Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-10-14
ISSUES
HIS PLATFORM
Opposes the VoIstead Act and
is Against Any intoxicating
Liquors

ASDuRY PARK, Oct. 14.-Elmer
4. Geran, Democratic candidate for
congress in the third congressional
district, issued today a formal state
ment setting forth his attitude on
prohibition under the eighteenth
amendment. :
He comes out against the Volstead
act as an unfair Interpretation OF
the provisions and purposes or the
amendment, at the same time declar-
ing himself against the saloon n
lizard liquor" but in favor OF bever-
ages containing more than one-hal'
OF one per cent of alcohol ana as
much alcohol as may be without
being intoxicating"
The statement, which the people
Of Middlesex, Monmouth and ocean
counties have been awaiting with
much interest, is as follows;
81 am the regularly nominated
candidate for congress in the tnlro
congressional district of New Jer-
sew and am running on the Demo-
cratic platform adopted at the con
vention In Trenton. 1t Is, 1 believe,
a. sound PLATFORM; a platform thai
o4fsrs correction of pilitical and So
ciai conditions that under h pres
ant Republican administration are
bringing suffering and unrest to the
peonle of the United States. 1t is
4 platform which is sound political
iy. economically, socially n
morally.
II am against the outrageous
tariff bill recently enacted into law
by The Republican congress, and OPP
pose rihing the pockets of the peo-
ME to the extent of over four oil-
lion dollars a year. I am against
the shifting of the tax burden from
those who are enormously rich TO
The middle classes and the poor,
the result accomplished by h he
publican revenue enactment.
II am against Newberryism n
all the dangerous political immorai-
lty that it represents. -.
I'VE cannot escape the fact that
rsany ueople in New Jersey are con-
siderine whether the nation has
heen benefited or will be benefited
by the present policy Of prohlbi-
ton Interpretation and enforce
ment.
my position is this: The eigh-
tenth Amendment was intended to
eliminate the evils Of intoxlcation
in the United States. That Is what
believed to be It's pur-
pose. 1t forbids the manufacture
and use of intoxicating liquor for
beverage purposes. l emphasize
the word Intoxicating. 1t does not
prohibit the manufacture and use
OF beverages containing alconol. II
might have, but does not. IT appar-
emily was not its purpose. me VOL
stead Act, designed as an lnslr1-
menr for the Interpretation and en-
6 49, q m an r6CCE-
n:zes tina fact and defines as lntoXl-
eating any beverage containing
more than one half of one per cent
bv volume of alcohol. l believe inst
al q matter of plain justice to n
amendment and to the people beV-
a should be allowed which may
contain more than one-halr OF one
per cent of alcohol and as much al
coho; as may be without being In
toxicating.
To me the purpose of the eigh-
tccntfi amendment: the
of drunkenness and ~intoxication is
laudable, desirable and something
which we should as a people and a
nation strive diligently to achieve.
But it is my belief that the Vol
stead act has not honestly inter-
preted the amendment and that by
denying the people beverages Whlch
thew might be allowed under the
amendment has aroused a danger
Gus social condition and has result
ed in a general disregard for the
law. made breWeries in countless
homes, wineries in the garnet, and
distiileries in the cellars. This IN
reasonable Interpretation has esult-
ed likewise in unnecessary and serl-
Gus dissatisfaction among thousands
who might have been contented
with beverages the use of which
would not violate either the letter
or the spirit of the amendment.
l am in favor of the enforcement
of the present law as long as it is
the law, but am for a change in the
Volstead act that will effect the pur-
pose of the eighteenth amendment,
the elimination of intoXication and
at the same time give to the people
whose habits, customs and lnd1v1d-
uaI tastes call for beverages that are
Notwithstanding even though they
contain more than one-half of II
per cent of alcohol. I do not con-
template the return of the saloon. l
oppose it. 1 do not contemplate the
return of so-called hard liquor. l
am against it. The demand is for
q beverage that is compatible with
the eighteenth amendment. L am
for such a beverage.
The people can be trusted If treat
I'd as human beings with honest
motives, but they feel as though
they have been imposed upon and
cheated by an act of congress what
is not a true Interpretation of the
amendment.