Newark leader. ([Newark, Ohio]) 1917-1946, 1924-02-15
WAKING UP
THEY ARE MERELY ASKING FOR
COMMON JUSTICE
Would "Take the Lie Out of VoIstead
Act" by Fair Interpretation of
Eighteenth Amendment.

Washington-A joint legislative
committee representing an organized
voting membership of more than
5,oOO,OOO has opened headquarters at
the New Willard Hotel in Washing
ton to make an aggressive and deter
mined drive to take the lie out of
the Volstead Act" by fair and rea-
| sonable Interpretation of the Eiph-
| teenth Amendment. The formation
Oh the committee was announced by
the American Federation of Labor,
the National Association Against the
Prohlbltlon Amendment, the Consti-
tutlonal Liberty League of Massa-
chusetts and the Moderation League.
This Joint committee is the result of
the "Face the Facts Conference" held
IN Washington on January 21 by the
National Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment and allied
organizations.
The members of the joint legisla-
tive committee are:
Capt William H. Stayton of Balti-
more, president of the Baltimore
Steamship Co., and DR.. J. J. Seelman
of Milwaukee, representing the Ma
tlonal Association Against the Pro-
hibition Amendment.
Julian Goldman, lawyer, of Boston,
and Thomas F. Mcguire of Boston.
representing the Constitutional Lib
erty League of Massachusetts.
Joseph Obergfell and Albert ].
kugler, representing the American
Federation of Labor.
Austen G. Fox, lawyer, of New
York, and Capt. Thomas w. Therkild-
sen of New York, representing the
Moderation League.
The active work of the Joint legis-
lative committee will be under the
direction of the chairman, James
Duncan, first vice president of the
American Federation of Labor:
Thomas F. Mcguire of the Constitu-
tlonal Liberty League of Massachu-
setts, secretary, and Can't. Therkiid-
sen of the Moderation League, treas
urer: A finance committee was also
created comprising Capt. William H.
Stayton, managing vice president of
the National Association Against the
Prohibition Amendment; Joseph
Obergfell of Cincinnati, representing
the American Federation of Labor,
and DR.. j. ]. Seelman of Milwaukee,
president of the Wisconsin Division
of the National Association Against
the Prohibition Amendment.
The committee announced that the
combined influence of organized lab
Or and of the three modification asso-
Citations would be thrown into an ac-
tive fight to make the Volstead Act
conform both to the spirit and letter
of the Eighteenth Amendment The
committee will launch nationwide
campaign of education to show the
evil effects of the Volstead Act and
its complete failure to produce the
results promised by its advocates.
The facts developed in this campaign
will be brought to the attention Of
Congress.
This is the first time since the
adoption of the prohibition amend
ment that a great joint organization
has been perfected to represent the
nationwide opposition to the princi-
pie of prohibition as eXemplified in
the Volstead Act
The movement has behind it prac-
tically the unanimous membership of
labor, amounting to more
than 100000 members, as express
ed in resolutions adopted at its ma
tional convention at Portland, Oregon,
October l, 1923. These resolutions
pointed out that instead of producing
temperance, the Volstead Act has
caused widespread lawlessness, dis
ease and death from poison liquors,
and bootlegging, in
creased use of narcotic drugs, and
many other evils. The Federation de-
manded as remedy the modifica-
ton of the Volstead Act to conform
to the Eighteenth Amendment.
The three modification organiza-
tons represent an active membership
Of over 100000 distributed through
out all states. Systematic steps will
be taken to develop all members of
he four groups into militant workers
for relief from the restrictions of
as interpreted in the Vol
stead Act.
All liberal organizations and indi-
1iduals in sympathy with the modi-
'ication movement will be invited to
cooperate with the newly created
oint legislative committee.