Evening star., 1926-06-08
New York Senator Boldly Ad-
vocateS Repeal of 18th
Amendment.
WOULD ADOPT QUEBEC
LIQUOR SYSTEM IN U. S.
Modification of Volstead Act Not
Enough to Cure Evils" of Pro-
hibition, He Declares.
Senator Jssn>s W. Wad.wor,

ssnator JRsr.s ". Wadsworth Of
New York today threw down tho
gauntlet to the "drys'' who are try
ing to bring about his defeat at the
polls next November.
He declared today that prohibition
has "deluged the country with hypoc-
risy and corruption" and that total
abstinence through legal compulsion
is impossible Of attainment" He de
manded the repeal Of the eighteenth
amendment to the Constitution and
the substitution Of the Government
sale of liquor in the States that de-
sire il.
Senator Wadsworth's statement was
contained in a letter written by him
in reply TO a request that he state
his position on the prohibition ques-
ton. The request came from Re
publican county chairman in upstate
New York.
Faces Strenuous Fight.
Facing the most strenuous political
fight Of his career, Senator Wads-
worth, Republican leader of New
York, thus burned his bridges behind
him. He is out as candidate on a
wet platform, without the slightest
H.
sonal platform on the wet and dry
issue, regardless OF what the Repub-
lican State convention may do in the
way of drafting a platform.
The New York Senator. criticized
the eighteenth amendment for en-
bodying a Sumptuary statute in the
fundamental law, attacked the Vol
stead act for what he considers its
arbitrary definition of intoxicating
liquors. and continued:
II shall be perfectly frank and say
that, while / advocate modification. !
do not believe the modification Of the
Volstead act within constitutional
limits will solve the problem perma-
nently. / think we must go back 10
the eighteenth amendment itself and
substitute for it simple grant OF
power to the Congress. That done.
should hope that the Congress and
the States Through the authority OF
the Congress- could establish in this
country, in accordance with local sen
timent and desires. some such system
as prevails in the province OF Quebec
Calls Quebec Plan Sound.
The principles Of the Quebec plan
l believe are sound. The plan, as a
result of the government taking over
the sale exclusively of all alcoholic
beverages and forbidding the CON
sumption of those beverages upon the
premises where sold, does away with
the saloon and the private liquor traf
fic Furthermore. the plan does not
permit the establishment of a govern
ment liquor store in any community
which has voted that it does not want
such a store. Thus the people them
selves decide what they want and they
attain ii under strict government
regulation and in a way quite free
from the evil conditions so prevalent
in the old days.
Il believe that some such system as
this land there may be Improvements
upon it, will achieve more for the
cause of temperance than the scheme
we have been trying for the last six
or seven years. Surely every observ
ant and fair-minded person must real
ize that as a result of the attempt of
the Federal Government 10 force total
abstinence upon al. our people the
country is today deluged with hypoc-
risy and corruption-a condition that
Continued on Page 4, Column H.