Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1925-09-20
PROHIBITION
SURVEY FLAYED
BY CHURCHMAN
Federal Council Unwise
In Permitting Covert
Attack by Underling'
DIR. Wilson
eRv the Associated Pressl

CHICAGO, H., Sept. 19.-The eve of
new federal prohibition administra-
tion which promised better things was
"a poor time for the federal council of
churches to permit an unedrling to send
out a covert attack on prohibition
said the Rev. DR.. Clarence True Wilson
of Washington, general secretary of the
board Of temperance, prohibition and
public morals of the Methodist Episco-
pal church, in statement here tonight.
DIR. Wilson is making a tour of Mid
Western conferences, which he will at
tend thirty-two during September and
October.
DR.. Wilson's remarks were an elabor-
alton of statement at Moline, H., be-
bfore the central Illinois annual con-
ference last Thursday on the report as
copyrighted by the Rev. R. Ernest John
son. Prohibition has had but five
years to uproot an evil that has grown
roots for five thousand years." said Dr.
Wilson. 1t has had very poor lead
ership in enforcement. Mr.. Mellon was
not a prohibitionist, and had not ap-
pointed prohibitionists, but there has
been a complete change in the methods
of the administration and the appoint
ment of General Lincoln c. Andrews. to
have supreme command of enforcement
matters promised better things.
Not Authoritative
Just on the eve of this new admin
istration was a poor. .time for the fed
eral council of churches, all of whom
are committed to prohibition and it's
enforcement, to permit an underling to
send out a covert attack on prohibition,
intimating that it is a failure and in
sinuating that it has failed to do any
of the things which every church repre-
sented by the council claims prohibition
has done.
The Methodists have been main sup
porters of the federal council because
there are things which we can do
through that body better than we can
do ,denominationally, but neither the
Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Bap-
fists, nor any other body of Christians
has ever authorized the federal council
to speak for US on prohibition.
Therefore any statement sent by the
council without our knowledge or con-
ScHL ID +hOI QOeS HOl rep
resent federal council action IL the will
and purpose of any one of the churches
which supported the council, and it is
unfortunate that very young and in
experienced man should send out a
document in the name of all the
churches of Christ in America, which
is partisan comment on a great expert
ment in government for which those
churches made sacrifices, paid the bills
of their campaigns and were never
more committed to the policy than now.
Inquiry Not Advertised
Il am connected with the temper
ance department Of the federal council
and not only have not been asked for
any opinion or information, but never
dreamed that such a thing as the in
vestigation of prohibition was going on
| have seen the documents sent out to
all the newspapers offices and it is
simply a partisan statement copyrighted
by the Rev. F. Ernest johnson and rep
resents his opinion alone.
1T is just the kind of material that
he could have gotten from the office of
the association against the eighteenth
amendment, with nothing that bears
any trace of coming from the other
sources. Throughout that document
Continued on Page Two.)