The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-10-01
HARDING DECLARES
AGAINST LAX DRY
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Candidate Proposes depart
ment of Public Welfare" in
National Government, Ad-
dressing Delegations.

MARION, o.. Oct. LAX enforce
ment of prohibition was condemned
without qualification" today by SEN
ator Harding in a front porch speech
outlining a policy of organized fed
.eral effort for the promotion of social
Justice and welfare.
Addressing gatheringsof women,
the Republican nominee proposed es-
Establishment of department. of
public welfare" in the national gov
eminent and added that in his opin-
ion law enforcement was one of the
important requisites Of social prog
ress.
The enforcement of the law is an
executive responsibility" he con-
tinued. land must be undertaken by
the executive without regard for his
personal approve. or disapproval Of
the law which it has been the peo-
sr!es will to enact We must have
throughout the land a respect for
law abiding principles. We must all
condemn without qualification the
failure of enforcement of prohibition,
just as we must all condemn the fall
ure of established authority to pre-
vent outrages of violence, such as
lynching."
The senator asserted that he re-
garded enforcement of law as "a fun
damental principle of the American
conscience" but he did not discuss
the prohibition law at length. In
another part of his speech, the sena-
tor warned against assumption OF
too much authority by the federal
government in welfare efforts or III
other activities. declaring there was
grave. danger at hand when CEN
tralized expression begins to take
from local communities all the bur-
dens of social conscience"
Stretching his conception of the
federal department, he said, 1t might
well be formed in part by combining
the various governmental bureaus
now dealing with the different as
poets of social welfare. He suggest
ed that women should have an I'M
portant part in the work of the de-
partment and mentioned maternity
care, child welfare, public health
humane labor regulations and stabil-
ity of employment as questions IN
: volved in social betterment.
1.-The protection of the motherhood
of America can not be accomplished
he said, until the state and the ma
ton have enacted and, by their eX-
AMPLE, have enforced customs. which
protect womanhood itself. l know
full we'll that there are women VINO
insist that women shall be treated
upon the same basis that men are
treated. They would have right
to take this position in their owr
behalf, but / insist that all true
Americans must insist that no WON
an speaks for herself alone. She Is
the possessor of our future, anC
though she becomes engaged in the
tasks and services of civilization, We
must preserve to her the right o.
wholesome maternity.
Twelve million women in the u
s 40 per cent of them between /!
and 20 years of age, are engaged II
paid occupations, or professions
Such an army of potential maternity
demands from America careful ant
adequate protection in the conditions
which surround their labors. justice
and American standards demand ina
women who are employed should p'
paid living wage. -. t-
lone OF the important organlza
lions under department OF puoli'
welfare might well be the children
bureau which now exists, but Whos'
work already proved so useful, mus
be extended. ,,.,
"Next to maternity and childhood
believe that our attention must o.
centered upon our national hedltH
We must attack, first low stah
dard of health among chlldreh' sec
ondly, the invasion Of disease Whlci
attend low standard OF morals
and thirdly, the invasion Of epldem
les and the neglect OF the chrohl
diseases of maturity