A TRAVELLER’S NOTE BOOK.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19204, 21 June 1924, Page 10

A TRAVELLER’S NOTE BOOK.

No. XIII. THE LIQUOR QUESTION IN AMERICA. By "Sib Geobge Fenwick. , It is almost expected of every traveller through the United States that he should, by inquiry and personal observation, endeavour to form an opinion as to tho merits of tho Volstead liquor law, and the results that have so far followed its operation. And if 1 express my own views on this experiment—so vitally important, as it is, to the welfare not only of the American people, but to those of all civilised nations—l do so with tho qualification that they are expressed with some hesitation. It is probably only right that I should also say I do not consider any casual visitor to the United States can possibly acquire sufficient knowledge on the question to justify him in expressing dogmatic views either one way or the other if he relies on his own personal observation, or even on official figures issued by police superintendents or other statistical authorities, or those quoted by members of Congress or other public speakers as to the drunkenness or tho duplicity of the people under the present restrictive law. • The “dry's” and the “wets” each quote figures and facts apparently so convincing that tho unbiassed person who hears or reads them is swayed first one way and then tho other, and is apt to give up his inquiries and investiga tions until further time has elapsed and conditions at present surrounding the question have become more settled. As an illustration of this 1 may cite a telegram from Washington published in a Kansas City paper I read on the train as wo were passing through Chicago. In this telegram Representative Tinkham,of Massachusetts, quoted statistics on arrests issued by the Police Department of Washington, which showed that the district of Columbia, with a population of less than 500,000 had in 1925 8000 arrests for drunkenness; and tho Congressional representative who quoted these figures said, comparing .them with ai rests in Paris for tho same offence, that the district of Columbia was 300 per cent more drunken than Paris, which city, with a population of 3,000,030 had 16,000 arrests for drunkenness last year. In tho same paper I read a cable message from London in which Air Zangwill, tho novelist, who had returned from a visit to the United States, expressed his emphatic conviction that the Volstead liquor law had proved an absolute failure. fn support of these figures and opinions I may state that during the course of an interesting talk with an official of high standing in police administration affairs in one of the Skates, he expressed his deliberate comiction that tho American liquor law was a Blunder which had re suited in the creation of evils as groat as those they wore intended to combat and lessen. From San Francisco to New York, in the various States through which wo passed, I discussed the liquor question with men in various walks of life, and very frequently heard tho opinion expressed by responsible men that the outcome of tho law was, on the whole, beneficial, accompanied, however, at times by tho expressed view that it was an infringement of the people’s liberties which at. first they resented, but that as time wore on this resentment lessened. Une intelligent fellow-traveller—a professional man, and a “moderate ’ —said that any antagonism to tho law that fie had felt had vanished, for he believed it was going to work out to the nation’s dis tinct advantage. 1 have been struck, in every city we have passed through, at tho almost universal use of iced water at lunch and dinner. Light ale is procurable—with, 1 think, two per cent, of alcoholic strength—but it seemed to bo hardly ever ordered. No one appeared to consider it any deprivation to have lost the privilege of ordering something stronger. As far as the ordinary public dining tables are concerned America might be a nation of water drinkers. But while the position is as I have stated at the dining tables of hotels, r have at the same time to say that at dinners of a semi-public character I know it to be tho case that “Scotch” is frequently on the table, not in the old way, whore the bottle was passed round openly, but what is familiarly known as a “spot” •s placed quietly before those who are present—without replenishment, I understand, if more were desired. I heard this particular method cf breaking tho law severely censured by those who do not think it right that any infringment of it should be committed by men who, m a business transaction, for example, would not for a moment lapse into the doing of anything underhand. At ono of the leading hotels in San pranctsco one of our New Zealander group made an effort to get his usual drink of whisky and soda, hut all his inquiries ended fruitlessly. He was finally informed that if ho badly wanted some whisky lie could get it on the following day by going to a doctor, who would give him a certificate on payment of a foe of, say, five dollars, on- which ho could purchase a bottle of whisky at a cost of ten dollars. Ho consequently decided not to trouble further in the matter. No doubt application to a less scruplous medical man would have secured him a certificate for a smaller fee, but he would not have eared to ask one of the professional breakers of the law' who issue certificates wholesale and occasionally get mtu serious trouble in consequence. It is, of course, true that poisonous wood-alcohol is made to some extent, but as far as I could ascertain this evil is not so great as may to supposed from reading in the newspapers of its pernicious effects; and it was the general opinion of-persons with whom i conversed that a great change in the drinking habits of tho people had been brought about—that tho mere fact of there being considerable difficulty in procuring liquor was telling among working men who formerly, while not to bo classed as heavy drinkers, at the same time spent a great deal more than they should have done in this indulgence. the effects wero—lmprovement in the homes, more money available for household necessities, savings effected for a possible time of need and placed in savings banks for that purpose, and an all round improvement in homo life. But there is a longer view of this great liquor question which merits consideration, ami which was more than once referred to by men with whom I spoke. It is this, that, whatever difference of opinion there may to as to the justice or injustice of the liquor law so far as the present generation is concerned, there should be but one opinion as to the effect it will have on the sons find daughters and the generations that are to follow them. On tho other hand, I heard a directly contrary view expressed more than once. On separate occasions I heard a sensible young lellow and a young married w'oman say that they knew many instances in which tho younger generation had acquired tho habit of drinking spirits, invariably from a feeling of resentment at the curtailment of their liberty of action, and my informants believed this was a result of the law’ which was steadily growing. Air Zangwill, in tho cabled opinions as published in the ivan.uis City paper I referred to, said ho did not share the belief that the America;,s are a shrewd, astute race. On the contrary, he considered them a credulous people, ready to lake up all kinds of fads, to foster

peculiar organisations, give a too ready adherence to nonsensical projects, and so forth. There may he a modicum of truth in this, hut my judgment after meeting a great many business and professional American men, and after hearing a good many of them speak at Rotarian and other gatherings, in different parts of the States, is that they ave a clever, earnest, right-thinking body m men, imbued with high principles, and I think the views they express on the present liquor law of their country are entitled to respect. There is, no doubt, a large section of tho people who believe that the abolition of the open saloon is a proper thing to have accomplished, but who also believe that the present law requires to he amended, and tin; sale of wine and a moderately light ale permitted. rt may bo that there is a wider feeling of this kind than has yet been disclosed. I -do not know. Possibly a plebiscite would be the best means to ascertain this, but even a plebiscite might easily fail in deciding tho view of the majority of the people qualified to vote soundly on the question, if that view’ is to lie registered as that of tho American people, for included in it would bo the votes of millions of foreigners—ltalians, Germans, and people of other European nationalities Whose national customs w mid, for a certainty, influence them in voting for a repeal of tho existing law. Meantime, I Lave come to the conclusion that among the moderate and sober thinking section of the American people there is a majority who are satisfied with the Volstead law that Congress has enacted, that the pride of the nation is at stake in seeing to its enforcement, and that a good few. years must elapse before it can ho absolutely determined whether it is to to an unqualified success or not. My personal belief is that the benefits that will accrue yfill quite outweigh the evils. The previous articles appeared in our issues of April 19, May i May 7, May 12, May 14, May 17, May 24, June i, June 11, Juno 13, Jane 16, and June 19.