Evening star., 1922-12-18
TIGHTEN DRY LAW,
DON'T LOOSEN IT,"
GOVERNORS ARGUE
More Stringent Penalties for
Vioiators Is Urged
as Curb.
PLEAD FOR AGENTS WHO
FAVOR PROHIBITION
Executives Lunch With President
to Discuss Means of
Enforcement.

Any possibility that the conference
et governors called by President
Harding might favor the reincarna-
tton of modified John Barleycorn
seemed to vanish today when a can
Nass of the state governors who are
here showed those officials to be over.
"helmingly bone dry.
out of the entire group OF state
executives to come to Washington in
response to the Presidents call for a
discussion of the liquor situation. not
voice could be found to champion
The return of even light wines and
beer. Gov. Allen of Kansas apparent
ly spoke the sentiment of the confer
res when he announced as his slogan:
"TiEhten, Don't Loosen"
Tighten up: don't loosen up
The governors are having luncheon
with President Harding this after
noon. 1t is a round-table discussion
Ealing for a frank exchange IL ideas
"n subject that the President has
seen fit to publicly denoupce as a
national scandal" The President
has let 1t be known that he ardently
hopes to see emerge from this con-
ference definite policies for close CO.
"peration between the state and fed :
cral authorities in the enforcement
Of the Volstead law.
Any fear as to the possibility that
the state executives would not share
that hope with the President was
aissipated by their statements to The
Evening Star today. As unit they
were strongly against modifying the
Nolstead act and denied that the re-
cent crime wave might be laid to the
door OF prohibition. A referendum
tomorrow, they said. would show the
bone dry
Ideas of Governors.
Combined and condensed, the ideas
az the governors for more efficient
,uforcement OF prohibition proved to
Ue.
!. More stringent federal and state
enforcement laws. carrying heavy
lines for first offenders and substan-
1iai Jail sentences for all second Of
lenders. regardless of their position
ar prestige.
,. Prohibition enforcement officials
W no are honestly in favor of prohi-
bition.
3. Education of the business man to
= realization of the fact that prohi-
hition enforcement is much Of an
economic question as moral question
g. Larger appropriations for the en-
forcement of the law.
As the Governor of Kansas, which
has been dry for forty-two years,
o;ov Allen spoke with no little
knowledge of the effect dry restrIc-
lions have upon the people. He de-
clared that the failure of the federal
government to enforce the dry stat
utes more efficiently need occasion no
apprehension: it took Kansas twen-
1y-five years to educate the people up
to the benefits of prohibition. he said.
Better Enforcement.
To-day Kansas enjoys a better de-
gree of temperance enforcement than
her neighbors." he said. because we
are in the second generation of men
who have never seen the saloon. Fed
erai prohibition will become a ma
tional success when the business man
makes the best workman. and refuses
to hire any person who takes drink.
prohibition has proved its worth
already We hear a lot of talk about
more persons drinking than ever and
the drug traffic increasing as intox-
leggers deny the first assertion, be-
..ause they are striving might and
main to wipe the NolStead law off of
;he statute books in order to make it
possible to distill and sell more intox-
irants The second assertion is abso-
drink and drugs are inseparable: :
where you find one you find the other.
"Prohibition Is Salvation"
Tighten up the prohibition laws:
cont loosen them. The 2people soon
will realize that prohibition is al
most their salvation. In the middle
west believe we have a better de-
-rce of enforcement, because it is
more truly American than the Allan
tic seaboard Here you have a greater
number of Europeans and the conti-
mental influence. Why. out west we
still gaze in astonishment on a wo-
man who smokes a cigarette.
Gov. Trinkle of Virginia proved to
he an equally ardent champion of
prohibition. He particularly empha-
sized the need of heavier fines and
longer jaiI sentences for offenders Of
The dry laws. He declared he had
refused to pardon any man. regardless
of his prestige or position. who had
been convicted of dispensing intoxi-
cants for gain.
Take politics out of the prohibi-
tion enforcement agencies" Gov.
rrrinkle declared, land we will have
better enforcement. What We need
is enforcement agents and officials
who are in favor of the law them
sslves have found that prohibition
is benefiting the state of Virginia al
ready, and those benefits will grow
with time"
Morgan IndOrses View.
Gov. Morgan of West Virginia prac-
,,c;,;ly reiterated Gov. Trinkle's view
Although he did not suggest making the
enforcement laws more drastic. he, too.
Aeaid the enforcement division Of the
Prohibition department should be sep
arated from politics. Should refer
,ndum be taken in West Virginia to-
morrow, the governor asserted. it would
show that state to be overwhelmingly
bone dry"
More money and more honorable
men was the program suggested by
.;oy. Cox of Massachusetts. Since the,
Nolstead law is on the books, Gov. Cox
aid il should be enforced. however
disayreeable or however costly" the en-
forcement. He agreed with President
1Ja,ding that more strict enforcement
vas the only solution to the present sit
,,atior, indicating that. II the people
r-----1,.:-.-.l -, poyo roIurnn .