PROIIIBITION AND DEMOCRACY.
[To THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—I have just received a letter from a prominent American about Prohibition. I should like to send you an extract from his letter. You yourself have expressed the opinion that the law-breaking in America, by which Prohibition is evaded, may be only temporary, and that the law will gradually establish itself in the next generation. However that may be, my American correspondent is, as you will see, much depressed by the spectacle; and he takes a gloomy view of the prospects of democracy in general. He says:—
"Since Prohibition came into force here what little respect there was for law has gone completely. Democracy on trial again after 2,000 years is a failure—an established failure. Meantime, masses are useless, except for purposes of exploita- tion. You may mix races, but you cannot produce character. Centuries are required for that. England to-day leads civiliza- tion—ahead, far ahead of every other race. But if she becomes more democratic so much lower shall she fall from her high position."
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