San Francisco, Oct. 22.
"The outstanding conclusion of more than a quarter of a million representative American citizens who were interviewed is that the Federal Government is waging a losing war against alcohol. The United States is wetter now than it was the day the 18th Amendment was rati-fled." Thus is summed up American prohibition in one of the most start-Tingly outspoken articles I have read for a long-time, which appeared recently in "Collier's", the national weekly, Readers may remember that this! is the view expressed some ago by present writer, as a result of personal observation in many parts of the Union: and because the sub-Jeet is so far for good or evil, and as prohibition advocates in Great Britain are hoping to induce that country to follow Jin the footsteps of Ame step which would probably mean'a great number of countries going dry, is important that entirely truthful and as far as possible unbiased reports on what is transpiring here should be given wide publicity. Some time ago, "Collier's" undertook a minute investigation in all the states among all classes of citizens.—The investigation was conducted at great] expense, and it is claimed that the only purpose vf the inquiry into pro-Hibition results was to place before the people of the country " truthful picture of affairs as they are. Tho} conclusion arrived at is that "states wipe out drink and enforce prohi-_ bition cannot be denied, but the prohibition record of the past five years a terrible exhibit, Human nature has been revealed at its worst What has happened is a sorry in-dietment, and one must agree with the reviewer in the paper I quoted above when he says that "there few darker chapters in American history."
So far as this writer can see, moreover, it will be a matter of sheer impossibility effectually to enforce prohibition by the present system, It is not a question whether prohibition is good for th jeountry, or bad; the oh any Briton is that, from Anglo-Saxon eu cedents as founded courts, the United States has sought to enforce criminal laws through the machinery of a national police system. It has not worked, and it will not work. The prohibition forcement of the whole criminal code.
What Should Be Done It is easy enough to talk glibly about what should be done. I be-Vieve that if a vote of the American people were to be taken, a large ma-Jority would declare that the only} effective remedy would be the fication of the Volstend Act, whi others would vote for the repeal of the 18th Amendment. The fanatical "drys" would not, of course, vote. But neither of these suggestions offers any hope.
We cannot permit," says "Col-Ver's," with a serious note of warn. ing, "any important Act of Congress to be ignored and. brought into tempt without stimulating—disrespect for all other laws. Repeal of Local Enforcement Probably Best No man living at the present time] dreamed when the act of Congress /decided that drink should be abolished that it would be such a diffeult thing to do.
It is certain that no government could have done more than the Unit led States government has done, and none' could afford to' spend so much money in experimenting. Changes in enforcement personnel have been rate, methods have teen sltred from' time to time, no has been. spared. and' altogether an honest effort has been put forward toward the end aimed at, As a matter of fact, tae United States has more than once ridden very near the danger zone with other countries over prohibition. But to-day, after five years, the country: is even farther from effective pro-jon because the brains of the "wets" are daily proving to be as sharp as the brains of the "drys." The subtlety of Government chemists is matched by the ingenuity of illicit dealers who constantly find means from industrial al-oho! the basis of many strange concoctions more vicious than any! post-war whisky.
The United States, in short, showing to the world the precise way in which prohibition should not be enforced, and until it is recognized that laws can only be effectually, administered by Incal authority #0 long will the prohibition bungle con-nue. Prohibition legislation in the United States is still nothing short! of freak legislation.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.