The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-09
O'NEAL AND WHITE
 HAVE FINAL JOINT
 DEBATE AT OPEL|KA
Volstead Prohibition Law Continues to Be Chief Bone of Contention
 Between Them

Opelika, May -(SpeciaL)-Before a large audience of Lee county voters sen ator Frank $. White and Governor Elm met ONeal brought their joint debate to a close here this afternoon. It was the fourth time within a week that these two senatorial candidates had met in depate' and as on all former occasions the two men exhibited the friendlest persohdi feeling toward each other.
 The main issue between the two sen atorsal aspirants is prohibition, Senator White espousng the dry cause While Governor O'Neal advocated modification of the Volstead enforcement act to per init the manufacture and sale of nght wines and beers.
 senator White, introduced by State Sen ator B. T. Phillips, opened today with a fifty-minute speech. advocating adher- ence to prohibition principles. enforce 1nent of existing prohibition laws, anu strengthening them wherever necessary.
 uen. George P. Harrison introduced Governor O'Neal, who made strong plea for states rights which he con tends was abandoned when the elght- eenth amendment was adopted.
 Senator White stated that MT. Helm is saving that he and Governor O'Neal got up the joint debates to help each other. We have been speaking to big crowds" Senator White said. Tn Annls- ton over 1500, a packed theatre in Bir- mingham, and one of the largest crowds ever assembled in Montgomery last night. We are debating the issues se- riously and earnestly I expect to be elected; l don't think Governor ONeai can say as much for himself.
 He said MT. Heflin had always voted swet'' and canvassed Jefferson county against prohibition in 1907, and that Mr' Rushton was too wet, to hang out 10 dry" He said Brooks Lawrence had neN CT supported him, but in this race he would be compelled to do so, because there was no one else for him to sup port as the others are all wet II stand by the Volstead act unless l have the chance to take the one-haif Of one per cent of alcohol out of it." declared Senator White. Governor, you say you would not bring back the saloon, but how will you get the liquor out through beer gardens and road houses, where tne boys and girls go,' he asked. The ptea for light wines and beer he said IS merely the entering wedge for the de- etruction of the prohibition laws
 Governor O'Neal claimed that 1t ls not a question of liquor or no hquora that the Eighteenth amendment set fled that. He said the question IS ; higher fhan that. as if involves human rights; that the Volstead act has pulll a system of spies and informers oven the whole country Light wines and beer may be sold under the Eighteenth, amendment. but not under the Nol- stead act Governor O'Neal sald, ahl modification of that act is the issue al, over this country All the great lawyers of the country. he said. de- clared the Eighteenth amendment un- | necessary, as the liquor traffic was a matter for state regulation. He at tributed the unrest prevalent in thls country to the enactment of the prohi- bition laws and said qualifications of the Volstead act would be an issue at the San Francisco convention.
 Governor ONeal said Senator White was formerly a local optionist, opposed : national prohibition in 19l6 but in 1920 approves the Eighteenth amend ment because he wants to go to the Senate.
 His own nomination. Governor O'Neal said. would be evidence that the people of Alabama had come back to the principles of their fathers, to the principle of states rights.
 In his reioinder Senator White said . he had been charged with inconsist- i ency, but that such was not true. He said the Eighteenth amendment was introduced by southern democrats, adopted by a democratic Congress and that southern states were the first to ratify it. In addition to his advocacy of enforcement of prohibition laws, Senator White said he favored federal appropriations to the common schools, the states retaining control of them federal aid for highway construction, health department at Washington, cash bonuses for ex-service men and opposed a large standing army and compulsory education