A HOARY FALLACY

White Ribbon, Volume 31, Issue 4, 1 August 1959, Page 7

A HOARY FALLACY

\ churchman one day said to me, ''lt you prohibit a thing you increase the desire for it and people will do it more than before" I replied, "N'ow let us consider that a minute.

"hirst, the prohibitions of the Scriptures must have been a serious mistake 'Sou make them ASible for a great increase in blasphemy, murder, perjury, covetousness and other evils; they have increased the desire for wrong doing and conditions deplorable. (?) "Second, the prohibitions of civil and criminal law must also be held responsible for much of the evil that curses , L ir modern life. We had better abolish our legislatures which continue to pass these restriction- to curtain our liberties.

"Third, if your theory is correct, you have disred a method of securing abounding prosperity Prohibit a woman from buying a hat and she will }>u\ two hats Forbid a man buying more than one suit and he will buy two suits. Urge prohibition of certain goods and they will rush to buy" He exclaimed, "I didn't say that".

I replied, "No, you meant only liquor drinking and (he liquor business. You meant that if we prohibit the sale of liquor and drive it off the main street to a back alley people would rush to buy md consume more liquor than ever. In that case the liquor interests would SUPPORT prohibition, would they not? Why dont you try it in your own business? Because you know it is so much nonsense "

—R J. Mclntyre, British Columbia