The Kusko times., 1926-05-29

| few other ephemeral "drys," claim
 claim that the American flag is q beautiful emblem to salute on the Fourth. of July-a beautiful insignia
 of authority to invoke for the protec- ton of their factories, their farms,
 their fortunes, and, their families, but they deliberately walk up and spit on that same flag that has been made
 stainless before the eyes of the
 watching world when they want a drink of bootleg liquor. 1t. is before such a crowd of lawhreakers that this learned and eloquent clergyman has run. up. his beer and wine flag of tragic surrender.
 He has made the mistake that many wet" politicians in New York, New Jersey, Maryland. and elsewhere in the valley of "wetdom" have made in dreaming of a "wet" man in the White House, sitting astride a beer keg or a whisky barrel on the beau tiful portico of that beautiful. immac- ulate mansion-they are like a man amid the ice and snow of the Arctic regions, who imagines that the earth must be frozen from pole to, pole They forget that there be many mil lions, more than half of. the American people, who have never bowed the knee to bibulous Baal
 I honor Doctor Empringhan's abil- ity, and 1 do, not discount his sheer ity, but he is just as surely mistaken as any soldier who thought he could win a battle by surrendering to the enemy in the first skirmish because he saw few of his comrades wound ed and dying around him.
 1 am compelled to remind Doctor Empringham and the whole country that the New York silk-stocking crowd, whom he especially represents, has never been wildly enthusiastic about prohibition any way. They were not on the firing line when we were fighting for the eighteenth amend ment, and, as whole, they have not been conspicuous in battling for it's constitutional majesty since it's enact ment-
 I challenge the "wet" claim that Doctor Empringham' apostacY has any national significance. Edwin J. Randall, secretary of the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago, issued a state ment declaring that this Temperance Society does not represent the Epls- copal Church, and Bishop Charles P. Anderson declares that the society is. made up largely of Fasteners, and he does not know a single member in Chicago.
 The Temperance Society which Doc tor Empringham tries to drag into the liquor camp has been practically de funct since 1918. It formerly repre- ,lD of aFal Episcopal membership of 1,1a3, 1000 Nineteen. Episcopal bishops con demned the Empringham statement, and only, five indofsed him..
 Certain it is that the distinguished New York clergyman does not repe- . sent the, sober, God-fearing Episco palians of Atlanta and the Southland l from which hail. Many of them
 were leaders in the battle against the saloon, and many more are now loyal supporters of this constitutional law. 1 The Southern Episcopalians, whom l the fact that this is a land of re l have the honor to know, rejoicing in ! ligious freedom, also believe in the cardinal Bible doctrine that enjoins | the support of all duly constituted. law. They have no sympathy with Doctor Empringham's foolish state
 ment that the prohibition law is class i legislation.
 It is not so much class legislation. as the sixteenth amendment, for that 1 is directed especially at the class of
 people who have large incomes, while
 millions of American people escape any payment whatever. And if Doctor
 Empringham' "hifalutin" bunch in gay and Goddess Gotham seek to per
 sonally modify and defy the proVi-
 sions of this constitutional law, they
 will soon become my neighpors m At lanta, where we have gilded bootleg
 m1Iiiiionaires for breakfast, dinner, and
 supper, behind prison walls.
 Class legislation, indeed This
 country had suffered from class legis-
 lation in favor of brewers, distillers
 and saloon keepers for many weary
 desolate, debauching years. These
 thirsty vampires had been the benef-
 ciaries of protective legislation as
 they built their slimy fortunes out of
 corrupted politics, shattered homes,
 and depleted humanity; but during all this reign of rum and ruin the present
 day beer' and wine reformers were
 never heard of.
 If the saloon that sold intoxicating
 beer and hard liquor had then been transformed, and nothing sold except 1 so called innocent wine and non-lntoX-
 icating beer, the lives of such saloons