Saturday, February 21, 1931
LA GRANDE EVENING OBSERVER, LA GRANDE, ORE,
m V : '., HV ' . . rM.k ......
ranning the country?
I wiiii i iii ii ii ii iii ii.i i.ii r;irnfT'ii riTfH"nTT"irrni n i itht
HERE'S a lot of talk now-a-days about crime and;
prohibition. Of course there has always been 'crime
JUL But there has np always; been prohibition. qii
natural to ask : Is the crime situation today materially
different from what it .:was before prohibition?
D. George W, Kirchwey, President American Institute of
Pritrinal Law and Criminology, former Pean of Columbia
University School of - I,aw 'and' former! Warden of Sing Sing .
prison, said in the Iew York Times of Way 26, 192;
"V. . the official record covering the eighteen years 1910 to
1927, inclusive, , .'. shows a marked decMe of from 35 tqOi ,
p er c e n t in the general crime rate in the United States.'' ,
, And this in a period of post-war reconstruction when the
normal expectancy would be an increase, not a decrease,
m crrnie! .. :;
Liquor advocates sometimes charge that the bootleggers -i
are running the country. 1 5 It would be too bad f or ;''neica t
if that were true! No one will deny that there is bp.pjtleggig
and that bootlegging has evil "effects. But cotraty. to
the belief of many bootlegging is not the step. :C$U1 $
prohibition. Long before the Eighteenth Amenqejt vs!
ever thought of, we had thousands of moonshine stills
and tens of thousands of "blind pigs" and deplorably
corrupt politics and liquor-bred law violations of every kind.
Liquor and crime have always been boon companions.
If the bootlegger of today shapes his laws to suit his own
desires, he is only carrying forward and
in pigmy fashion lessons which were
taught by the liquor interests of anearlier
day! As a remder of conditions existing
before prohibition, iV W interesting to
review the foUo(wing editorial from the
Chicago Tritwhe 1917 :
"If the secret records of the brewing and distilling
industries were ever brought jo Ught' they would
tell a story of social and political corruption uri--eiualledi
in . the annals of our history,
"Jf the veritable narrative 'of the American saloon
were ever written, it wou'ld make the decadence of
Rome look like an age of pristine beauty in com
parison'.'.'. If these men have not made a practice of
comhiitting murder and arson, it is because these
crimes did not seen immediateiy profitable.
"The liquor business has been the faithful ally
of ever vicious element ini American life! It has
protected criminals, it 'as ' fostered the'sociaj evij
and it has bribed politicians, juries and legislatures.' '
Even in the liquor trade itself, there
were, those whose eyes were not closed
OTHER MESSAGES IN THIS SERIES
ARE AS FOLLOWS :
, left. Have the TRUTH, About prohibition.
Is Prohibition an Economic ' Suctess? '
Prohibition and Taxes.
College Drinking let' & Have the Truth.
Beer Pump or Filling Station?
Drinking Before arid After the 18th
'Amendment. ' K ,
Crime and Prohibition.
Is Prohibition Breeding Disrespect for the
Law?' ' '- ' '-
What Has Prohibition Had to Do With
Hard Times?, - - ' ' V- ;
Has Prohibition Helped or Hurt Business?
if as Prohibition Made Amerlcd Better or
' Worse? " '' w -. 'i '' ' ,
What Do Business Men Say About Pro-
hibition? ' - !'-'-'-!
Why Do They Talk Wet and Vote Dry?
ot ;.:erbl9.;':'f9eqiences. The National Liquog
teaJec'srQViil of' "'September 10, 1913, said: '
V,T us there is the handwriting on the wall and, its interpretation spells
doorri! The.' liquor business i$ to blame. It seems incapable of teafabi& any
(essoh of'vadvainicenient or motive but profit. To perpetuate itself (U' has.
fokih fcesiiitlie;'isjm8. . . . It deliberately aids the most cotrupt
political powers ... Ttiere e billions of property involved .". ":. btat when'tHe
peo ! eqi(4e that the truth is being told about the alcoholic liquor traffic
$e hf'Talu wiU''lWj.' , ' ; ', ',''' ,"
Whereye .:thre. ; 'is .liquor, there will be Uquor-bred law
efiace. Engii and Canada, with rig$4 gpyineht cotf
truWe are, having problems of their pyntoii
f qrmer!k day s Wl state liquor jaws and our local optiog
laws' weyei not Respected by the liquor interests. Bribery,
smuggling, iihder-cover law defiance were the usual orier.
meht,V . says of the conditions in Ontario, which
government-controlled liquor traffic, "The increase in num
ber of arrests for violation of liquor laws, the steady hi
cre ih! hootieggfeg and illicit distilling are muc
eee,1 and the commissioners frankly state that they
aref able to ' eradicate it.'. V : ' : " v' ' ''r.'-;.
There is only one answer to the liquor problem. And tha
answf r was given when we adopted the Eighteenth Amend
meiit calling 10 compliete prohibition,, palf-way Measures
hae eT3eef where and have proyed a f ailure. Sirleore
lfs)$(f ai.'of the 'Commission, of economic experts who"
recently came to the United States, said
"No custom is more injurious, to the.
British people than that of consuming
alcohol either t-o excess or in moderation, 'i
America has led the way in, clear thirds;-?
ing and progressive action on the liquor,
problem. The ratification of the Eight
eenth Amendment by 46 of our 48; states
proves that bvond all question!;
An interesting booklet entitled "Let's
Have The Truth About Prohibition will
be sent free upon request to American
Business Men's Prohibition Foundation,
7 . Dearborn St., Chicago, 111.
The American Business Men's Pro
hibition Foundation is incorpor
ated in Illinois "not for profit"
and Is a voluntary association
organized' to collect, correlate and
disseminate facts regarding the
results of National Prohibition and
its relation to the welfare and prog
ress of the people of the United
State. Your 1 personal contribn
Hon, small or' large, win help.
Attach your check or money order
to coupon at riijhf and mail today.
I WANT O; HELP
I should like to further this educational program nnu encioso
for the fund of the American Business Men's Prohibition Foundation.
I j '' ' ' ' (
Na me . '
Addrcss-
C Please send free booklet, "Let's Have the Truth, About Prohibition."
! Ma'l to: American Business Men's Prohibition Foundation, 7 South Dearborn Street, Chicago, III.
Mi -L----1.- ------ -
Copyright 1930
Let's Haye the TRUTH Abqut Prohibitiqn