During the past week three more states, Iowa, Connecticut, and New Hampshire, have declared themselves in favor of the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. Thus the number of states in which the citizens have given notice that they want nothing further to do with Prohibition was increased to fourteen. Several of these states, among them Iowa and Indiana, were still in the ranks of the "drys" only a short time ago. Yet the majority in Iowa comprised a good two thirds of all the votes cast. If we take into consideration the fact that Iowa is an agricultural state, we have every reason to regard the outcome of the outcome of the election as proof that the disgust with the results and accompanying features of the "noble experiment" is so strong even in rural communities that many farmers agree that Prohibition should be abolished.

During the current month West Virginia and California will also vote on the Prohibition issue. It is quite certain that both states will join the heretofore unbroken ranks of the "wets". If that should happen, then exactly one third of all the states will have voiced their opposition to Prohibition, while not one state has thus far espoused the cause of "Saint Volstead". So the prospects of the "drys" are not very promising. However, their opponents must be constantly on the alert, despite previous successes. Not fourteen, not sixteen, but thirty-six states must declare themselves against Prohibition before the mischief can be stopped. Among the states which have not yet voted on the question, there are several that presumably have not yet enjoyed the blessings of Prohibition to the full, and others whose stand is unpredictable.

Jovett Shouse is reported to have said that Prohibition will be abolished this year. Mr. Shouse is an optimist. While all sensible people share his hope, it is by no means a certainty that the knell of Prohibition will be rung on the coming New Year's Eve. It is not even certain that thirty-six states will have voted on the issue by that time. For the time being we are 3certain only that in addition to the fourteen states which have already held elections, only nineteen other states will decide the issue. That would be only thirty-three, and three more would be necessary for a three fourths' majority one or the other of the thirty-three should happen to favor Prohibition, there would still be quite a gap between the pros and cons.

Constant propaganda must be used in order to gain a decisive victory, and if the victory is to be won soon, there must be a more intense effort to rouse the indifferent and negligent states to immediate action.