The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-06-10
Attorney General Arthur l..
Gilliom of Indiana Becomes
Target For General Bonn
bardment BY Dry Forces
Because He Uses Whiskey
as Medicine

Indianapolis. June 10 NEA)--Ar-
thur l.. Gilliom, attorney general OF
the state Of Indiana, who never
bought or tasted drink Of liquor in
his life and who can't tell highball
from cocktail, today finds himself
the target for a general lombard
ment by the dry forces of the
Hoosier state.
,:illiom brought this on himself:
First, by getting some whisky to
use as medicine tin defiance OF In
diana's bone dry law to save the
lives Of two Of his sons few months
ago when they were sick with ty-
phoid fever.
Second, by getting some more
whisky for Governor Ed Jackson a
short tirle ago when Mrs. Jackson
was close to death with pneumonia.
Third--and most important - by
writing an open letter to the COVER
nor few days ago calling attention
70 these facts and demanding that
the law prohibiting medicinal whisky
be abolished.
Accuse Him of Wetness
AS result, the prohibitionists of
| Indiana are calling him "Friend Of
Demon Rum" John BarleycOrn's
Henchrlan" and various other things.
He is accused of working for n COM
plete overthrow Of the prohibition
| Law.
All of this exasperates him deeply.
~ am dry!" he said en-
phatically in his office here today.
| And it is because l am 4 dry, have
never spent one penny for drink in
my life and don't know the differ
.nce between cocktail and high
ball, that | want to see the dry
cause freed from the silly twaddle,
the fanaticism and even the cruelty
that pervades bone dry state which
would let u man see his children or
his wife die for lack of liquor"
Governor jackson, recipient of
Gilliom's whisky and Gilliom's open
letter, is preserving deep silence
He is not, however, being subjected
to quite the same bombardment that
is centering about Gilliom.
Would you break law to save
a life?" is the question that is be-
ing discussed everywhere in Indiana
today. Opinions are widely divided;
and scores of people are writing ia
Gilliom, voicing praise or blame &C.
cording to their. lights.
Want Him Prosecuted
There are those who declare that
Gilliom should be prosecuted for ad.
J hitting that he illegally procured
. liquor. They add, in many cases
that if it can be proven that Gov
Jackson got liquor he should be i'm
; peached.
Wet forces are jubilant, and are
saying so loudly. Gilliom, however
resents their plaudits even more thar
he resents the sniping of the drys.
Gilliom, recognized throughout tn
state as fighter, has never exactl.
been one Of the Anti-Saloon League
bosom friends. He declares that tn,
: league INSISTS that man be fanat
ically and asininely dry if they coun
him as a dry at ALL
About year ago Gilliom broke
:, lance with the league. The leagu
= criticized two liquor case decision
of the state supreme court and Gil
lion promptly had f. S. Shumaker
E president of the league, cited TO
= contempt of court on the ground
THAT it was improper to criticize de
cisions in cases that were still pend
:. ing. A committee Of prominent In
- diana attorneys acted as jury 70
!, the supreme court and recommends
> that Shumaker be found guilty o
q contempt; but the case is still hang
: ing fire, although Gilliom repeated
; has asked the supreme court to hav
. it set forward for disposal.
: All Of this put Gilliom definitel
in the leagues i'll favor. But it wa
i nothing compared to the effect q
/ his latest action.
!. A number of state legislators ma