New-York tribune., 1921-01-01
Policy Said To Be Strict
enforcement of Law as
1t Stands; Believed to
vor Notifications
Liberal Viewpoint
On Beer Suggested
People Should Amend 1t
it They Think Measure
loo Harsh, He Contends
From q stoe CorrcsUoudeut

MARION. Ohio, Dec. 3l.-The nco-
pie of the United states are going 10
learn what prohibition means before
the last day of 1921. President-elect
Harding is determined to enforce the
Volstead act strictly, shifting violators
hip and thigh. If the law does not
express the will of the people Senator
Harding believes it should be changed.
but until it is changed it should be
obeyed as honestly as other and older
laws
Enforcement will be accomplished. if
necessary, by the use of the United
States Army. The present situation Is
considered intolerable. Chronic viola
tlon of law, in the mind Of the Presi-
dent, can result only in development Of
national hypocrisy that will degen,
crate into general contempt for all
law and all authority.
Senator Harding is understood to
believe now that if the law is enforced
tie public will become aroused to such
an extent that Congress will be forced
to consider the Eighteenth Amendment
anew. He gave hint If his feeling in
his speech accepting the Republican
Presidential nomination when he said: {:
"Peoplc will ever differ about the
wisdom of the enactment of law.
There is divided opinion respecting the
Eighteenth Amendment and the laws
enacted to m Ike it operative, but there
can be no difference of opinion about
honest law enforcement"
Had Stock in Local Brewery
Marion folks never have considered
Editor Harding Of The Marion Star a
teetotaler. Some year: ago, when local
promoters organized {. brewing com
pany, Senator Harding bought three
shares Of stoc,; True enough, he made
the purchase in the same spirit in
which he bought a few shares of stock
in other infant conce MS in his home
town, bat the fact thst he still owned
these snafes in the idll brewery when
the Pres .dential campaign began indi-
Gates he had no great objection to the
drinking of beer. Quite incidentally
Marion folks recall with thirsty
thoughts that the product Of the Ma
rion brewery was rcga~ led in Ohio as
OF equal merit with lie better known
Lrews OF Cincinnati.
During the campaign both Senator
Ha2 Gil & and Governor COX were urged
to state fatty whether they favored or
opposed the Eighteenth Amepdment
and the enforcing act. Replying to
such q letter from Daniel A. Polling, as
stciate president of the United Society
&C Christian Endeavor Senator Har-
ding wrote:
This is representative government
ruled by the majority as expressed at
the polls or in the laws formu ated by
elected representatives. and it is not
within the rights Of anv officer Of that
government lightly to set aside the will
Of the people as SO expressed, but
may say that am opposed to the re-
cstablis| ment of the cratic in intoxi-
cating liquors and wilt use whatever
influence or power I possess to prevent
such establishment
Question of Content Involved
Therein is contained the crux of the
situation. Senator Harding said he
was opposed to traffic in Intoxicating
iquors. But the question of wnat is
intoxicating has disturbed the courts
Of this and other lands for generations
Beer with light percentage Of alcohol
was hardly within the esident-clect's
meaning OIL tHe WOIu Intoxicating, III Is
said.
Again, during the campaign. on Sep
tcmber 10, Senator Harding, replying
to letter from g special committee
appointed by the Anti-Saloon League
to question the Presidential candi-
dates, wrote:
81 have spoken for law enforcement
in I. way that admits of no doubtful
meaning. | voted for the resolution
to submit the Eighteenth Amendment
and the law to enforce it. We cannot
have an enduring republic if we con-
sent to less than square enforcement
of laws. In connection with Ills sub
ject | know Of no other question ut
issue"
"Square enforcement of the law
means that the bootlcgger is either
going out Of business or going to Jail
President-elcct Harding is giving
earnest thought to the selection of a
man to make the Volstead act have 4
cal meaning to the American people
1t il considered probable that before
al Of the resolutions to stop drinking
hat are made tomorrow have been
broken. the law will have been altered
n a way that will more nearly coin
eide with the majority opinion in the