Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-29
RICHIE SEES IN PROHIBITION
LEADING u. S. POLITICAL ISSUE
MARYLAND Governor Protests
Against Law Ito Regulate
Habits of People,"
Reaffirms Democratic Prin.
cipIe Against Centra|iza-
ton of Federal Power.
by ROBERT BARRY.

/ People make the issues in politics
and parties are effective agencies only
when they undertake a straight
forward discussion of those issues, IN
the opinion of Gov. Albert c. Richie
of Maryland.
| what purpose do we serve Wheh
we say prohibition shall not be a
| political issue when 1t Is the thihs
! about which the American people are
| thinking and talking more today than
| any other topic?" inquired the only
| third-term governor in the history OF
| the Maryland free State.
! Gov. Ritchie is q wet. AS the out
standing champion of the Jeffersonlan
| theory of government, his demands
| for decentralization of governmental
| authority and restriction of Federal
| bureaucracy have made him prom.
| nent among Democratic presidential
| possibilities.
constitutional prohibition is an
aspect of the Capitalization of power
| in Washington" Gov. Richie de-
| clared 1T is an attempt to have
| Federal bureau or unit regulate the
social habits Of the American people.
LAS such it must be considered IN
| connection with the whole vicious
tendency of recent years whereby Fed
eral Capitalization has devitallzed the
| original theory of our Government and
Federal bureaucracy has usurped the
powers and functions of the States.
Calls 1t Legislation of Morals.
constitutional prohibition is part
and parcel Of the system whereby IT
is attempted to hand over to the Fed
eral bureaus, commissions and boards
the regulation of the life, liberty and
1. IS CiH from
the attempt to legislate morals, there
has sprung from this same fervor to
standardize human conduct efforts of
bureaucracy to tell mothers how to
rear their children and housewives
how to make mince pies.
I'VE have Federal supervision over
reads agriculture, health, education,
uC, ntl hood, infant hygiene, domestic
science and what-not. The proposed
twentieth amendment, admirable as
were the aims sought to be attained,
proposed Federal control over the en-
ployment of every child of Is or under.
1.-THE proposed Federal Department
of Education would take from the
State and local communities, which
know best the educational require
ments of their own children, the
choice of studies and have some bu-
reau chief in Washington decide.
These things are part of the same
dangerous Capitalization as was at
tempted through the medium Of the
eighteenth amendment. OF all those
issues the men and women of the
United States are interested most in
prohibition.
us it not fundamental democratic
doctrine to uphold and struggle for
the State rights theory? What is
the use, therefore, of our saying that
we will or that we won't have pro-
hibition for an issue?"
do you believe prohibition to be
such an issue as likely to dominate
the Democratic national convention to
the exclusion of all other issues?" the
governor was asked.
mo, I do not" he replied. II say
that it is an issue in politics. / say
we will have to meet 1t whether we
will or not. ] am ready to meet it"
do you think the party must do
SOP
Frankly, I cannot see how we can
evade it," Gov. Richie said. Here
is something in which the American
people are concerned above any or all
political questions you might mention.
Why do we have political parties eX-
cept to advance issues which affect
the primary interests of the people?
We cannot ever hope to solve the
problems Of our highly complex civ
ilization unless we tackle them. I see
no other purpose for party govern
ment. Surely, no one contends we
should reduce it to the level-o of mere
office seeking, the ms trying to re-
main in and the outs trying to get
in"
1T is your belief, then, that in get
ting back to the fundamental theories
of the Democratic party on States
rights and against constant expansion
of bureaucracy at Washington it is
essential that prohibition be consid-
cred as phase of the problem?"
Precisely" Gov. Richie returned.
~ wish merely that we get back to
the bill of rights. We cannot achieve
that unless the Democratic party re.
dedicates itself to it's original pur-
poses.
Capitalization Increasing.
Decentralization increases by leaps
and bounds. The war helped this.
But, unfortunately, centraliza ton
grows by what it feeds upon. The
objects Of government become lost in
the mechanics of government. Laws
become more important than men;
power more important than liberty;
business more important than human
rights.
ITO check this centralizing process
and its increasing dangers we must
restore and develop the power and
authority of the only government
that in the very nature Of things can