The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1908-07-19
TAFT AND BRYAN
{ FRIENDS OF LIQUOR
~ Prohibition League
Roosevelt and Mitchell Also
x 81 Under Ban of Temper
ance Party.
:"DRYS" CRITICISE
i PUBLIC UTTERANCES
Declare That Opponents of Drink
a, ing Have Little to Hope From
Either Candidate.

fSnlp or prOniDlllOn 10 pOllllcS ana ldDoA'
-as illustrated by the recent utterances
hOf men who are most prominent today
jim the public eye
The league publishes a communication
le6rom William Jennings Bryan to the
eeffect that the liquor question is not
Irrational issue, but that the only time
THAT Mr.. Bryan ever had occasion to
ESvOte on the question of Statewide pro-
E1fbition he voted against IT and ex-
OPPRESSED himself as follows:
81 believe in the right of each COM
Immunity to attend to its own business. 1
Rbelieve that the people of the commun-
tdty know better what they want done
Ethan any outside PERSONS can know"
This statement also quotes the recent
s-utterance OF Henry WattersOn, editor OF
tthe Courier-JournaI, who has laid down
f1he rule: mo Democrat can be pro-
khibitionist.'
Taft's View on Prohibition.
Attention is called 10 the fact that
The prohibitonist cannot find solace in
fhe utterance OF the Republican nominee
.fOr the Presidency of the United States.
bWilIiam Howard Taft. who, in lecture
nelivered at Yale on Pour Aspects of
1Civic Duty" said:
Nothing is more foolish, nothing more
lrhan TO enact a law which. by reason OF
hconditions surrounding the community
sIn which it is declared to be law, is in
Pcapable of enforcement Such an in
f-stance is sometimes presented by sump-
pfuary laws by which the sale of intoxi-
scatpg liquors is prohibited under pen
iRltfes in localities where the public SEN
e5nent Of the immediate community
eooes not and will not sustain the en-
tforcement of the law. In cases
twhere the sale Of liquor cannot be pro
Inhibited in fact, II is far better to regu-
late and diminish the evil than to at
tempt TO stamp it out"
sz What Mitchell Says.
In regard to the position Of labor rs
10 sGmptuary law, the league quotes
ISron a letter received by President Gil
more from John Mitchell, ex-presIdent
sUf the United Mine Workers of America
and second vice president OF the Ameri-
Acan Federation Of Labor, in which Mr..
Mitchell says that he regards model
license as much superior TO the present
system, and that it would remove many
existing evils. Backing this up is the
following quotation from an official
statement Of the American Federation
OF Labor:
and the destruction Of the brewing and
cistiIling interests will result in the
FARMER and the allied trades in all the
lines of manufacture being made TO suf-
fer great losses by destroying the mar
ket for their products"
View of Democrats
The prohibitionists' views as to the
Democratic party. as given in the Amer
,g4F
quoted as follows:
This Cthe Democratic) party does not
employ deep thought in it's attitude on
the liquor question. It has few sound
ing phrases on 'sumptuary law and on
sfhe liberties of the citizen which il
Ffrs on every occasion. They will not
bear analysis in this connection. but an
alysis and discriminating thought are
Noften found lacking in the Democratic
snethods Of sustaining the liquor traf-
PIC. They do not stop 10 question whether
the liquor mems arguments and figures
are sound and true, but they swallow
1hem whole, and act accordingly"
b. Republican Attitude.
2 AS TO the Republican party's attitude
coward prohibition, the Year Book is
quoted as follows:
a 'sThe Republican leaders have en-
GeavOred TO postpone and finally TO de-
Neat prohibition Oftener than they have
consented to it. The party cannot by
seny means be said to have been a mill
tant force in behalf of the prohibition
5pf the liquor traffic and the protection
kOf the homes OF the people from the
SErink curse"
The quotation Of the Year Book s.
Rnttack on President Roosevelt is as fol-
Flows:
= HE Dfr. ROosevelt) reads the press
ehnd often flames out in answer to
newspapers or persons who do not
spIease him. But he does not know that
sfhe liquor traffic exists. He once did
know. What has caused him to quit I?
sIIis best friends are al a loss for ar
answer. Surely his memory is in good
lqworking order. What has caused his
change? What he said In 1895 has beer
quoted on another page. What he doe.
not say in 1913 is the wonder OF tn,
century"
Short List of Opponents.
In another section quoted from tn
Year Book the prohibitonists says:
s'Quotations are at hand taking al
attitude unfavorable to the spread o
1rohfbition from President Harrison
LANES G. Blaine, John Sherman. New
SeYork Tribune. Chicago Tribune, Gin
scfnnati COmmercial-GaZette, St Pau
kPionear Press, Brooklyn Times. Indian
Eapolis Journal, and the New York Mai
and Express. which may be deemed ell
titled to represent the Republican
partys real attitude on any question
especially when they all agree.
In conclusion, the league argues tina
kze prohibitionist is turned away fror
abe Democratic party; from the Repub
Ncan party; that he cannot get the Ia
boring mans sympathy; and In defaul
of these, he must once more make him
self ridiculous by throwing away hi
lvote for a foolish candidate and FL