From London, we hear that Sir Ronald Lindsay, successor to Sir Esme Howard at the British legation in Washington, does not share his predecessor's views on prohibition. Sir Esme Howard was not a prohibitionist by conviction.

The boisterous propaganda of the Anti-Saloon League and the Methodist Board of Temperance, Prohibition, and Public Morals intimidated him, and consequently, he abstained from his legal right to serve and enjoy alcoholic beverages at the embassy.

His successor will revert to the old wet system. Why not? The British representative never was morally or legally bound to put his legation in dry dock. Why he resolved to do this is unknown. On this matter one is limited to surmises, and we are perhaps not in error in assuming that Sir 2Esme Howard forsook his diplomatic privileges in deference to popular opinion.

If that is the case, then he is definitely mistaken. Popular opinion in this country never sanctioned Prohibition. But it is understandable that a diplomat can reach such erroneous conclusions, when one notices the aggressive, mendacious, and rancorous agitation so liberally dispensed by our professional Prohibition hirelings. Recently, however, the dry clamor has been considerably modified.

Heretofore, prosperity, stock quotations, the increase in savings accounts, and nearly all beneficial aspects of the country were designated as inevitable results of benevolent Prohibition. But this national opulence is gone now--a loss readily conceded even in official circles. The high prices on the Exchange were not permanent, savings diminished by several hundred million dollars, and unemployment figures rose continuously.

This even tamed the gentlemen of the Anti-Saloon League as well as the Members of the Methodist Board who seek to improve our morals. Perhaps they will look around and seek other elating phenomena which might be ascribed to the God-given blessings of teetotalism.

By the way, it would be interesting to ascertain what President Hoover thinks about this angle of the Prohibition problem. It will be remembered how he ascribed the greatness of our economic system to Prohibition, how, as statistics showed, the noble experiment had already proved its worth. That was one of the planks in his campaign platform.

Now, as he tries to move heaven and earth to avert a national crisis, the question arises: has he changed his mind?