The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-05-07
'Wet, Damp or Dry" Cry
of Socialists, Armed With
V. Berger's Wine Recipe
BY J. LOUIS ENoDAHL.


with the stand taken by Kennedy. He
said the declaration adopted must de.
clare for the manufacture and sale by
the government only.
DELEGATE WILLIAM A. TOOLE,
- of Maryland, sought to inject a
little comedy into the discussion by
explaining the difference between a
Swede and Norwegian. He said that
a Norwegian had once told him that
Swede was a Norwegian without any
brains. Since the resolution was a
Swedish proposition, he denounced dt
as having no brains. He declared his
own position as being neither for nor
against prohibition.
At this point Delegate James Oneal,
of New York, sought to get over a
motion for the previous question and
stop the debate. The delegates, how
ever, had their teeths in the liquor
problem and were determined to go
on.
Delegate Toole then continued stat
ing, 81 never drink unless someone
else buys it. Then 1 always look to
see if the bottle is half empty. Only
then do l know that it is safe. am
in favor of the government manufac-
ture of light wine and beer"
He referred to the extreme dries In
the convention as my friends on the
left"
TT was here that Mrs. Emma Henry,
l. delegate from Indiana, got the floor
and declared that she expressed the
sentiments Of the party membership
in Indiana, when she declared that
there was enough dissension and
division in the party without injecting
the liquor problem. Then Berger want
ed to know how many members there
were to create dissension among, and
got the answer that, 1--WE have a mem
bership Of approximately 100 and you
can't kill that"
1--WE are doing as much in Indiana
as the party is doing anywhere, with
the exception Of Milwaukee" con-
tinued Mrs. Henry.
Delegate Gustav A. Hoehn, of Mis-
souri,, editor of st. Louis Labor, next
got the floor and declared that, mil
waukee and st. Louis must have some
thing to say" He urged that the pro-
position go back to the committee for
redrafting.
1--WE cannot go before the public and
say that the socialist party has no
position on this question. 1t is an i'm
portant national issue. There are
other similarly important issues COM
ing up, on which we will also be back
ward about taking a stand. But we
must do so. am in favor of condemn
ing the miserable old saloon system.
am also against prohibition"
Hoehn declared that under the
saloon system the politics of the city
and state was controlled by half a
dozen brewery owners and $500
saloon keepers. But, he said, the
government is now more corrupt than
ever. He announced he took his stand
with Victor Berger, but offered neither
beer nor wine recipes.
THEN Herbert Merrill, former social
L ist member of the New York state
legislature, and now state secretary
Of the New York socialist party,
threatened split in his state. He an
nounced that locals declared they
would quit the party if the party took
a stand ON this question. Merrill said
there is great excitement among the
membership as to the stand the party
would take on this issue.
Delegate William ]. Van Essen, Of
Pennsylvania, said Merrill should not
have the Illusion that the membership
is so excited. Instead of the Swedish,
Van Essen offered the Japanese solu-
ton, where alcohol fends are allowed
to drink themselves to death, but
liquor, like opium, is refused to the
young and others who had not ac-
qudred the habit.
Here the discussion came to an end
and after dickering in the committee
the compromise proposition was adopt
ed. The socialist party will be wet,
damp or dry in the fall campaign as
conditions dictate locally.