The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-10-24
A TEST OF
 PROHIBITION
Proposed by President of National Model License
 League

Louisville, Ky, Oct. 23-After de- claring that law to punish those who buy, keep and use liquor in 'dry' territory would make prohibition un- popular and ridiculous, Wayne B. Wheeler, Ohio Superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League, has written a second letter to T. M. Gilmore, Pres ident of the National Model License League, in which he says:
 eff you are sincere in giving the prohibition of the beverage liquor traffic a real test, We will gladly join you in making it unlawful to purchase liquor for beverage purposes, as well as to sell it in dry territory, providing, the person who purchases the liquor will be exempt from any penalty if he will tell from whom he purchased the liquor
 In declining to recognize the offer of MT. Wheeler as an acceptance of the challenge to a test of real prohibi- tion, MT. Gilmore has replied, in part, as follows:
 ITO this, of course, I would not agree because your exemption would nullify the law. If the man who pur- chased liquor from a mail-order house in another state would tell from whom from any penalty because it would be located in another State Or even in Canada.
 .Furthermore, if I were going to punish either the buyer Or seller of liquor in dry territory, I would punish the buyer before I would the seller because the seller is only the servant of the buyer, and the buyer is entirely responsible for the seller.
 You speak of making an exception in favor of liquor for scientific and pharmaceutical purposes, and would be perfectly willing to make an ex- ception of alcohol for scientific pur- poses, but I would insist that it be denatured so that no one could drink it. I would not be willing, however, to make an exception in the favor of medicinal purposes, because the large majority of people who think claim that they do so for their health, and prohibitory law.
 ''I would be willing to join with you in trying to enforce the present liquor laws in Ohio as you suggest, because the liquor laws in Ohio are, in my opinion, very absurd, and if I am not to your Constitution, which was in tended to forbid the sale of liquor in your State.
 ''If Ohio will adopt a model license law the retail liquor dealers will en- force the law, because it will be pro- ulIdDlS to CHeIu LO OO SO, dAo 0hPA fitable to violate the law.
 What am willing to do as presi- dent of the National Model License League is to ask the Legislatures to do away with the present character of prohibition because it is nothing more than a farce. and is not expected to prohibit anybody from getting liquor, and in place of these laws to submit real probiitory legislation, and let the people decide whether they want real prohibition or not. I mean by this law that will prohibit not only the sale of liquor, and the manu- facture, if you please, but also the purchase of liquor and the possession of liquor in dry territory for any purpose other than scientific purposes, and I would insist, as I said above, that the alcohol used for scientific purposes should be denatred.
 ''If the people will vote for such legislation, and nothing short of it will give us prohibition, then the liquor traffic is doomed, but if they refuse to vote for it the prohibition is doomed.
 .sNow, MT. Wheeler, may I ask that you answer to the point, and say whether you favor real prohibition or insist upon continuing a movement that has been tried out fully and has proven to be a complete failure?'