New-York tribune., 1919-05-25

stop the action Of this organized
minority.
"The result of the whole prohibition
legislative programme to date has been
the throwing out of employment Of q
vast number of men and women, the
taking of property without compensa-
tion and creating a huctuating value in
distilled liquors. To-day fortunes hang
in the balance by reason of possible
profits to be had upon vast stores of
distilled liquors held in the possession
of individuals and corporations.
"ln my opinion, prohibition is purely
a moral issue, and not within the
sphere of legislation upon any grounds
other than for revenue, the regulation
Of the police power Of the state, and in
wartimes for the conservation of food
at being a moral issue, sincere ad-
vocates of prohibition should confne
themselves to an appeal to the con-
science and the morals of the indi-
vidual, and they will find sooner or
later that to pursue any other method
will prove a boomerang and their
cause will be injured thereby rather
than helped.
to our country and its laws, we will
support all prohibition legislation, but
at the same time exercise our equally
fundamental right as American citi-
zens to work for the repeal thereof.
There is only one remedy, and that
is for the people to arise in their
might and let their voice be heard.
Let them enter each campaign when
members Of the legislative body of
Congress and of their several states
are elected, force the candidates TO
declare themselves unequivocally, and
elect only those men who will recog-
nize the fundamental principle of the
right of personal liberty in this coun-
try"
In pungent phrases c. A. Windlc,
editor of the "Iconoclast," pointed out
the difference between temperance and
prohibition.
II condemn, renounce and denounce
prohibition but | am here to defend
temperance" he said.
Temperance has to do with your
control of yourself. 1t is right. 1t
can be defended
Prohibition has to do with your
control by others. 1t is wrong. 1t has
no defence.
Temperance is self-im posed and
self-enforced. Prohibition is imposed
by others against your will and en-
forced with a policemaA's club.
You can no more promote true
temperance by force, than you can
make love with brickbat.
Temperance is Christian virtue.
Prohibition is political policy con-
ceived in hysteria and born of bigotry
"1t is absurd to credit the thing
abused with The fault of the abuser.
When man gets drunk it is not the
fault of the brewer, the distiller, the
saloonkeeper nor the liquor. 1t is
the mans fault.
when a man goes down to the
river, jumps in and browns himself,
nobody blames the river. NOBODY
wants to call an election to vote the
river dry
Among the organizations represented
at the meeting were the unions of sta
tlonary engineers, stationary tiremen.
teamsters, cigar makers and packers.
brewery workers, longshoremen, boiler
makers and iron ship builders; the
Women's Trade Union League, the
United Hebrew Trades, the Federation
of Musicians, the United Garment
Makers and the Building Trades Union.
There were delegations also from
the Lambs. the Franco-American
League for the Protection of American
Liberty, the Order of the Sons of
Italy, the Personal Liberty League, the
Self-De Determination League, and from
Philadelphia, Baltimore, Montclair, the
Oranges, Jersey City, Newark, Yonkers,
Troy, jamestown and Norwalk.