Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-09
DEFENSE OF LIQUOR TRADE
NATIONAL LEAGUE PRESIDENT
SUBMITS REPORT.
Declares Blame for Isolated Evils Is
Unjustly Placed on the Traffic
as Whole.

At the National Liquor Dealers League
convention this morning recommended
tions made in the presidents report
and that Of Secretary Halle were con-
s1dered in executive session.
The convention also accepted an in
vitation to be the guests of Hugh F.
Harvey and the local committee this
evening at an oyster roast at the
Eagles headquarters.
Presidents Annual Report.
At the afternoon session yesterday Tim
McDonough, president of the National
League. presented his annual report. In
the course of his message President Nc
Donough says:
Much has been said of late about the
dive saloon and it is to be regretted that
the finger of scOrn is not pointed at the
individual but at the trade. and every one
is forced to bear the stigma. Let the drug
glst be detected selling his dope to the
morphine fiend and he alone is pointed out
as the aggressor and the drug trade is not
forced to suffer. Let the banker rob his
overconfident customers. and he alone
must bear the odium, and the banking
system is uninjured. There are more
bankers in the United States penitentiary
at Leavenworth and the other state insti-
tutiOns for stealing than there arc saloon
keepers. In the Chicago Jail the have a
bankers row. but no saloonkeepers' row.
And must SOlemny protest against this
most unjust discrimination against our
business. True there are good and bad in
all lines of business and ours is no excep-
ton. but the officers of the law. bonding
societies and law enforcement organiZa-
tons all bear witness that those who
bring disgrace upon our trade are men
that do not belong to our organizations"
"Other dives are those known as blind
pigs and 'speakeasies' or Kitchen saloons
forced into existence by the closing of the
legalized licensed saloon through the eff
forts Of the anti-saloonists. These illegal
places are called by various names ac-
cording to their location but when caught
violating the law are designated as
Saloons and the odium Of their mis-
conduct is flashed across the continent to
the detriment of every law-abiding retail
liquor dealer in the country.
THE Anti-Saloon Leagues cry of pro-
tect the home has proven a very seduc
tive one. for many have been led by this
will O. the wisp step by step from local
option pure and simple to township and
county local option, then congressional
unit. until like Alabama and Georgia have
been lured into the dismal swamp Of
prohibition
Unity of Action Urged.
President McDonough states that or
ganized labor is opposed to prohibition,
and that business men are awakening to
the delusive methods OF the Anti-Saloon
League, and are organizing clubs, asso-
Citations, personal liberty leagues, ETC.,
for the purpose of stemming the tide of
prohibition. Every temperance candi-
date of prominence was knocked out at
the recent election, including Gov. Folk
of Missouri in the language of Eugene
w. Chain. prohibition candidate for Pres
ident,' he says.
In conclusion President McDonough
urged unity of action and paid high praise
to the liquor mems congressional COM
mittee. under the craftsmanship Of Hugh
F. Harvey Of Washington, D. C.
The national secretary, Robert J. Hall.
presented his annual report. He spoke of
the prosperity CT the league and It's in
crease in membership during the year.
Prohibition defeats were noted in Mary
land. New Jersey, Kentucky, Tennessee,
Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York,
Florida and Louisiana. Mr.. Hall goes
into the political fight for and against
prohibition in detail and declares: THE
people are awakening to the fallacies OF
prohibition fanaticism." Speaker Cannon
is congratulated for his victory in SITE
of the opposition Of certain church-l no
hibitiOn Influences