The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-10-11
LABOR URGES
  .VOLSTEAD AIT
Speaker Before American Federation Says More Whis- Ky Glasses Are Being Made Now Than Ever Before CURB ASKED ON FOREIGN LANGUAGE NEWSPAPERS Resolution Declares That Ef- forts To Enforce Prohibition Have Proven Far From What Was Expected

PORTLAND, Ore, Oct. 10.-(By As- sociated Press )-More. whisky glasses are being made now than in pre-prohibition days. "and they are not for ornaments" said William T. Clark of the Flint Glass Workers union in a debate today al the con ventiCn of the American convention of the American Federation of Labor. preceding action reaffirming the fed eration favoring modifying the Vol stead act. Clark said that when pro- hibition went into effect the manu- fracture of beer glasses dropped off, but that whisky glass making in- creased by leaps and bounds.
 Steve Sumner of the Chicago Milk Wagon Drivers union declared milk bottles were hard to obtain. How" he added q learn the reason-they gre making whisky glasses instead of milk bottles"
 Delegate John J. Kearney of Bos- ton interrupted Sumner to ask: "Is it because a man gets drunk that he's no good or because he is no good that he gets drunk?"
 Sumner failed to answer the ques- ton,
 c. Dominick D'Alessandro Of Quincy, Mass, general president of the International Hod Carriers, Build ing and Common Laborers' union, as- serted the whole question was one of business. "The bootleggers and the soft drink people are in favor of prohibition and so are the milk men, he said.
 Favor Modification.
 After lengthy discussion the con vention adopted by overwhelming vote a declaration ratifying the for mer attitude of the federation for such modification of the Volstead act as will have the effect of giving tL the people beer and light wine, "ln lieu of the flood of moonshine that new poisens those who are foolish enough to consume it.'
 Che declaration was made to cor rect an impression sought to be created by the advocates of the Vol stead act that former action Of the f. tion was not "a fair statement of the attitude of affiliated organized labor bodies.
 .It is our belief" it continued, that the efforts at enforcement or the Volstead act have produced re- suits that are so far from being what it was reasonably expected might follow the adoption of the Eighteenth amendment that we feel warranted Tn saving the reasonable modification now asked for and a rational en- forcement of the Eighteenth amend ment. will bring relief greatly sought by the people. The open sa- Icon has been supplanted by the .spo easy and instead of licensed vendors of liquor we now have an unnumbered multitude of bootleggers who dispense their vile and poisonous liquors in secrecy to the great act riment of the health and morality or the people. This nefarious traillc has brought with it great most CT so-called law enforcement olllceEs' many of whom have not hesitated 10 set aside or ignore all other laws Tn their zeal to enforce the one law III which they have interest.
 Continuation of the work Of the federation's national non-partisan politician campaign committee was approved by the federation today ah9 the rank and file of labor was calieu unon to make contributions Tor fnnd for the purpose. The conven- tion received a report of the resuits of recent elections in which candl- dates was considerable favorable 10 labor was supported.
 O O O
 Stresses Americanism.
 Capt. c. P. Hummer. senior vice commander of the American Legion in addressing the convection today declared that his organization IS working for Americanlzation ana aims to put foreign language news. papers in the United States out or business. of six hundred such pup lications, he said one hundred are s,damnably unpatriotic' in advocating bolshevik doctorines.
 Discussing immigration he said;
 .'Until every eX-service man ana every member of the American Fed- eration of Labor has a good job ana a good home we should put up the bars. put on a big paddock and throw the key into the ocean. and when we take down the bars we must insist that the newcomers be morally, phys ically. mentally clean.
 Commendation of General Frank T. Hines. for his administration of the veterans bureau was given unahi- mously after he delivered an address.
 The convention declared for ire prevention after hearing an address by Edward Greenfield, fire marshal or Portland.
 The Rev. Father George J. Camp bell of St. Marys Catholic church, Portland, told the convention that the church always has stood for the cause 6f the working man.