The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1922-12-22
U. s. Officials
At Capital Sit
In On Liquor
BY DAVID LAWRENCE
Copyright by The lntelligencer)


tive Upshaw's speech calling upon all
officials OF the United States govern
ment as well as the governors Of the
several states OF the union 10 take
the dry oath themselves has tended
TO bring out into the open one OF tn"
most perpleXing phases OF the entire
prohibition question.
For it is an open secret that al
though prohibition is the law OF the
b land and the national capital is the
center OF law enforcement and re
spect for the statutes. the use N
liquors in private parties attended by
officials. high and low, is not frown-
cd upon. There is clash between
public duty and private sentiment.
Mr.. Cpshaw. OF Georgia. is the first
10 challenge that attitude OF officials
which seeks to impose the prohiol.
ton law In the abstract sense while
countenancing the use OF liquor prl.
vate. No intOyicants are served on
the tables OF hish officials in any
public functions but as the Washing
ton Post. an administration news
paper said not long ago. "a census
shows there are about 500 bootleg
gers in the District Of Columbia and
now il we could only have a census
of their private customers" the fact
OF considerable drinking OF intoxi-
cants is not denied.
Drinking Not Prohibited.
But the law doesn't prohibit drink.
ing. Officials who use liquors can
very we'll say there IS no restriction
against the use OF liquor or even their
purchase. but simply their manufac.
ture and sale. The question raised
by Mr.. Upshaw.' OF Georgia. is that
officials should. however, set an eS-
ample and refuse TO buy any liquors.
So far as stopping the bootleggins
trade, the cutting off OF the national
capitals supply OF illicitly sold liquor
would be a mere trifle in the entire
bootlegging trade OF the country.
The theory OF Mr.. Cpshaw and the
other dtys who do not like TO see gov:
ernment officials drinking at all IS
that they will be better able to en-
force the law if they privately believe
in it. There are vets who think just
the opposite, namely that If govern
ment officials found themselves abso-
lutely cut off from all liquor supply
they would better understand the
public sentiment OF those localities
where the liquor laws are openly
Haunted by state officials as well rs
the most prominent citizens OF the
community.
Practices What He breaches.
William Jennings Bryan is one ~
the few who have been in official lite
not only to champion the dry cause
publicly but to practice what he
breaches. He used TO keep a book
on hand so that any OF his friends
would sign the dry pledge whenever
the impulse moved them. II has fire.
quently been charged that OF the so.
called Jrys in the House and Senate
who voted for the Nolstead act as
we'll as the eighteenth amendment
many have kept private supply OF
LIQUOR since in their homes or in their
offices. One local newspaper not so
long ago won good deal OF ill-wlll
on Capitol Hill by publishing photo
graphs OF empty liquor bottles car
ried away from congressional builc'
ings by the garbage man from timc
to time. There are. OF course, hun
dreds Of employees in the capitol Other
than those who have a vote and there
is no certainty that any or all the
bottles came from the Legislators
themselves.
But the presumption of Mr. Up
shaw that officials are not doing al
they might themselves to discourage
bootlegging in the District OF Column
bia even though the enforcement Off
GERS are zealouSly trying to root then
out will ever be the subject OF con
troyersy as between vets and dr.!
here. As usual with prostitution queS
tionS, there is little proof II is a.!
surmise but he would Do an untruth
full reporter who didn't agree thai
there is much in what Mr.. Upshaw
SAYS about the attitude ot many otii
cials toward enforcement Of the pro
hibition laws.
CIshaw's Challenge.
VIII every man who tries TO i'm
pose prohibition or appeals for II!
enforcement take the oath himse.
and for his family" The representa-
tive from Georgia has issued a chat
lcnge that many folks hereabOu
would have been just as happy I,
have had him omit.
The plain people, h" says, he
neye that many Os these high otti
cials believe in that autoCraCy whiC'
claims the privilege OF buying ant
drinking Illicit liquors themSelve
while denying that privilege TO tn
poor devils among the masses.
lis difficult to venture 4 arpredig
tion as TO what the answer OF OH
cialdom will be to that charge. Th
"drys"-meaning heir oftic;ais-haY
known about this for many months
They have deemed 1t polite TO max
no charges and stir up no anlmos
ties but il was Inevitable that soon"
or later there would be clash bt