Evening star., 1923-06-11
SEES DISHONESTY
IN V0LSTEAD ACT
Gov. Smith Defines W.. J.
Bryan's Criticism of Re-.
peal as Largely Absurd.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press. .= - ~
ALBANY, N. Y, June 11.-"Laws
regulating the personal conduct of
the individual have only been sue
cessful when they have paralleled a
divine commandment" and the 'inher-
ent dishonesty of the Volstead act
tends t o promote dishonesty in its
inforcement." Gov. Smith said in a
statement answering five questions
on prohibition. asked by the New
Yory Times and answered by William
Jennings Bryan in the edition Of
yesterday morning, in which he
criticized G the governor's attitude on
the liquor and state rights question.
THE New York Times has re-
Quested me to answer William Jen-
nings Bryan's article in its edition OF
Sunday, June 10, wherein Mr.. Bryan
undertook to reply to five questions
submitted to him by that newspaper.
said Gov. Smith.
THE first question he is asked is
will prohibition be a. leading issue
Running true to form. he uses
thousand words in replying and says
nothing.
mo living person could answer the
the vets and drys be able to COM
mand?' Mr.. Bryan attempts it and
says less than he did about the first
question.
"Mr. Bryan could answer the third
question DO you believe prohibition
national m,ti eGnptni poiitics% By saying that it
never has been an issue the question
of repeating the eighteenth amend.
ment probably never will be; but 1t
is quite possible that a sane and SEN
sibie definition of what constitutes
an intoxicating beverage might De
prominent issue.
has Gov. Smiths action on the Cuvil-
lier bill had on the national situa-
tion?' Mr.. Bryan answers by making
n reference to King Alcohol and to
woman suffrage.
Rises to "Absurdity"
when he answers the fifth ques-
ton What of his (meaning my) as
sertion of states rights In connectlon
rises to the heights of absurdity Ac-
cording to Mr.. Bryan there is appar-
entity no such thing as states rish.s
If that is not a fair inference TO take
from his remarks one must take sne
Mr.. BRYAN himself does not under
stand what states rights mean. MT.
Rryan has had more opportum.
ties to study the federal goernment anu
its operation than I have had and ne
knows eyerything / say is right, but
he belongs to that class OF fanatlcal
drys about whom I spoke in my re-
cent memorandum, VINO VIII never
admit anything. When fanatic ge-
gins to acknowledge the truth' HIS
cause is lost.
Laws regulating the personal con-
duct of the individual have only peen
successful when they have paralieled
a divine commandment. People VIII
suffer regulation of their conduct
outside of the commandments ~hen
il can be shown to them that such
Ieeulation Is for the protection of the
health of their neighbors. AS Tar as
strong liquor is concerned, there may
enter into this a reasonable conten-
ton that it's abolition might tend 10
promote the public health generally,
but that cannot be said about liquors
of low alcoholic content.
THE inherent dishonesty or the
Eolstead act tends to promote dls-
honesty in its enforcement.
Mr.. Bryan knows as well as 40
that the Volstead act is dishonest
aud hypocritical Interpretation of the
well as ] do that the fanatical drys
in control of Congress wrote that law
TO accomplish their narrow and
bigoted purposes, and not to give
honest expression to constitu-
tional amendment.
followed to it's logical conclusion,
three quarters of l per cent of alco-
hol in a beverage intoxicates. No
body, with an ounce of brains, be-
lieves that. Mr.. Bryan speaks
for himself alone, and he will have to
person to believe that we are at
tempting to interfere with the Con-
stitution when we ask Congress to
amend the Volstead act"