Evening star., 1920-03-22
NEW PARTY UNLESS
LIBERTY IS UPHELD;
MR.. FRANCE WARNS
Maryland Senator Attacks
"Bourbon Autocracy" and
Prohibition Law.

Warning that Republican liberals
fight bourbon autocracy" in an eff
fort to restore individual liberty was
sounded in the Senate today by Sena-
tor France, republican, Maryland.
With repeal of national prohibition
and the, espionage act as ,the chief
planks in it's tentative platform, Sem
ator France declared that liberaAs
need not hesitate "to. raise the battle
cry against all the reactie.sary forces
Of .antocracys and un-American bour-
| bofitlffi.'.
..Ths democratic party, under auto
cratic leadership he said. ''inglori-
ously abandoned the sound doctrine
Of the sovereignty of the states, voted
without Scruple huge powers to the
chief executive. who was. in viola
tion of the Constitution and of every
cherished principle of liberty created
the most powerful despot in the
world
Charging that republicans joined
with the bourbon reactionaries and
connived in the setting up of this
autocracy. Senator France said. both
parties ARE as decadent as the issues
that quickened them into being
Aspirations OF America.
If the republican party shall not
now become the party of liberalism
and of liberty" he declared. then
there must be a new and liberal party
which shall express the aspirations
of the millions of Americans. who now
demand restoration Of their liberty
and of their liberties"
Along with repeal of the prohibition
amendment. Senator France urged
Reconsideration" of the whole sub
ject, with local option and use OF
certain alcoholic beverages
Some of the planks were:
Operation of railroads by repre-
sentatives of capital. labor and the
public, under Interstate Commerce
Commission supervision.
Rejection of the "iniquitous'' treaty
of Versailles and immediate establish
ment of peace with Germany
Reduction of the high cost of liv-
ing, with economy of federal ex-
penditures and reduced taxes.
A navy second to none and a system
of military training, but postpone
ment' of immediate universal training.
frage, a budget system. agricultural
development. federal employment
agencies, abolishment of child labor,
generous compensation" for serv-
ice men permanently disabled, and
development of the merchant marine.
hibition. forced through during the
war while four million American boys
were in service" was unconstitutional
and an infringement upon individual
liberty and states rights.
"If the Supreme Court upholds this
decision" Senator France continued.
then all men, regardless of how
they feel upon the question of ma
tional prohibition, should be willing
to advocate the repeal of the eight
eenth amendment, in order that In
normal times the people and their
legislators should have an opportu-
nifty of determining for themselves,
freed from all coercion. compulsion
and repression, this most important
question.
MANY Of US feel that. while use of
certain alcoholic liquors should be
prohibited by local option statutes, the
recent measures adopted have gone to
far that they may, with justification,
be considered by some as undue IN
fringement upon personal self-deter-
mination.
But whether we believe in total
prohibition or not, those OF us VINO
are republican liberals believe that any
such drastic changes should pc Sc
cured only in accordance with or
derly processes and unhampered DIS
10ya