Evening star., 1920-01-17
Mr.. BRYAN SOUNDS
KNELL Of LIQUOR
At MIDNIGHT HOUR
Great Crowd Assembled at
Church Watches Passing
of Barleycorn.

dead.
On the stroke of 12 last night,
ushering in constitutional prohibition.
William Jennings Bryan officially
sounded the knell of John BarIeycorn
and the liquor interests" with this
scriptural quotation at the union
watch meeting of the National Tenn
perance Council in the First Con-
gregational Church.
John Barleycorn is dying tonight" ;"
he said. earlier in the evening. When
you remember that King Alcohol has
slain more children than Herod ever
did, We should be thankful 70 be
gathered around the corpse of the
greatest tyrant the world has ever
known
Throughout yesterday prohibition
organizations prepared for the usher
ing in of the new era. Addresses
and speeches from prominent dry
leaders from all sections of the Coun-
try rang with triumph. y spirit of
victory lowered over all the ga ther-
ings. Audiences were appreciative
and easily aroused.
Climax of Celebrations.
At the climax of the celebrations
last night the First Congregational
list Church was packed to the doors
early in the evening. and the crowd
at midnight was as large as the ini-
tial audience.
. Senator's representatives, a ca binet
member. internal revenue collectors
and dry" organization leaders tolled
the oratorical bell marking the pass
ing of John B.
Col. Bryan was the Keynote speaker
at both the victory funeral banquet
at the Metropolitan Presbyterian
Church and at the watch meeting. His
address in each instance was held un
til last. and was led up to with
speeches from dry senator's and rep
reSentativeS.
At the funeral-banquet former Sem
ator Henry w. Blair. eighty-five years
old. was the guest of honor. Forty
four years ago he introduced the first
temperance legislation in the Senate.
vorabie report to Congress on nation
al prohibition. He was hailed IS the
father OF prohibition.
Miss Anna a. Gordon, president Of
the W. c. T. L, greeted the ex-sen
ator She declared that he was the
"one who first of all in the United
States Corgness set rolling the ball of
prohibition which will roll around the
world"
You sounded keynote caught by
chorus of humanity" she said.
.Field Is the World
You are the servants. the active
agents of God on earth," he told the
prohibitionists in reply. I want to
speak this one thing as life shortens
and the form of the invisible ap-
proaches. You've been through a skir-
mish. You've yet to go over the top.
The field is the world. The democrats
are as patriotic a body of men as the
republicans and the whole country is
'Yanks.'
The world is before you I shall
never speak to any Of you again.
c q
again. But in my sick room the
broken voice of an aged man gives
voice to the songs of my childhood,
for prohibition has come for this
country. And now l stop. God bless
you"
Senators McCumber and Sterling
Wayne B. Wheeler Of the Anti-Saloon
League and by MIR. Bryan.
Before the commoner'S address
Chairman Wilbur f. Crafts announced
that as the result of a straw vote in
the international reform bureau Will
liam Jennings Bryan's name was in
cluded with two others in a lajority
for which votes would be cast, if he
went 10 the polls for the presidency.
This Ii So SUDDEN
Mr.. Bryan replied with the Quota
ton OF that old phrase: This is so
.,-E
whenever I get ready TO take part
IN politics in personal way I will
not ramble around by the back yard"
he said. when I've been d candidate
I've told them about it in advance.
and when / go into this campaign, if
L do, I'll tell them about it in ad-
vance.
And I'm not going to be put into
the candidacy by a straw vote. al
though you make me very happy by
n &c l ,-fy tfNya
me, and this evidence of your friend
ship.
My favorite song has not been
yet. 1t is: This is the
day l long have sought and mourned
because l found it not"
list Church that $500, 5000 had
been spent annually in this country
for whisky and liquors. Quoting
sta tist tics, he declared that this was
three times as much as spent for
and five times as much as
he said. today churches S
were receiving more generous col
lections and the colleges We're over
flowing. factories were running on
more efficient basis and industry was
on a competent plane.
He declared that economically, Eu-
rope would be forced to recognize
prohibition. since nations across the
water would be unable to compete
with sober" America.
In the watch meeting celebration
Col. Bryan proclaimed himself as one
of the happiest men in the world.
His address was an amplification of
his address earlier in the evening.
Plan of Enforcement.
Daniel C. Roper. internal revenue
collector. outlined the plan of the
bureau for enforcing prohibition. He
that the basis of his plan
was cooperation on the part Of the
people of the United States"
He read letters from three clergy
men to illustrate that whole e-hearted
co o-operation in the. enforcement was
not looked for. The letters declared
that the writer's would not support
prohibition and would work for its
repeal.
TO Offset these letters. John c.
Kramer. who will be in charge of de-
tailed enforcement at the head OF
800 men of the bureau. read an edi-
torial from The Evening star on pro
hibition. declaring that such srea,
would more than onset
the dissatisfaction caused Dy ois-
cOntented minority.
Addresses were delivered by Sena-
tor Sterling, Representative Vol
stead, former 4Representat1Xe Weob'
Miss Anna A. Gordon. Virgil G Hin
shaw, chairman Of the national pro
i,ih;,;on party; DR.. Howard Russell,
fnnnder of the Anti-Saloon League:
Renresentative Barkley and Repre-
sentative Fess
,,ree,ed with applause as he entered
In short address he spoke of the
tine when he put the Navy ON
water"
Many persons. both in the navy
and claimed that I would ruin IT by
such practice" he said. Il have ruin