The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1933-10-07
NOBLE EXPERIMENTS

However accurate and appropriate may have
been President Hoovers characterization OF the
Prohibition Amendment in 1928, Americans well
know the nuances of ridicule and condescension
with which the opponents of that endeavor have
since referred to the mobile experiment" Among
those who-regardess of the nobility involved
have exuted in the prospective downfall of the
experiment are most of the major figures of the
Roosevelt administration.
From their arguments as to why it was, from
their point of view. doomed to fail, might have
supposed that they were much too wise and toler-
ant to try to legislate men into being good or to
overturn in a moment the settled habits OF peo-
pie
One sees nevertheless not one but series OF
momentous undertakings launched by the new
regime, which, to succeed require fuller measure
of cooperation, civic loyalty and respect for law
than was accorded to the 18th Amendment
Most conspicuous, of course, is the NRA. How
better might it be described than as "a great So
cial and economic experiment, noble in motive
and fear-reaching in purpose"-Mr Hoovers words
regarding the attempt to free the nation from
liquor. Certainly it is worthy purpose to improve
the standards of wages working conditions and
trade practices in industry as a part of business
recovery. But certainly, too, it is far-reachlng
task-one beside which the difficulties of prohibit
ton enforcement seems less terrifying-to set out
to police the labor relations of all industry of
whatever kind throughout the country and to scru-
tinize its treatment of the consumer.
Then there is the effort to get collective action
of that most unregenerate individualist the Amer
lean farmer. To be sure, the methods here are
persuasion, speaking even to the accompanying
tinkle of silver But the object is to curtail pro-
duction, to prevent quantity of goods from COM
ing into existence which is greater in physical VOL
ume than the liquor the Volstead Act sought t 0
suppress.
A prohibition law of the first water, and undo
niably one of laudabe motive, is the National Sc
curities Act passed by the same session of Con-
gress that adopted the Blaine repeal resolution.
By this the government assumes through elaborate
regulations to do the useful job of keeping fraudu
lent securities from being sold to susceptible buy
ers Yet it was said to be a rank derogaton Of ma
tional authority to use it to keep intoxicating
drink from being sold to the susceptible.
Even under the more stringent state liquor laws
it is usually necessary to prove not mere posses
sion of intoxicants but possession with intent 20
sell. Yet now the United States attorneys general
is preparing to act under the anti-hoarding regu-
lations against a considerable list of persons for
simple possession of another and intrinscally harm
less commodity gold-whch it is declared they
are too disinclined to sell.
Now in all these things the administration may
have the most excellent reasons. President Roose-
welt was frank enough to say before he entered
tn White House that he favored some social ex-
Fermentation in the interest of economic justice
and the general welfare.
Whether or not his administration wills, it is
entered upon one of the greatest of its expert
ments in the prospective transfer of authority
against the liquor evil from the national govern
ment back to the states 1t remains to be proved
that the people can be adequately protected from
the greed of the liquor traffic on that basis The
Democratic party is pledged in the repeal plank of
its platform to support in the states which
will promote temperance and prevent the return of
the saloon.
By this time it is surely apparent to leaders in
Washington that to accomplish any socially bene-
fetal purpose within the responsibility of the whole
people, there has to be appeal to the public
conscience and demand upon civil obedience.
May their aims receive more sympathetic under
standing than many of them gave to the 18th
Amendment. And may they recognize soon their
responsibility to call forth the utmost forces of
integrity in the state governments to cope with the
still unsolved problem of liquor-Chrisian Science
| Monitor.