The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-12
ANDERSON INVITES
HASKELL TO DEBATE
Anti-Saloon Lacquer Sends
Challenge to Candidate for
Kings Judgeship.
CALLS PLATFORM SHAM
Prohibitionist Makes Bitter
Attack on Opponent Of
Bone Dry Laws.

William II. Anderson, superintendent
of the Anti-saloon League, opened his
campaign yesterday against Representa-
tive Reuben L. Haskell, the Republican
candidate for one of the County Judge
ships in Brooklyn. Mr.. Haskell won in
the primaries on n platform opposed to
the Federal prohibition amendment.
Mr.. Anderson sent by registered mail
and In duplicate, both to Washington
and Brooklyn, the following challenge to
Mr.. Haskell:
I'm order to show the public that you
are buffer and will run away from
real fight, / hereby challenge you to a
public debate. to be held in the Opera
House or the Brooklyn Academy OF
Music, or such other auditorium as may
then be available, on any date you may
name other than Sunday between
Thursday the 9th, and Saturday, Octo-
Der IS, inclusive.
',At such meeting / will undertake to
prove to the satisfaction of your consti-
tuents;
"11That you have violated the spirit
of your oath as Congressman and are
not fit to be elected to the office OF
Judge.
"2-That your campaign is either an
assault upon the law or an attempted
u
an assault upon the law.
"3-That unless you are working a
political fiimfiam upon the wet interests
in an effort to secure wet Tammany
support, then you have already deter
minded and given implied public assur-
ance that you will, IL elected. violate
the spirit of your judicial oath in behalf
OF liquor and those who sell 1t in viola
ton of law.
"4-That your attempted fraudulent
use of prohibition as an issue has created
real issue of deuendy and law and
order as against the treason and anarchy
| which your campaign exemplifies and
encourages.
"5-That in this matter you have falsi-
! fed and played the demagogue and
| blatherskite; and any other matters per
tinent to the question of your fitness
| tor a Judgeship.
"6-That the Prohibition Amendment
was adopted In the manner provided by
the Constitution, that no class of citizen
ship was deprived of any material right
| in the premises, and that the German
brewery interests in whose behalf you
are now invoking a bogus referendum
which would have no binding effect,
blocked for twenty years ir the State OF
| New York the passage of every honest,
| effective. binding referendum measure
which would have allowed the people OF
Brooklyn q chance to vote upon the
liquor question and have their decision
carried into effect.
"7-That since a County Judge has
nothing to do with either the enactment
or repeal of prohibition or any other
! law but is sworn to administer the law
as he finds it, therefore prohibition is
not an issue in your campaign save as
| you have injected IL fictitiously and In
bad gath; and that the wise. patriotic
thing for all decent and lawabiding
citizens of Brooklyn to do irrespective
of party or OF their views upon prohibi-
ton. is to vindicate law and order and
help to secure non-partisanship as well
as honesty in the judiciary by repudiat-
ing you and vot ng for the two candi-
dates, one Republican and one a Demo.
crat, who. whatever their personal Views
are already filling the position of County
Judge with marked ability and with
fidelity to the solemn obligations OF Their
oath of office"
In the terms of the debate laid dowi
by Mr.. Anderson he undertakes to rem
the hall and give half of the ticket!
to Mr.. Haskell OF Haskell agrees Il
Ipay half the rent) and to accept foi
chairman any Brooklyn lawyer Mr. Has
kell may name. ,
Ahoio WIN VIC iio POI "! hSo"N
terms" Mr.. Anderson declared, "th'
challenged could take them or leave
them but If his acceptance is not in tn
hands of the challenger within two weeks
4. will be considered as a default.
THE confession involved in your re
fusal will be worth as much to us a
what we can prove II you appear" Mr.
Anderson declared. 81 consent in ad
vance that you are at liberty to sa.
anything you desire, whether pertinen
or not SO long as it is true. though
waive no legal rights respecting any TN
true statement you may make"