The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1934-03-17

A South Carolina contributor to The
Charlotte Observer, J. E. L. Winecoff OF
Florence. sends that newspaper the follow
ing letter:
Do the people remember:
When the liquor interests were driving for the
repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, their slogans
were prohibition Reform"-''Wipe Out Bootleg
ging by Knocking Out Prohibition Reduce
Drunkenness With Legal Liquor
And Arthur Brisbane was loud in sounding these
phrases.
Now, in The Observer, March u, he comes out
with: "Uncle Sam is having trouble with bootleg
gers, in spite of prohibition repeal, because boot
leggers sell what some people call better whiskey
for q lower price than legitimate whiskey can be
sold. e. They will continue in business"
And in an editorial March y, we are informed
"A fter repeal conditions in Boston now come I'M
der discussion because of the increase in drunk
enneSs as q consequence. In February, 2,ZiI
men and 90 women were arrested as 'drunEs.' In
March, the figures had increased to 1850 men ana
126 women. II reform is not forthcoming
in hurry, it is the determination on the part OF
the people to close the saloons and make Boston
a dry town by its VOTE am
Can't we say now. pertinently, Il told you So!
We drys warned the real friends of temperance
that repeal could only add legal liquor to bootleg
liquor, and therefore increase drunkenness And
even Mr. Brisbane practically admits that we were
right Everywhere drunkenness and auto wrecks
are enormously on the increase. as result OF the
psychology of repeal and its attendant Jubllatlons
The people of North Carolina and South Caro-
lima shouldn't forget these things, when the liquor
interests undertake to make these States lose the
good sense they showed when they refused to line
up with other States in vote to repeal proholIlon
Readers should make note OF the TACT
that in the foregoing the testimony OF VETS
is quoted. Arthur Brisbane is wet ana Inc
Observer supported repeal. Therefore
when the vets read this they should not
"cuss" the drys because of conditions IN
the country. The drys have always favored
law enforcement and they are not respon-
sible for the rapid increase in drinking and
drunkenness and highway accidents and
deaths. Responsibility for these conditions
must rest upon the vets.
- The Newberry, S. c., Observer, pro-
hibition newspaper, sails into the discus
/ sion, quoting the wet Charleston News and
! Courier on conditions in the Palmetto
State. Says The Observer:
/ Traffic accidents are increasing No amount of
warning has been sufficient to cause the automo-
bilist to- heed the rules as set down for the safe
F. and sane driver Attention is also called to the
, fact that of the total number of 100 road acci-
dents, % are attributed to "recklesSneSs due TO
liquor" This increase has come about as a direct
result of the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment
The Charleston News and Courier gives as its
"the difference is that the state has all but
flung up the sponge in the matter of enforcement"
d Does The News and Courier expect better enforce
ment since the national repeal of the Eighteenth
Amendment than before its repeal. True, the State
is still dry, but anyone could be safe in hazarding
the guess that there more DRINKS since national
repeal than before. Had The News and Courier
and the host of other wet newspapers, bent their
efforts toward the enforcement of the prohibition
law. instead of clamorng so necessarily for its
downfall it might be easier to enforce the law here
in our own State, though national prohibition
has become thing of the past. The drys have ad-
mitted that the liquor question is one that will
never be settled satisfactorily to all parties The
drys admit that enforcement of the law, during
national prohibition was not what it should have
BEEN But certainly can't expect that enforce
cent to improve now.
The only solution lies in better enforcement IN
the future of those laws that the country has found
in the past to be almost impossible of enforce
ment. Hence the beautiful picture of the future,
with plenty of government liquor and plenty or
drunkn driving, isn't quite beautiful as 1t has
been pictured to u.s.