PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 270, 11 August 1919, Page 6

PROHIBITION IN AMERICA

A REPLY TO THE REV. JOHN DAWSON. Sir,—l noticed in your paper the other day the report of an ■•interview given to your representative by the Rev. John Dawson. He has just returned from America, but he has given such a onesided view of tho position that it is impossible to believe that the Rev. John Dawson has seen both sides of the question in that country. He' told you that the Labour Conference at Atlanta, for instance, had recently carried a resolution asking Congress to allow the manufactue and sale of beer of a strength up to 2 per cent, alcohol, but he did not tell us that tho American Labour I'edoration had passed a resolution "that prohibition wag (v menaoe to industrial peace, to tho liberties, rights, and privileges of American Labour and unworthy of tho support of the free citizens of the United States." Whon Mr. Samuel Gompers spoke on the subject of prohibition lie said, "American labour resents the prohibition laws. Personally I am apprehensive regarding the results unless the use of light bee.- is allowed." The Rev. Dawson did not tell us that President Wilson on his return to America had advised Congress to exempt the browing of beer and wine from prohibition, but that fact was published in your paper a few days ago. He did not tell us that an anti-prohibition demonstr.v, tion was held at tho Capitol on a large scale and voiced Labour's disapproval of prohibition. That information was sent by cable from Washington on Juno 11 of this year. Mr. Dawson himself was in America at that time.

As regards Canada, a message was published in the "Poverty Bay Herald," dated Vancouver, May 8, which staled that at Ontario a referendum ia to lie held in September next to give the people a chanco of voting on the question for the sale of beer by Government agencies for consumption at home, and the prohibition of other liquors. Mr. - John Dawson did not tell us that tho prohibitory laws in. Canada liad instituted an extensivo trade in wines and other stimulants, and that one order received in Australia through tho Canadian Trade Commissioner at Sydney was for 500 to 1000 barrels, in one lot, of Australian wine, the alcoholio strength being from 33 to 42 of proof, spirit. This order is equal to 42,000 gallons of only one class of wine, and is sufficient to show tho spread and intensification of the objections by the better class of people in Canada to prohibitory enactment. Thus Labour, and other decent nle, are protesting against prohibition oth the United States and Canada for the purpose of circumventing it'. This oalls to mind what tho leading, churchman of the United States says concerning prohibition that it makes hypocrites of men and women, The Rov. John Dawson told us that thero was a movement afoot to set asidp the prohibitory law, but ho did not tell us—aud he was in America at' tho timethat the Federal Court has granted a temporary injunction restraining the Government agents from interfering with the brewing and selling of beer of 2j per cent, of alcohol. But Reuter's agent sent that cable out on May 24, and. tho Rov. John Dawson must have known of this faot because ho says -he obtained a mass of statistics nnd facts concerning the situation in U.S.A..

A correspondent of the London "Times/' writing on February 23 froih New York, 6ays: "Threats of strikes throughout the country, if prohibition is drastically enforced, are assuming an increasingly menacing character." A general strike has been rampant in Chicago, and there has 'been much loss of life as the result of the prohibition movement. Strikes have taken place in Winnipeg, where prohibition is supposed to be enforced; and tho militk and 1 several hundreds of mounted police, with machineguns, have been used at Winnipeg to quell tho strikers."

Turning to Great Britain, I find that the "Evening Standard" of February 12, 1919, jreports: "Mr. Lloyd George has admitted that a contributing cause to the prevailing unrest is the fact that thero are restrictions on the people's luxuries wd mmusements." Consequently the working man in Great Britain has been given a larger supply of beer of a greater alcoholic strength. Aud wo know what happened in Russia* as a result of prohibition.

But, returning to America where Mr. Dawson says ho has been, I would like to ask why he did mot mention—as the Now York correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph*' on February 21 last reported —that the Supreme Court of. tho State of Michigan had on the 20th of that month declared "that tho possession of intoxicating liquors was not unlawful." .And the State of 'Michigan is just one of the States which are said io be under comploto prohibition.

As to matters across the St. Lawrence, I find tho London "Times" of February 1-i containing 'this paragraph:—"lt is now believed that Quebec Government will sanction an increase in the percentage of alcohol in beers to 5 per cent., and will establish Government control of the sale of wino and beer." Why didn't tho Kov, John Dawson toll us this fact? Ho 6peaks of 23,000 hard-working men of Seattle drinking 10,000 pints of milk at every lunch hour, and then when their work is done they get into their own motor-cars and drive homo. And so wo aro to suppose that the working men of Seattle have become as calves. How will wo get on in Wellington if boor is stopper to the workers at the wharf and the milk famine on? Mr. Dawson's statement is so utterly ridiculous that no sensible person will take it seriously.

Hero is another thing that the Bov, John Dawson forgot to tell ns. The Rev. D. Jr. Gardier, president of the California Prohibition Federation, desired to go to England to preach prohibition there, but the British Government said ill effect, "We do not want any prohibition agitators in Great Britain." We do not want any of these prohibitionists coming amongst, our working-classes and destroying their peace of mind. And we will not allow any of our workers to be disturbed until industrial conditions have been restored to normal ami (lie country has regained its pro-w-ir basis." So the Rev. D. M. Gardier was prohibited from visiting England and ■ France on his world-wide prohibition stunt. It is about time that tlie New Zealand Government adopted a similar attitude towards the peace-destro.viug agents of the prohibition movement. Here is <i description by a correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph" (London) of how prohibition is working in U.S.A.: "Running the blockade of prohibition'! is n most: popular sport nowadays. The main roads leading out o( Ohio have been thronged with motor-cars and vehicles of every description, and tho gaols of tho town along the Ohio-Michigan border are crowded with peoplo takon off trains, trams, motor-cars, wagons, etc., under:

suspicion of being law-breakers. One woman arrested had a hot-water bag, containing a quart of fine whisky, concealed in her great hat. Another wore a special-ly-made vest from which dangled twelve quarts o£ spirits in twelve hot-water bags. Another huge female wore a false bust, which'was slashed open upon discovery, and then she shrank to half her former size." "Criminials from all parts," says this correspondent, "have been attracted by the handsome profits in the smuggling game; some have motorcurs protected with sheet iron sides." There is widespread wholesale contempt for the prohibitory enactment, which was put forward as a win-the-war movement, and now that the war has been won the Americans are exhibiting llieir contempt for prohibition in tho ways mentioned. The Rev. John Dawson i.as been to America, but he appears to know little about what is going on in that country. Prohibition is tho breeder of discontent, and discontent is the forerunner of re'vo. lution. Labouir'g attitude in the .United States is expressed in tho working man's motto, "No beer, no work," and another correspondent says that Congress will let up the prohibition on beer and wiue, and only prohibit whisky and gin. A Toronto newspaper says of the propaganda working of prohibitionists and their organ called "The Search'Liglit" (April 3, 1918), "Wo hold that papers which produce that sort of stuff aro guilty of Spreading 'pro-German propaganda to prevent enlistment and to hinder conscription, and they ought to bo severely punished by tho Government." General Pershing . recommended his 6oldiors to drink beer and light wine, and the London "Times" published this statement: "It may be stated that the United States of America are far from being teetotal. The output of 1217 breweries in America was 60,817,879 barrels in 1917, an increase of 2,183,755 over 1915-0, or nearly fivo times the authorised output; nf British breweries for the coming .'financial year." But tho Rev. John Dawson says tbis five time* greater output than is authorised for British breweries is a "tremendous weakening of tho old enemv."

With your permission, in another letter I will further demonstrate how in America the prodiciton of Cardinal Gibbons— that prohibition makes hypocrites of men and women—is being fulfilled wherever prohibition is being tried in the United States.—l am. etc., B. KENNEDY. [We have given Mr. Kennedy, who is secretary of the Hotel Workers' Union, an opportunity of replying to the views of the Rev. J. Dawson oil his American experiences, but we are hot prepared at this stage to open our columns to a general discussion of the merits of prohibition, sucli as Mr. Kennedy suggests in his closing pargraph.J