The New York herald., 1922-01-30
RABBI SAYS DRY LAW
BREEDS HYPOCRITES
Americans Losing Respect for
Statutes, in DR.. Schul-
mans View.

Dr. Samuel Schulman, rabbi of Temple
BETHEL. Fifth avenue and Seventy
sixth street, one of the largest and most
influential Jewish congregations in the
city. declared yesterday that to restore
the American conscience and renew re-
spect for law the volstead act, the
Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitu-
tion and all enforcement legislation
must undergo a more liberal interpreta-
tion. To save a situation which has
become very serious he said, beer and
light wines must be permitted.
In making that declaration DR.. Schulz
man did not deal with the moral issue
Of the intoxicants forbidden, but with
that involved In a breakdown Of "the
traditional law abidingness" OF the
American people.
Nothing has happened In the history
Of our country" said DIR. Schulman,"
which is such a menace to the char
acter of the institutions of a free self
governing American democracy as Is
this amendment and legislation. In the
deepest sense we can only respect law
when we recognize 1t as the free cx-
preston Of the American conscience.
The law cannot go far beyond peoples
sense Of the right and the propriety and
the necessity Of legislation"
Cites Drinking OF Evidence.
Early in his address DR.. Schulman
referred to the action of Judge Harland
B. Howe Of the United States District
Court who last week In brooklyn di-
rected jury to drink a bottle of liquor
PRESENTED In evidesce. declaring that
their Judgment was just as good as a
chemists. and everybody knows what
good whisky is.
"It is not the humor OF thds incident
but. it's seriousness that suggests my
theme" said DR.. Schulman. II am not
criticizing the Judge. On the contrary,
/ think his procedure very helpful.
IF on the ore hand the drinking of
liquor Is TO be made criminal by law
and on the other hand we get such
examples in high places OF treating the
law with good natured contempt and
indifference. there Is something radi-
cally wrong in such a situation, and
this situation Is no mean factor in
causing the growing disrespect for law
in our land
The country has been turned subtly
from its traditions Of a constitutional
democracy to the path of such democra-
cies as have no written constitutions.
This breakdown OF the respect for the
Constitution has been accompanied by
loss of respect for the majesty and
authority OF the law. For when laws
can so quickly and so arbitrarily be
placed upon the statute book, it is no
wonder that the peoples feeling of
reverence for the sanctity Of the law
is impaired.
Law should BE Obeyed.
"It goes without saying that as long
as these laws and this amend ment exist
II Is our duty to obey them. For II Is
commonplace to say that the break
down OF one law with impunity fosters
the habit of contempt for other laws.
I'm theory It is correct to say that
any kind of law must be enforced, but
IL you assume that you desire to en-
force II strictly In order to bring home
to men its irrationality and burdensome-
ness, and thus to disgust them with It.
you are granting that there is some
thing wrong with that law. Certainly
in a free, self-governing democracy II
is a peculiar characteristic of a Law
that It's enforcement will bring abou,
revulsion against IL. Such an argument
bctrays the weakness of the law itself
With the removal of this great breeding
agent of disrespect for the law there
will begin recovery of that traditional
law abidingness for which the American
people have been distinguished
At the annual meeting of Temple
Bethel held yesterday the following of.
ficers were elected: President, Ber
Altheimer; vice-presidents. Sydney III
Herman. Roger w. Straus: treasurer
Otto L. Dreyfoos; honorary secretary
Simon Hess: trustees. Leopold Stern
Saul Bernstein. Myron Sulzberger
clerk, Samuel Berliner; chairman of the
board, Ludwig Vogelstein.