The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1923-07-13
Harding Stand Commended

Harding Stand Commended
The telegram which the conference
sent to President Harding, and which
was signed by DIR. P. A. Baker as
chairman and II. T Laughbaum as
secretary, was as follows:
Estate superintendent and national
officers of the Anti-Saloon League of
America assembled in conference at
Wcsterville. O., send greetings and
congratulations to you for your strong
and wholesome utterances on the ques-
ton of law enforcement, made at
Denver, and especially your illuminat-
Ing Characterization of the abandon
ment of states rights so justly applic-
able to the nullihcationists OF New
York. VIC pledge you our hearty
support in carrying out your program
to sustain and enforce universal pro-
hibition' throughout tho nation and for
the enforcement OF all law"
In this declaration OF commentator
OF the presidents attitude, Democrats,
OF course. joined with their Republican
brethren, and significant declaration
was that OF the Southern superintend-
exits, as rccounted in last weeks Issue,
that they would not support wet
Democratic candidate, but would take
the field i'll support OF a dry candidate
on III opposition ticket
Republicans Make Statements
Similarly significant were the state
mcnts of Republican superintendent,
from Republican states, that they will
not support wet Republican candi-
dates. but will turn their strength to
dry Democrats. Notably among these
was z. F. Jones, Nevada, who, as e
boy OF nine recited poetry i'll the first
Lincoln campaign, a lifelong Re
publican, who, last year, supported the
Democratic state ticket.
Edwards, Smith, Stanley, Under
wood, Al Smith-these and other vets
who seek to get hold of Democracy,
were read out of the line. Such a
man as McAdoo was said to be salts
factory to the dry Democrats.
Take Foreign Ship Stand
1t was made plain at the conference
that the League supports the govern
ment in its attempts to compel foreign
ships to come into American waters
entirely dry, and that such efforts are
laudable, even to the breaking OF gov
eminent seals if necessary At this
writing it appears uncertain what
Congress may or may not do, and can
or cannot do, but il was the sentiment
OF the conference that the League will
watch such legislation as seems to let
down the bars to liquor-bearing craft.
One of the developments Friday, as
the executive committee was in ses-
sion, was the gratuitous attack OF
Mayor Hylan of New York OH Will
liam H. Anderson, superintendent Of
the Auti-Saloon League of New Yort.
and Palmer Garfield, prohibition COM
missioner for New York. In letters
to these men, which he gave to the
press, Hylan said prohibition could be
enforced six months il the prohibit
ton officials so wished, and that the
League. fearful lest it should lose its
revenues, did not want prohibition
enforced at all.
To this diatribe DR.. P. A. Baker re-
piled as follows:
"If what Hylan says is true, then
the action of Al Smith and the legis-
lature of New York and the attitude of
Mayor Hylan are the very best chest
filler we know of. If these wet
apologists want the Anti-Saloon
League to continue to receive money,
the best thing they can do is to pur-
sue the course they arc now pursuing.
II anything ever kills the Anti-Saloon
League it will be 100 per cent enforce
inent of the law by the officers sworn
to enforcement. The action of New
York has Weakened the people to the
continued work of the liquor crowd,
and has reused we'll meaning friends
OF law and order from the lethargy
into which they fell when prohibition
became part OF the Constitution.
With the Eighteenth Amendment in
the Constitution many folks thought
everything was settled and went to
sleep on this question. They are now
fully awake, and such men as Al
Smith and. John Hylan are waking
them up"
Like Backwoods Magistrate
DR.. Ernest II. Chcrrington, general
secretary OF the World League
Against Alcoholism, said:
"IIylan talks like backwoods
justice of the peace rathc. than like
the mayor of the greatest city on
esrtii. Behind his attempt at sarcastic
wit he is trying to build an abb, so