The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-01-19
REP. .SHERW0
SO, STRIKES AT
DRY ENFORCING
Veteran. Member of Congress,
Calling Himself Dry. Says
1t Has Failed
SAYS FAILURE PROVED
Criticizes Rep. Upshaw, Lead
ing Dry, and Lack of
Crime Decrease

Washington, Jan. IS (Dy the A. P.)
--Flourishing an empty flask and as
sailing the activities of the a,.ti-
saloon league and Representative Up
shaw, Democrat. of Georgia, Repre-
sentative Sherwood. Democrat. of
Ohio, ss-year-old veteran of the
house Of representatives, told his col
leagues today that "up to 1924 it
is generally conceded that prohlbi-
ton enforcement officers have failed
co enforc the law and also charged
that the use of narcotics had increas-
ed enormously since enactment of
the dry laws.
Declaring that when he was only
II vars old he had signed a temper
ancc pledge and would vote for no
law which tolerates Intoxicating liq-
uors as beverage" he insisted that
prohibition had failed to prohibit
although it had cost the taxpayers
cover thousand million dollars in
revenue in the last two years
Acknowledgement Dougherty con-
cedes the failure" he said. "The
President comedies the failure to en-
force the law when he asks for an
appropriation Of $2O,0OO,OOO by Con-
gress to build fleet of vessels to
enforce the law on the Atlantic
Coast only"
Crime Not Decreased
Since the passage by Congress of
the Volstead act said Major Sner-
wood, "there has been large in
crease in booze drinking among
young men and young girls. 1t has
become menace to orderly society.
Young men who never INDUCED in
liquor before are now carrying TASKS
in hip pockets loaded with moonsnine
or bootleg whiskey and young eills
are induced to drink the vile stuff
when the eighteenth amendment
was proposed" he asserted, "the anti
saloon league promised 1T would re-
ducc crime to the minimum, would
largely reduce the divorce evil, would
abolish drunkenness, would make for
business prosperity by inducing the
earnings of the industrial classes to
go into homes instead of intoXiC: nts
and would empty our jails and roni-
tentaries.'
"After four years of eXpericnce,'
he said, I'VE find that not one single
promise has been kept. Crime
has increased 40 per cent, divorces in
some so cities have increased 35
percent and murders have increased
40 percent. And worse than all the
calamities that have happened since
the Volstead act is the fearful re-
cord of the dope fiends or narcotic
addicts now numbering nearly mil
lion victims as reported by the high
est medical experts"
Hits at Upshaw
Charging Representative Upshaw
with "sky-rocket oratory," Mr.. .Sher.
wood said his Georgia colleague had
failed to point out single benefit
to either an individual or the state
because Of prohibition.
"This bold attitude required tie
gall of a cormugeon and the auda-
Siey VI d SHiHeoc DdHuil, ne ueCidT-
ed, characteriZing Mr.. Upshaw as
"the reincarnation of the old Puri-
tans Of the 18th century who hung
Quakers in Connecticut and burned
witches in Massachusetts,.
If the anti-saloon league should in
duce this Congress to amend the Vol
stead act by adding the 12 amend
ments suggested by the gentleman
from Georgia." he added. "it would
be the end of personal liberty"
The means employed in bringing
about adoption Of the eighteenth
amendment were described by the
Ohio representative as unfair and
disreputable." =