The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1928-09-01
HOTEL BEAT THE LAW-SO REPEAL
THE LAW

HOTEL BEAT THE LAW-SO REPEAL
THE LAW
In explaining his vote to permit the es-
Enlistment of bar in the Hotel Gotham.
the governor offers the himsy excuse that
this hotel in order TO defeat the law pro-
hibiting the sale of liquor within Two
hundred feet of a church, had rented 4
house outside Of the two-hundred- foot
limit where it established its bar. and bell
boys were compelled to carry the liquor
from this detached house to hotel guests.
1.-THE spectacle of bellboys walking through
the streets with cocktail shakers and wine
glasses in their hands" was too distressing
sight for Al Smith. He said, II chose 10
end the hypocrisy of such procedure, and
in view of the high character of the hotel
I was entirely satisfied that if liquor were
to be consumed inside of the hotel it
might just as we'll be sold in it." This
sounds very much like the argument that
we now hear, viz: "Bootleggers are selling
the stuff anyway, so we might just as well
license them and give the state and nation
the revenue"
ALWAYS FOE OF LOCAL OPTION
Governor Smith says, II am criticised
for voting against large number of local
option bills. Most of these bills
are duplicates of one another" His reply
is, 1.-THE popular opinion of this state at
that time on the subject can best be seen
by looking at the vote on bill No. 1874,
1910" He then quotes that vote, showing
that SO men out of $50 voted wet, Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike. It is true
that there was tremendous opposition in
New York State to any proposal to give
the people voice in the matter of saying
whether they wanted saloons in their
communities. This same Al Smith who is
now advocating state option to determine
the alcoholic content of what constitutes
intoxicating liquor, voted time and time
again against giving the people of his own
state a chance to express themselves Oh
prohibition.
LAW COULDN'T BE ENFORCED
Here is his reason. He said there was
strong sentiment against the extension of
local prohibition by the local option
method because of the inability of off,
Gals to enforce the law in the dry sections.
and substitution of so-called clubs for
places licensed by the state, and the loss
by the state of the license fees and taxes
which came to it for sales made in the
normal, legal way. Practically every As
semblyman from the cities voted as Gid
on these measures and in casting these
votes they were undoubtedly representing
the will of their constituents" These are
ancient wet arguments with which the
people are thoroughly familiar. Al Smith
lined up with the wet cities in an effort to
keep the state Of New York wet. AS a
Sachem of Tammany Hall, would Al Smith
in the White House continue to be the
champion of the wet element of New York
City against the nation?
REPRESENTED CONSTITUENCY
Governor Smith explains his vote on
bill permitting saloons to open one hour
earlier in the morning and extending
their selling hours at night by saying
that he represented his constituency,
that the added hour in the morning was
for the benefit of night workers, that the
closing hour at night was not being OBJ
served. And so here once again is re-
vealed his policy-where criminals will
not obey the law, the solution is to repeal
the law.
Governor Smith has rendered real
service to the people of this nation in
the discussion of his activities as an AS
semblyman. Some people who have read
William Allen Whites expose of Al Smiths
record as Assemblyman, might have dis
counted it on the ground that Mr.. White il
prejudiced. 1t was left to Governor Smith
himself to verify every statement Mr.,
White has made.