state governments are giving serious
thought to liquor control legislation. Different states
will no doubt handle the matter in a different way The
safest method of keeping down the liquor evil IS in my
opinion to keep private profit out of the traffic. There
ought to be state controlled distileries and importing
houses and in each town or county that votes wet there
OugnC U De retail ESTABLISHMENTS OpeTdL0u III III PiO-
fit basis but as public dispnsaries where clerks sell the
goods much like postal stamps, with no gain to them
selves personally. The county could decide whether these
selling agencies should not be provided with accommoda-
lions for consumption on the premises.
However uniformity in liquor regulation through
out the country or even within a state is hardly to be ex-
pected nor would it be advisable. In every district public
opinion must be reckoned with and that varies enormous
ly depending upon whether the district is urban or rural,
old American etc.; we ought to know by now that with
out the support Of the general sentiment of the people
any system Of regulation fails down. "A
In Germany Hitler's government and [nternation-
al policy has relieved the endorsement Of more than 40
millions out Of the IA million voters. Only those who are
blind to facts will deny that for the present at least Hitler
has the bulk Of the Nation behind him. France will think
twice before she will provoke the German people to war
while they are in such a mood, especially since both Italy
and Great Britain give her no encouragement whatever.
The Jews will receive fairer treatment by the German
people when once their leaders have given up their eff
forts to dominate Germany politically anl commercially
as they have done since the war, previous to the Nazi re-
volution.