New-York tribune., 1921-04-25
Bryan Is Angry
AT Liquor Leak
Near His Door
Wants Something Done to
Stop Smuggling From
Island Only Forty Miles
From His Miami Home
Says mo- to Hope Of Beer
Predicts More Legislation
at Irving. High Meeting;
Severe With a Heckler

The liquor smugglers Of Bimini came
in for TRADE yesterday from William
Jennings Bryan, who rescnts their
rum-running operations from base
only forty miles off his front porch at
Miami, Fla. Mr.. Bryan himself came
in for some heckling from persons in
the audience, which filled the audito-
rum of the Washington Irving High
School, Sixteenth Street and Irving
Place.
This tiny Bahama island, the Demo
cratic reformer charged, was a nesting
place of conspirators banded together
to defeat the prohibition laws of the
United States. The East Coast from
Savannah to Key West, he said, was be-
ing saturated with whisky from the
distilleries Of the British Isles.
Great Britain is making millions q
year out of this conspiracy" declared
Mr.. Bryan and then proceeded to pic
ture Bimini as a diplomatic Yap of the
future by asking: EFF pirates planted
Themselves on this island to prey upon
our commerce do you think we would
stand for it? Then why should we
submit to smugglers nesting there tc
make a mockery Of American laws?
"Td like to see Congress pass law
that man who thus conspires abroad
against this nation shall never come
back. There are plenty of Americans
on Bimini and in Cuba who would be
eXiled by such law"
Finds New York Drier
Mr.. Bryan has found New York
law-abiding contrast to the Southern
oasis in which he spends his winters,
and as q token Of his regard he urged
his audience to stand behind Mayor
Hylan and Police Commissioner En-
right.
81 saw something yesterday that
alone was worth my trip from Miami"
he said. 81 talked with Commissioner
Enright, and if l know anything about
men he was telling the truth when he
said he intends to enforce prohibition.
Re proud, you people, to have police
force that wants to enforce the law
Mayor Hylan and Commissioner En-
right are standing for the law.
Il want to appeal to every preacher,
every priest, every rabbi in the city of
New York to get back of your Mayor
and your Commissioner"
If there remained any faint hope
for beer and light wines among the
vets in the Bryan audience it was
blighted when he said: "I suppose
some Of you people thought that the
end of prohibition had come with the
Palmer ruling. Well, if you did, you
don't know much about the subject. Do
Of fifty years defeated by a single
word? Changing drink to dose isn't
going to kill prohibition. If Palmer
was wrong then the present Attorney
General will reverse his ruling. If
Palmer was right then we will pass an
other Volstead law to stop up the
leak"
Heckler Is Squelched
When Mr.. Bryan had talked for an
hour and half the audience was in
vited to ask him questions. One man
who sought TO ask a question be-
fore he was invited was told tc hire a
hall. Then in the rear of the audi
torium a bulky form reared to ask:
"You favored a referendum on war;
then why are you against referen-
dunn on prohibition ?"
There was a roar of mingled ap-
proval and disapproval from the audi
ence. The questioner was variousl,
told that he was "right"; to "hire 2
hail." and to "beat it," What he di
was to shrek:
"You don't want q referendum am
that's why believe you are hypc
critic"
Mr. Bryan's chin was his most n
edge of the platform and with ~
raised palm said:
"My friends, don't want any
you to think / am responsible for til
exhibit that proves my case again
drink"
Above the applause that greeted tn
retort came the heckler's reply:
II don't drink any more than yo
do"
One of the heckler's supporters ycllc
to Bryan:
What do you think Of that, hey?"
Police Captain Post and three Of h
men stepped on rubber heels to pos
tion just in the rear of the hecklc
A frock-coated usher engaged in hea
ed argument with the questioner, wn
demanded to know:
"Ain't this public meeting?"
"Yes," said the usher with the man
ner of one about to stick out his tongue
"and you are interrupting this publ,
meeting
Bryan's upraised palm began to have
a quieting effect on the gathering. WheT
there was something approaching order
in the auditorium he said:
~ did believe we ought to have q
referendum on war. ] do believe the
day is not far distant when men will
vote on war before they are called TO
shed their Blood on the battlefield. This
nation did vote for prohibition"
AT the conclusion of the forum the
chairman suggested that as Mr.. Bryan
had appeared without compensation he
desc arved rising vote Of thanks. The
heckler and two of his friends had
started to leave, but returned to their
PAGES and very pointedly sat down.
| Then they put on their hats by way of