Prohibition and Politics

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18129, 19 July 1924, Page 12

Prohibition and Politics

In a letter commenting upon an article which we printed on Thursday, the Eev. W. J. Williams insists to-day that it is "absurd for anybody to say '.'that the recent political nomina"tionß" [for the offices of President and "Vice-President] "have no bearing on "the trend of American opinion in "relation to Prohibition." Whether such a statement is absurd or not, we did not make it. A correspondent had suggested that the nomination of candidates pledged to the enforcement of the Prohibition law meant that America has been converted, and we pointed out that no such conclusion could be drawn from the facts and that Prohibition was not an issue at either of the Party Conventions. What one may, and indeed must, conclude, is that neither party dares to risk massing against itself the Prohibition vote, since there is no such thing as a massed "wet" vote to be secured. Mr Williams noisily pooh-poohs this. Have we never l heard, ho asks, of the slogan "Our trade our politics"! Of course we have* There are even in New Zealand many people whose 'political opinions begin and end with their concern for the liquor trade. But these people are a very tiny fraction of the Electorate, and the plain citizens who are opposed to Prohibition are not organised as the Prohibitionists are. The reason for this—which' perhaps Mr Williams will deny, although everyone not a Prohibitionist knows it, through knowing himself—is that while for the Prohibitionist nothing matters half as much as Prohibition, for the ordinary non-Prohibitionist the liquor issue is only one of several, and v ery far indeed from being amongst the most important of these. It is the Same in America, for all the "forty odd liquor "organisations" which are in existence there. It is a pity that Mr Williams has abstained from touching the matter in so far as it has that bearing upon our own political life to which we referred and which was the only reason why we wrote of it at all. If Prohibition were carried in this country, the Prohibitionists* organisation would remain, and even if the Prohibition voters became a minority they would be able to prevent the will of the majority from having any effect. If the supporters of Prohibition Bhrank to 40 per cent, of the population this would still be so. For the 60 per cent, would be divided on issues unrelated to Prohibition, and the solid Prohibitionist block would be able, generally, to secure the election of those candidates, of whatever party, who would promise to prevent any effective means of, enabling the nation to restore the sale of liquor. With regard to the Ku Klux Klan, we hope wo are right in taking Mr Williams's reference to it as meaning that he thinks association with it is dishonourable. But it iB nevertheless a fact that the Klan is sufficiently under tho control of "drys" to be a strong supporter Of Prohibition.