Evening capital. [volume] (Annapolis, Md.) 1922-1981, 1922-09-05

more obstinate, less willing TO listen
10 reason.
I'm the same interview. Mr. Norris
suggested as another way of getting
relief from the existing laws that ply
sicians be given the right to prescribe
liquor whenever they think it proper
1 observed that Mr.. Norris did not say
hat he favored or. il elected to the
Senate, would vote for such a provis-
on. The reason is obvious. Ninety
light per cent of the physicians
would dislike such a provision. The
few who would welcome il would be-
come merely legalized ~bootleggers,
md make worse one of the very evils
from which we seek escape
Sees No Good Resulting
what is the use of Mr.. Norris talk
ing about such a change in the law
especially when he seems TO be un-
willing 10 say that he favors it?There
can be no possible result of such a
discussion other than to awaken in
he minds of the more ardent prohi-
oitionists unjust suspicious of the men
and women who are seeking to bring
about an Improvement in conditions
by changing the existing laws.
What We must do is to face the
facts like sensible people. One fact
IS that while the prohibitionists have
been denounced and damned with
great oarnestness for some years, they
have won with depressing regularity
| n Congress. The reason is plain. The
| country or country controlled constit-
uencies and more influence and more
| representation in Congress than the
| distinctly city communities. That ac-
counts for the great dry majorities in
The House of Representatives. 1t ac-
counts, in part, for the complete fail
ure of Representative Tinkham's re
cent effort to Gust Representative Vol
stead from the craftsmanship of the
House Judiciary Committee.
Many States Have Own Dry Laws
Another fact we must face is that,
/ unlike Maryland and other Eastern
States, many of the States have had
State prohibition for years, and are
committed SO definitely to it that
there is every human probability that
their delegations will be strongly for
ii for all time.
"One example of that appeared in
the recent and already famous con-
test between Mr.. Beveridge and Mr.
New for the Republican nomination
for Senator in Indiana Both were
dry and prohibition played no part
whatever in that contest. And the
Democratic nominee for Senator in
Indiana, Mr.. Ralston, is as dry as
either Mr.. Beverage or Mr. New.
Again, few days ago, Mr.. Thomp-
son was nominated by the Republi-
cans for Governor of Ohio by an enor-
nous plurality, with the combined
backing of the Anti-Saloon League
and the political organizations OF
Cleveland and Cincinnati.
Now l say that it is idle for men
who want to get relief for the peo-
pie of Baltimore to ignore such facts
To ignore them means merely to in
sure defeat. No man seeking to ac-
complish a worthy end in private life
would ignore such facts. He would
face thein,tr measure them, carefully
study the means of surmounting them
If Mr. Norris, Mr.. Lewis and l had
contented ourselves with denouncing
and damning every disagreeable fact
when we began the practice of law we
would not now be running for the
United States Senate; we would have
died of starvation and have been bur
led in the potters field.
Not Asking Complete Repeal
my purpose, therefore, is to use
the same sort of reason and argument
in seeking relief from the existing
prohibition laws that Mr. Norris, Mr..
Lewis or myself would use in seek
ing relief from some disagreeable cir
cumstance in private life. | am not
demanding the complete return of all
alcoholic beverages. l know that if
demand that insist upon that,
threaten those opposed. l will get
nothing at all.
Il call for the return of light wines
and beers in the communities that
want them, wherever those communi-
ties may be. l do not call for the
return of light wines and beers in
the communities that are opposed to
the return. We say in Baltimore, and
We are right, that no other community
Or communities should force on us
laws that our people do not want
We certainly must grant other COM
munities what their people want.
Otherwise fair play and justice dis
appear and brute force governs. No
one ought to want that condition. Be-
sides, we have had brute force used
in the past and our present condi-
ton in Baltimore is the result