Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-27
ANU-SALOON
HIT At GERAN
His Platform Attacked and
Charges of Hypocrisy
Made by Shields

James K. Shields. state superin-
tendent of the Anti-Saloon league
of New Jersey, has written an open
letter to Elmer H. Geran, Demo-
cratic candidate for congress. in
which he charges Geran with
hypocrisy, declaring the Democratic
candidate claims to favor the BAN
ishment of the saloon and at the
same time advocates "a certain sat
isfying drink containing more alco-
hol than one-half of one per cent
but not enough to i~ntoxicate." The
A~nti-Saloon head charges that
Geran's actions while in the legisla-
ture at Trenton were always dictat-
ed by Jim" Nugent, Frank Hague
the Hudson county boss and various
sa~,oonkeepers and liquor dealers.
The letter follows:
ITO Elmer H. Geran,
democratic Candidate for Congress
las Democratic candidate for con
/. aress in the third district (Mon-
gsouth, Middlesex and Ocean coun-
ties), you have recently set forth
in the press your views on the
liquor question. You object to the
~ olstead law in hat 1t forb1ds the
use OF liquor that contain one-half
of one per cent or more of alcohol,
and declare that you stand for a
higher percentage of alcohol, but
not high enough to make the drink
intoxicating. You very carefully
leave to imagination Of the pub
lie what you think that Percentage
should be. .
"You AMI everybody else Of intelli
gence know perfectly well that
those who object to the standard
of one-half of one per cent OF al
cohol are not interested IN any kind
OF q drink ecept that which will
intoxicate and your talk about "a
certain satisfying drink containing
more alcohol, but not enough to In
toxicate is pure unauthorized bunk
with which you are trying to TOOL
the people.
what Edwards and his gang
want is the beer and wine, which
was the main stay of the liquor
traffic in its palmy days. the liquor
which was in most common use In
multiplying saloons and the most
prolific source of drunkenness es-
pecially in debauching the younger
element and those beginning to
drink.
"One-half Of one per cen was
the standard used for the collecting
of revenue on intoxicating liquor
for years, and there were no objec-
lions to it. The supreme court has
passed upon the legality and the ap-
propriateness of this percentage,
and those who oppose it a,e fight
ing for intoxicating liquors moth
ing else. Any dry voter who be-
lieves to the contrary will he sadly
fooled.
THE statement, however. that you
make that must be most startling
to the 'drys' of your district is as
follows: I do not contemplate n
return of the saloon; I oppose it: I
do not contemplate the return OF
so-called hard liquors, l am against
it,
since when or how did your
most remarkable conversion take
place? The voters of your district
have not forgotten that in all OF
your legislative career at Trenton
you stood with Jim Nugent, Hague
and the varioug saloon keepers and
liquor dealers associations and or
g%anizations Of the state Of New
Jersey in fighting to the last ditch
in defense of the old saloon. Your
vote was always cast against any
kind of local option bill that would
even permit the people of a small
locality to vote out the saloon, If
thew wanted to. And now you
would have these people believe
that you are strongly opposed TO
the saloon, are glad hat 1t is gone
In other words. you want the 'drys
TO forget your past record and vote
for o ~
Had it not been that prohibition
came in spite of your efforts, and
YOU were in the legislature, you
would still be voting for the saloon.
Z We remember very distinctly the
day when a local option bill was up
for passage and we had been led to
believe that you were going to sup
port it, when after conference with
Jim Nugent. you returned n
voted against it.
"You, Edwards, Silzer and the old
saloon crowd are bitterly opposing
every man now running for office in
New Jersey that had anything to do
with the passing of the saloon, and
yet you are all shouting aloud that
you are glad the saloon has gone
""The Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment has en-
dorsed you. They sem out their in
quiries and, evidently. you have an
only those answering have received
their endorsement. This is an asso-
citation which stands openly against
at least a part of the constitution
of the United States-an association
that is opposing Senator Freling-
huysen, Senator Runyon n Con
gresham Appleby, your opponent,
placing them upon what they braZ-
emily call the roll of dishonor.' and
yet you and they pretend to be glad
for what has resulted from their
action-the Punishment of the sa-
loon.
II do not know what you call this
particular attitude, but the public
has but one word that expresses it
and tina is hypocrisy The Good
Book says: BY their fruits We shall
know Them
"You have always favored the sa-
loon in your legislative career; you
are now in favor of light wine and
beer, the return of which means the
\ return of hard liquors with it. You
n cannot fool all of the people all the
time,' and any dry voter who votes
for you, believing that you are not
an enemy of prohibition. will be a
victim of your deception.
"In closing you say: The people
feel as though they have been i'm
posed upon and cheated This is
exactly what you now are trying to
do to the people. If the voters OF
your district do not want the saloon
to come back with all its old-time
iniquity, they should vote for your
opponent-T. Frank Appleby.
JAMES K. SHIELDS,
Estate Superintendent"