PROHIBITION COLUMN

Evening Star, Issue 19942, 11 August 1928, Page 16

PROHIBITION COLUMN

[Published by Arrangement with ,the United Temperance Reform Council.] The forces of progress may now and then lose a battle, but they will win the war. 1925 New Zealand licensing noil : National Prohibition 319,000 votes, Continuance 299,000 votes, and the liquor trade was counted as “ winners ” 1 ! New York ' Outlook ’ is not a Presbyterian or church journal, but a wellknown magazine, which has never neon ; ongly for the National Prohibition side. MRS SABIN’S STATEMENTS ANALYSED. The writer of the article which was reprinted from the New York ‘ Outlook ’ in the ‘Star’ of July 14, Mrs Sabin, has succeeded in turning out the usual kind of anti-Prohibition propaganda, which consists'of quoting one or .two isolated cases and building up quite a lot of inference thereon. It is pointed out that Mrs Sabin’s husband is a member of the Republican National Committee. Well, the Republi can National Convention this year adopted a definite plank for law en forcement. Not only so, but tiic plank pointed out that 11 the people through the method provided by the Constitution have written the Eighteenth Amendment into the Constitution.” If the Prohibition law is working all the harm that Mrs Sabi'i says, then it will be as easy for the people to get the Eighteenth Amendment out of the Constitution as it was for them to put it there 12,000,000 WOMEN SUPPORT PROHIBITION. Mrs Sabin mentioned a questionnaire sent to 3,000 Republican women, who are really a very, very small part of the women in the United States L ' America. The General Federation M Women’s Clubs, which has 14,000 member clubs, at a convention on June 4 resolved “to continue its support to the Eighteenth Amendment.’’ In addi tion to this, there is the Women's National Committee for Law Enforcement, which claims a membership of 12,000;000, and that organisation also stands for stricter enforcen«vnt of the Prohibition law. The General Federation . I Women’s Clubs, which claims a membership of 2,000,000 and has a convention with several thousand delegates, is on record expressing “ belief in the wisdom of National and State Prohibition of the use of intoxicating liquor,” and opposed to any weakening of enforcement. The New Jersey Women’s Republican Club, with a membership of 100,000, is on record endorsing tin Vohibition law and opposing any modification of it. 29,000,000 CHURCH MEMBERS SUPPORT PH OH 1 BIT I ON. The Protestant churches of the United States of America have a membership of nearly 29,000,000. Practically all of these Protestant churches have gone on record repeatedly strongly endorsing the abolition of the liquor traffic and in favour of strict enforcement of the Prohibition inw. This immense church membership includes, of course, an enormous proportion of women, it wall bo seen, therefore, that Mrs Sabin’s 3,000 Republican women, of whom 1,500 only replied, are a very insignificant body, and do not furnish any accurate guide as to majority opinion amongst women in the tI.S.A. On the contrary, those organisations that can be taken as giving a fair crosssection of opinion are emphatically in favour of the Prohibition law. MRS SABIN INCONSISTENT. Mrs Sabin gives her whole case away when she says that those who aro op posed to Prohibition " are unwilling 'to commit themselves publicly., because they are fearful of antagonising" or afraid of offending some element of public opinion.” Now if people were finding that Prohibition was working all the harm that Mrs Sabin says those who committed themselves publicly as opposed to Prohibition would win wide public support. But Mrs Sabin admits that attacking Prohibition means, in the U.S.A., arousing public antagonism, and that in Itself is very significant. OTHER MISSTATEMENTS CORRECTED. May I say a word or two bearing on the allegation Mrs Sabin makes with regard to the evil effects of drinking in colleges. This charge has been repeatedly exploded, and is nearly as dead as the drug fiction that served the interests of the liquor party so well. The matter has been investigated again and again, and 1 could quote a large number of opinions by presidents and officers of leading universities throughout, the United States. 'The Literary Digest,’ in 192 G, sent a questionnaire to college heads and received 213 replies, representing forty-four States,'or nearly one-third of the number of the higher colleges and universities in the United States. The 'Digest’ printed copious extracts from these replies, and on these summaries said: ‘‘The replies are well-nigh unanimous in reporting that drinking in the colleges and drinking by the younger generation as a whole has decreased under Prohibition, that the tipsy student is as unwelcome, as he is becoming unfamiliar, and many of them agree that the student body of to-day is of a much higher moral and intellectual standard than any generation in the days of booze and beer. ’ Everyone will admit that that statement, based on such a strong body of representative opinion, far outweighs Mrs Sabin’s childish arguments based on the experiences of two college youths.—J. Malton Murray, executive secretary Now Zealand Alliance.

UNITED STATES HOTELS OBSERVING LAW.

The following article is taken from the ‘Hotel Pennsylvania Daily,’ ’of New York City, under date of April 9, 1928, and is not only illuminating, but encouraging:—

“ In a conference held in New York City lately the hotels were asked by the Prohibition authorities how much they were troubled with the liquor situation.

, “The unanimous reply was ‘none.’ j “That meant it was no trouble to fire anyone who had anything to do with handling liquor in the hotels. Immediate discharge for the first offence has been the rule ever since the' Prohibition law went into effect. 5 | “ Naturally there have been cases where the rule had to bo brought into effect, and employees have been dis- ! charged. Some have proved that liquor i they have handled was the property of j the guests, and they would have had Ito be discourteous to refuse, ft theroI fore devolves upon the guest not to ask | any employee of Hotel Pennsylvania to I have anything to do with illegal boverj ages of any sort either in the dining j rooms or any other part of the hotel j It will mean dismissal as soon as they are caught, and caught they most asj suredly will bo.” HOME OWNERS INCREASE. Home owners in dry United States are increasing every year. The Chicago ‘Evening Post’ says it is estimated that one-half of the entire population will own their own homes or at least will be paying for their homes by 1930. Home building began a steady increase under the Eighteenth Amendment, and that increase is going on. The more home owning, the greater the stability l of the Government. Home owners, like savings accounts, are boosted by Prohibition,