The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-04-08
Taft and Interstate
Liquor Legislation
tBy DIR. Purley A. Baker, General Superin-
tcndent of the Anti-Saloon League of
Amcrica)

Amerlca.)
President Taft by vetoing the Webb-Kenyon
bill closed unpopular administration with
most unpopular act and that the Christian
people of the country had a right to expect ne
would perform differently. We were not of the
original Taft men His environment in Cincin-
natl; his threat secretary Of war to recon-
mend the restoration of the beer-selling canteeni
his speech in Topeka, Kansas. some years be-
fore i'm which he attacked the prohibitory law
of that state, led us to feel that he was In
sympathy with the liquor traffic and no man in
sympathy with the criminal liquor traffic is fit
10 be president of the United states,
Some four or five weeks before the election,
when ne first a candidate for the presidency
! was requested by mutual friends of Judge
Taft and myself to go to Cincinnati and have a
talk with him about this matter. / did So
He impressed me as a man who was open
minded and ar-minded, but with little knowl-
edge to the actual operations of the liquor
traffic and comparatively none concerning the
great temperance movements OF the country.
In his conversation he condemned the attltuoe
of Speaker Cannon for packing the judiciary
committee in a way to prevent the report OF
bills he did not want brought forward, and
especially the Interstate liquor shipment bill
He confessed the necessity of such legislation
and expressed his belief in the constitutional
right of congress TO remedy the condition we
were seeking TO correct In short the inter
view satisfactory and we no longer feit
/ justified in making any statements of OPPOSE
! ton toward his candidacy on that ground. lie
even went far as to say that If senators and
congressman consulted him about our interstate
I liquor shipment measure he would encourage
rather than discourage the passage of such a
measure. | him again by appointment
about week after election. at which time
he invited to call and see him when he be-
came president and talk over with him any
proposed legislation were contemplating
pressing before congress. After he had been
president about one year, we had an interstate
liquor shipment bill prepared by very careful
attorneys and took the same to the president
with the request that he would put this in the
hands of his attorney general and get his opn-
ion as to it's constitutionaity He did After
some ten days the president returned the bill
with the statement that the attorney general
I Il nj y4-Dr 70 aiEn or
had given him a verbal opinion that the measure
was not constitutional He then said in the
following language: q quote from memory
You go ahead and have measure prepared
and presented that will in the Judgment of your
people remedy the difficulties you are. trying TO
reach and you will have no trouble at TINS END
Of the line" (Meaning with hmsef.)
He was not asked to make this pledge; he did
it voluntarily, and, as l regarded at the time,
with perfect sincerity.
Then the Webb Kenyon bill was prepared.
The opinions of a large number of well-knewn
attorneys were sought and obtained the
question of the constitutionaliy of this measure.
] think there were none whose opinions were
sought before the measure presented either
in or out of congress that were not clear as to
sented and fully discussed before the commit
tees of both branches of congress. Those who
[ opposed it the ground of it's not being
stitutional made poor showing at these hear
ings, Though the best attorneys that liquor
money could purchase were brought to Wash
ington TO argue against II, 1t passed both
branches of congress by overwhelming MAORI
ties and went to the president for executive
ne vetoed II.
Why Did He Veto 1t?
We do not like to attribute improper motives
to anyone, much less to the president of the
United States, but there are some facts that
cannot be ignored. About a year after Mr.
Taft's election, in conversation with one Of the
prominent Democrats of the country in which
we urged him to greater activity in the interest
of our Interstate liquor shipment legislation, he
replied.
II am in favor of that legislation and shall
do what I can to advance it, but you cannot have
that measure enacted into law while Taft is
with some surprise I asked why he made
that statement. Whereupon he said, Il quote
from memory:
"A deal was entered into at the Chicago con-
vention at which Mr., Taft was nominated that
kee brewers which doubtless included others
no Interstate liquor shipment legislation should
be passed while he was president" ,,-
Though this man is q man or high standlhg
and is not given reckless statements, we
. nevertheless felt that his information was col
ored by partisan prejudice and were not ready
Later, when the Bull Moose movement came
into existence and after the split in the Repub-
lean party, prominent Republican politicians
who were active in the Chicago convention con-
frmed the statements made by this Democrat
some of them going so far as to say that the
consideration carried with 1t a partial reimburse
ment of the presidents brother, who had fur-
/, nished large sums of money to secure his norni-
nation We have way of personally knowing
the truth of these statements but the sources
from which they come justify us, in the hght
of the conduct of the president in Vetolng the
measure after the Overwhelming opinion of lead
attorneys
ing these facts known to our friends.
The very fact that upon the passage of the
measure the liquor interests of the country be-
seged the president with appeals and briefs re-
: questing the veto of the measure on consutu-
tonal grounds ought TO have been the clearest
evidence to him that they believed it to be con
stitutional, else why should they want 1t vetoed,
We have told many people who have asked
us about the presidents attitude that there was
, not "A doubt but that he would sign the measure.
We based this upon his own statements. In the
light of these facts the public must judge
yyhe tbpr he because
really felt ii was unconstitutional. or. to carry
out a deal made for him by others at time
when he was a candidate before the people. In
the light of the treatment of his veto by both
, branches of congress and in consideration of his
laundering administration of which this veto
was the elimination, he is probably more to be
pitied than blamed.
The presidents reason for vetoing the bill, as
published in the newspapers namely that where
a doubt to the constitutionalty OF a measure
exists in the mind of the executive member
. of congress- it should therefore not be passed
up to the Supreme court for final adjudication
is the most palpably absurd argument we have
yet known TO be advanced. Such policy, put
in operation, would prevent the enactment of
any progressive legislation any question, new
or old For every step in civilization from the
beginning of constitutions and laws has been
taken in the face of the unconstitutional cry
, of lottery criminals. adulterated food criminals
white slave criminals and whiskey and beer
criminals. who, in this instance. do not want
the criminal liquor shipment business interfered
with. These, frequently unconVicted crimi-