The fiscal year ending June 30, showed that prohibition was highly successful--in a certain sense--during the past twelve months. There were 6,833,000 gallons of liquor confiscated throughout the United States, of which 545,024 were found in the area of the Seventh Federal District, in which Chicago is included. Courts dealt with 7,000 prohibition law-breakers. Fines were imposed in 36,650 cases, which showed a harvest of $5,511,000. In addition, 29,470 were convicted, and thus summarily, 18,383 years were spent behind prison bars. Furthermore, 21,375 stills, some 27,000 beer-producing apparatus, and 8,260 automobiles were also confiscated.

This is a financial report of which the prohibition authorities may be proud indeed. Viewing the activity of the prohibition authorities from 2another angle, namely, that through it a curb is put upon the prohibited source of income, then of course we say, may they be crowned by success in the future. But there are two sides to prohibition as to everything else, the success of that other side is much less promising indeed.

The illegitimate still and brewery industry employs undoubtedly thousands of men, who work there not by choice but as breadwinners of a family, compelled to accept work though it may be in an illegal industry. They risk unlawful employment, only to keep the wolf away from their doors.....The real transgressors who finance this illegitimate industry--enriching themselves by doing so--are still fancy-free and probably will remain so for some time. There lies the inconsistency of prohibition.

A shortage of liquor has never been noticed by anyone who is in the habit of frequenting taverns. The manufacture of illegal alcoholic beverages is so immense that the confiscation of several million gallons is meaningless to bootleggers. They are cunning enough to foresee these eventualities and protect themselves against losses by a so-called risk account. Why then, waste so much money and energy on the prohibition machine, when in the end, success is not theirs. Indeed, prohibition can scarcely exceed anything on stupidity. Furthermore, taking into consideration that the "noble experiment" has been undermining the public morale, one must marvel at the patience of the American nation that has tolerated this preposterous condition for the past ten years. However, to expect indefinite patience on the part of our nation, would be a grave mistake.