Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-09-24
PRESENTS ATTACKS
| ON DRY LEAGUE
Chairman Dinwiddie Calls
Anti-SaIoon Charges False
and Stops Debate.

HJIlt 00tOVII Sit1t WV 0sSS
and Stops Debate.
persistent suggestions that steam
roller methods have been employed by
the Anti Saloon League to obtain con-
troll of the program of the fifteenth
International Congress Against Alco-
holism, which is meeting in the Pam
American Union building, were vigor-
| ously denied today by f. c. Dinwiddie,
! president of the congress.
As the morning session convened,
| Mr.. Dinwiddie, in a short address, de-
clared that the Anti-Saloon League
| has had nothing to do with the con-
gresS' program, any more than the
forty or more other organizations rep
resented" He said insinuations that
! the congress was dominated by the
| league had been made, some of which,
he averred. crept into the newspapers.
Chairman Stops Discussion.
All further discussion on the charges
and counterchargeS hurled promiS:
cuously yesterday afternoon during a
| debate on the prohibition enforcement
| question was completely choked at
! widdie. Many delegates expressed
desire to continue the discussion, but
| Mr.. Dinwiddie ruled that ''personali-
| ties were out of order" and that here
| after there will be no reflection on the
| personality of one delegate by an
! other.
| Thereafter" Mr. Dinwiddie said,
please avoid personalities and i'm
proper reflection on others. and, l
might add, stick to the subject under
| discussion
The proposition to solve the liquor
| problem by bringing the traffic un-
der government monopoly was dis
cussed by Daniel c. Roper, former
| commissioner of internal revenue. He
said it was tried out in South Caro-
! lima, but that public conscience early
! revolted against it.
Dkpensary fastened "Dry" Jaw.
The system lost many friends Mr..
Roper said. land in 1907 the state dis
pensary was legally abolished. BY
successive legislation and popular
votes others were closed. eliminating
in the adoption of statewide prohibit
Under the dispensary system the
amount of liquor consumed was
greater and there was no improve
ment in moral betterment or law en-
forcement or in the effect of the
liquor traffic on politics. 1t cleared
the way for prohibition by demon
strating the .fallacy of the state
| monopoly method of handling the
| liquor traffic
! Other addresses were made by DR..
R. Hercod Of Lausanne. Switzerland;
Dr. Alexis Bjorkman of Stockholm,
Sweden. and Miss Harriet Crommelin
of Holland.
Charges Provoke Hot Debate.
Yesterday afternoons session was
surcharged with electricity. Per-
sonalities were INDUCED in freely
by the delegates. and charges of
grave character flew thick and fast.
The fireworks started when Bird
S. Coler, New York commissioner of
public sweifare, charged open viola
ton of the prohibition laws and &C
cused William H Anderson, superin-
tendent of the New York branch of
tie Anti-Saloon League. of attempt
ing to incite race and religious
hatred.
| Prohibition Commissioner Kramer,
who was one of the speakers on the
program. personally answered the at
tack on his bureau, and Mr.. Ander-
formal statement, in which he &C
cused Mr.. Coler of injecting Tam
many politics" into an international
meeting.
During the time the wordy battle
was raging the score or more OF
distinguished foreign delegates, rep
resenting nearly every civilized coun-
try in the land. looked on the pro-
iceedings in amaZement. They APP
parently failed to see how an inter
national congress, called by the State
Department to transact business of
world wide character. could be made
the battle-ground for partisan war
| riorS.
Mr.. Coler's Explanation.
Mr.. Coler explained as preface to
his speech that when he reached the
hall where the sessions of the con-
I hot h~l1 ~
by Chairman Dinwiddie that he would
not be permitted to deal with per-
sonalities, but that the remainder Of
the speech should be delivered
Launching his speech. Mr.. Coler level
ed bitter attack on the mass of dry
workers, particularly those asso-
ciated with the Anti-Saloon League
saying they were buck passers" and
had not forced the candidates of
either of the major parties to take a
definite stand. as to retention and
enforcement of the prohibition laws.
AS for federal enforcement of pro-
hibition. the speaker demanded that
something be done right now. There
was no reason for clubbing" he add
ed, because Everybody knows liquor
can be bought at most pla'>; and at
most any time if you've got >,e right
look in your eyes"
eff the prohibition enforcement of
ficials don't take hold of this situa-
ton quickly, Mr.. Coler continued,
"there'lI be a worse scandal when this
administration goes out than there
was in the old whisky ring twenty
five years ago. I'm tired of going
after the poor little devil. I want the
enforcement corps to get somebody
that counts-even among their own
numbers in the very heart of the gov
eminent.
Wfdens Scope OF His Attack.
II could give you many names right
NOW myself, but they Chose named)
would know before left this plat
form that they would be sought-the
leaks are just that close here in the
government
| The prohibition commissioner. if he
WANTED to, could take one or two men
and could round up Senators, COVER
inors. federal officials and scores of
iothers for violation of the liquor laws
New York could be cleaned up in sixtv
days. But the Department of Justice
land Mr.. kramer's bureau and the 9th
Ter government departments have got
to work together. AS it is. everv-
body's, ducked. The Anti-Ssloon
League has ducked Even Coy and
Harding have ducked-except when
,heckled, and that's not a satisfactory
way to get assurances"
Mr.. Kramer Makes Reply.
Replying to Mr.. Coler's charges of
violation of the prohibition laws, Mr.
Kramer said that ito considerahIe
extent they were true but he in
sisted the New York commissionar
ssL.