Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-10-18
WEALTHY V|OLATORS
Of DRY LAW TAKEN
TO TASK BY BORAH

WASHINGTON, Oct. 15.-W ealthy
Americans who violate the eight
zenith amendment and reds" who
denounce constitutional provisions
designed to protect property. Sena-
tor Borah, of Idaho. declared in an
address here today, ARE both travel
ing the road or lawle1sness, sowing
the seeds of destruction and under
mining the whole fabric of law and
ORDER The senator spoke before
the citizenship conference on "Shall
the Constitution of the United States
Be Nullified?"
ITO hotbed, noisy rendezvous OF
lawlessness, Of cynical defiance to
the eighteenth amendment" he de-
clared, ARE among those of social
standing, of large property interests,
and in the weather. homes. With
out their patronage, their protec-
ton, and their example, the bootleg
ger would be easily within the con-
troll of the law. The red sits in
his darkly-lighted room around his
poorly-laden table and denounces
those provisions of the constitution
\ placed there to protect property. The
white sits in his brilliantly lighted
room about his richly laden table,
and defies or denounces the pro-
vision of the constitution placed
there in the belief it would protect
the home.
The man of property, of course,
ia deeply concerned in preserving re-
spect for law, for that is his pro-
lection to property. Do not they
assume a sinister hazard in defying
Or disregarding any part of this con-
stitution? SO long as this amend
ment remains a part Of the great
charter, you not only strike at this
amendment, but at the whole struc-
ture of a government of law when
you disobey its mandates.
Warns of Danger
This provision of the constitution
is in the constitution by the same
authority, carries the same force
and sanctity as the fifth amendment
which throws the protecting shelter
of the whole government around life
and property. The spirit of lawless-
ness, which undermines the one will
in time destroy the other.
'"These men have a perfect right
to change the constitution, or any
part of it, in the way by which
changes are permitted. But so long
as it stands there, it is entitled to
their earnest and conscientious sup
port
Declaring that the prohibition
amendment is 1.-The storm center of
the constitution" Senator Borah
continued:
1T is in the constitution after
years of agitation and discussion,
after thirty-three states had already
adopted statewide prohibition laws,
after long debates in the congress,
after consideration by the state leg
islatures, and after ratification by
forty-six states of the. union. Surely
no one can candidly claim that this
amendment is in the constitution by
accident or as a result of undue
haste
At another juncture he Remarked:
"Prohibitionist, or anti-prohibi-
zionist, sober or drunk. we ought as
citizens be loyal to our common
country, and be willing to support
the law SO long as it is the law"
The framing of recommendations
as to the most effective means of
arousing public opinion for a more
rigid enforcement of the Volstead
act constituted the most important
work today before the conference.
Presidential Action Sought
Dissatisfaction with present condl-
tions has been voiced by a number
of speakers at the first two days
sessions, with some specific in
stances given of the difficulties in
getting the enforcement machinery
in some localities into action even
after violations had been called to
official attention.
Several suggestions as to the ways
OF procuring better enforcement
were presented to the conference
yesterday, with most speakers agree
ing that an aroused public opinion
alone would bring the maximum of
result. Governor Pinchot of Penn
sylvania, told the conference that
no one less than the president OF
the United States himself could meet
the present emergency because the
president alone can bring all gov
eminent forces into a concerted at
tack on ViOlators
THE Eighteenth amendment has
been betrayed in the house of its
friends" he said Measured by the
respect accorded it, it has failed, and
the reason is that no sincere, In
telligent and concerted nationwide
effort has been made to enforce it.
William Jennings Bryan, speaking
at the night session at the First
Congregational church, at which
President Coolidge was present, de-
clared that if the president and his
cabinet, state governors and their
advisors and members of congress
would announce that they are
themselves teetotalers and would
not use Intoxicating liquor them
selves, they would do more to
strengthen the prohibition sentiment
of the nation than ANYTHING else