Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-25
DRY" DEBATE
DRAWS CROWD
Senator Edge Assails volstead
Act and Former Speaker
Hobart Defends Measure

NEWARK, April 25.-Kreuger's
Auditorium here was packed to ca
pacity last night by ardent "wets"
and "drys" attracted by the debate
on the Observation-Disclosures of the
volstead Act" between United States
Senator Walter z. Edge and former
speaker of the New Jersey House.
George 8. Hobart. Both men spoke
for almost n hour on the subject.
pointing out flaws in the arguments
of the other and counter-attacking
assertions made by his opponent.
Senator Edge assailed the Vol
stead act as breeding anarchy and
communism and an instrument
which Is encouraging and develop
ing a d~isrespect for law which
of the institutions of free govern
ment. He said he was opposed to
the return of the old fashioned sa-
loon but denounced the VoIstead act
as biased on a lie" and breeding
a growing protest which threatens
the bulwarks Of our democracy"
Former Speaker Hobart maintain
cd that Intellectual enforcement OF
the Vo1stead act was no indication
of what could be done IL the law was
properly enforced. The prepayment
of the volstead act argued that a
reasonable time be given for q test
OF the law for the purpose OF de-
termining whether st was wise or
foolish for the nation to adopt this
great experiment in the control Of
q business which has been of1cialiy
recognized as a prolific source OF
crime, poverty and misery" "The
real question:" Mr.. Hobart said, "is
this: Is the law effective if properly
enforced?"
During the course of his speech
Senator Edge made the following
assertions:
az am not opposed to law enforce
ment. On the contrary, ] am en-
deavoring to make 1t possible. In
seeking relief we are not violating
the Constitution"
"Sincere citizens in all walks OF
life should abandon the growing evil
OF hypocrisy and come forward with
their honest views. It Is defensible
to condone the present conditions
and no real friend Of temperance will
do 3d."
mo ma in this great Ii~berty-lov-
ing country of ours can ever be ad-
Judged as reasonable when he
makes a sincere effort to rectify a
situation that every honest mat or
woman must admit is encouraging
and developing a d%isrespect for law
which threatens the absolute des-
truction of the institutions of free
government"
ut IL not a question of what's
wrong with the people, but what's
wrong with the law"
"It Is not always a question alone
OF the power of Congress. One must
consider just how far that power
should be exercised for the good of
the public. When one has unlimited
power, it becomes all the more nec-
essary to exercise that power wisely
and justly"
Obstruction oil personal liberty
beyond a certain point necessarily
nourishes the spirit Of rebellion"
rs is not reasonable to assume
that II the trainers of the Consti-
tutional Amendment had meant to
have prohibited the S OF all al.
cohollc beverages that the amend
men. would have read no alcoholic
beverages instead of as 1t does
ON intoxicating beverages?'"
LAS hong as the Volstead act
limits beverages to one-haif of one
per cent just SO long will the
United States continue to be a m
ton of lawmakers. the
ITO enforce the law, especially
one in which persoal liberty q
involved, it should be obvious that
you must have a majority Of citizens
friendly to it.
my remedy Is to give such States
as desire the right to permit 8
harmless beverage with a percentage
of alcohol that can fairly be con-
sidered Notwithstanding"
Ex-speaker Hobart. in arguing in
favor of the Volstead act, made the
following statements:
"Bootleggers, speak-easies and
blind pigs r no novelty. They are
as old az the liquor traffic itself. In
ternai evenue reports show that be-
fore prohibition there were more
than 2,400 liquor dealers In New
Jersey who paid the federal tax but
did not take out licenses, to say
nothing of others who did not bother
to pay the federal tax.
"As to disrespect Of the law does
anyone seriously claim that in pre-.
prohibition days the 5000 liquor
dealers of New Jersey obeyed the
law, or that the officials July en-.
forced the laws7 It may fairly be
Eaid that the repeated and almost
continuous violation OF law on the
part of the liquor dealers was one
of the strongest, If not the strongest,
influence In forcing upon the Amer
lean people the conclusion that the
only way to regulate the liquor
traffic was to exterminate it."
Claiming effectiveness for the law
Mr.. Hobart quoted deliberately from
federal, state and local records OF
crime, vital statistics. inebriety. In
sanity, education and child welfare,
all showing great improvement IN
dar thA UoIefaad Iauy