Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1923-02-12
Would Jail Purchaser of
Liquor as Well as
Bootlegger
UPSHAW TALKS
Mass Meeting Under Aus
pices Of Anti-Saloon
League of State is
Largely Attended.

viii stay in the constitution, !
think, as long as the old flag
floaes" declared Wayne B. Wheel
er. national counsel for the dry
forces of America in an address
delivered in the Richmond theatre
yesterday afternoon before a
large audience. The affair was
held under the auspices Of the
state Anti Saloon League. Mr..
Wheeler declared that the enemy
will never be able to repeal the
amendment, seventy-two legisla-
tive bodies and two federal bodies
having gone on record as favor
ing it.
The work of overcoming the
opposition to the dry law show
on the screen and also talked of
in the theaters he said had part
tally been overcome. Receipts OF
the movies he declared increased
six hundred and thirty three mil
lion dollars a year more than
when the country had 177,79O
saloons.
Regarding the inability to en-
force prohibition laws the speak
er said that here in Alexandria
there were seventy-two saloons
and conditions are better today
than they were when they eX-
listed. The liquor traffic Mr..
Wheeler said has today debauch-
ed England where they spend
two billion year for liquor.
Mr.. Wheeler said that prohibi-
tion is a success and though only
partially enforced it is better
than the licensed system. The
speaker decried the movement 10
have light wines and beer. FIX
perience in states where it was
tried he said proved it failure.
He expressed himself as favoring
prohibition agents being under the
civil service as solution of the
problems confronting the public
with strict enforcement of the
dry law,
The speaker said he favored
furnishing the man who purchases
liquor from the bootlegger as
well as the bootlegger.
No law is at present enforced
100 per cent but the prohibition
forces are rallying forth to see
to a strict enforcement of this
law, he said, adding that thirty
wears ago the anti-saloon league
was started and if at the pre-
sent time the people of the coun-
try can't enforce the prohibition
law there is a yellow streak IN
their back.
Representative W. d. Upshaw
of Georgia paid glowing tribute
10 MIR. Whce!er's ability and his
splendid work in the interest of
prohibition. Since the passage Of
the Eighteenth amendment ne
said forty wet organizations have
come into being and they are
spending millions Of dollars to
defeat prohibition. Referring 20
his recent talk in the House of
REPRESENTATIVES Mr.. Upshaw said
he simply had called on "The
Higher Ups" to obey the law.
The speaker told his hearers not
to sing "My Country 'Tis of
Thee" and then go down dark
alley and buy liquor from a boot
logger. He paid a tribute to Rev.
James Cannon, former dry lead
er in the state and also to the
present representative in that
work. Rev. David Hepburn.
After the address of Mr..
Wheeler the Rev. DR.. f. B.
jackson, pastor OF the First Bap-
tist Church stated that the audi
ence appreciated his address and
he declared Mr.. Wheeler had as
much to do with the writing OF
the Eighteenth amendment into
the constitution and with its en-
/ forcement as anyone else.
The meeting was presided over
by Rev. DR.. E. V. REGISTER, pas
tor of the NJ. f. Church South
who introduced the speakers
There is, he said, no greater OF
more needed message than these
men will bring. The law en-
forcement of the present day, he
declared, is. a farce. The world
today needs a bigger and better
moral backbone. With benedictior
! by Rev. Mr.. Hepburn the meet.
ling was concluded.