Milford chronicle., 1928-12-14
Country Wide Movement For Local Law
Enforcement Next Step, Says M. E. Secretary
Pickett Research Secretary of The Board of Temperance Prohibition
Public Morals of the NJ Church. Declares That Election
Informed The World That Prohibition Is Here To Stay

'The great need of the temper
ance reformation in America today
is forward movement to capture
the administration of every state
county and town in America for
honest, efficient enforcement of all
law" said Deets Pickett, research
secretary of the Board of Temper
ance, Prohibition and Public Morals
OF the Methodist Episcopal Church
in making his 10th annual report to
the Board of Managers of that or
sanizatiOn in annual session at the
Methodist Building. December 4th.
MIR. Pickett continued: Criminals
and nullifiers have no right to place
and power anywhere in this land
and there are enough patriotic,
God-fearing men and women to
drive them into oblivion whenever
We choose to join battle. 1t is not
the duty of the United States Gov
crnment to police this country. The
closer government is to the people
of the community, the greater
should be the interest of the people
ir that government.
Il want to say that a great deal
of loose criticism is made of the
newspapers and the news agencies.
Our organization has no complaint.
Even the great metropolitan dailies
which are bitterly opposed to pro-
hibition have, in the main, given us
a fair deal in their news columns.
AS one correspondent said, We
lambast you in our editorials, but
we take a pride in giving you a fair
show on the news pages
while l was in Europe this sum
mer l was profoundly impressed by |
the striking contrast between social |
conditions, as affected by drink, |
there and here, a contrast much |
greater than it was seven years ago. |
In the words of a leading business |
man of England. the conditions in |
that country are appalling, drunk
en-, hellish,' and while bOOtlegging |
in the United States is a distressing
problem, it is as nothing compared
to the conditions in England, re-
sulting from the liberation of pub
in number within a city block. Nor
is it comparable to the evil caused
by the drinking places in Belgium
and France, where on Saturdays the
poorer women custOmarily pawn
articles of clothing or furniture in ;
order to get a few cents to replace [
the wages which have been looted
from the pay envelope by the es-
taminetS and sidewalk cafes. 1t is
a weekly round of misery and pri-
VatiOn, indeed of virtual starvation !
among hundreds OF thousands of :
families, and the communities show 7
the results in dirty cutters and de- 7
spairing faces. But if this be true, ,
and it is as distressing to any right
thinking American as it is to the
native of the country afflicted, it Is
Just as true that there is in evidence
a striking change in sentiment
among the leaders of thought, poll
tics, industry and commerce in
Great Britain and Germany, and TO
lesser extent in other European
countries. Whereas, seven years
ago, the press and politicians almost
voiced nothing but ridi-
:ule and contempt for the 'Ameri-
IAN noble experiment, today we
ind here and there a leader who
loes not hesitate TO say that his 3
country must, for its own salvation,
ollow the American lead, while
many hundreds of others are sig
suenC. L Deneve tnat the
,olitical and industrial leaders of =
treat Britain and Germany are
convinced that prohibition is an es-
ential part of the marvellous pros
,erity of the United States, that, in
act, it is no longer an experiment, 2
nut a wonderful success from the
conomic viewpoint and that the .
linds of the sO-called common peo- 9
lie of these countries must be pre- q
ared to accept still more drastic 9
on drink, with prOhibi-
ion as an eventual and logical goal. q
ne consequential figure i'll British =
ublic life said. we still believe d
hat you are suffering from great 2
DciaI evils because Of your way OF
andling the drink question, but the p
dyantages of prohibition are not
nIy great enough TO outweigh the q
)cial disadvantages. but a-e aDSO-
ltely compelling. Our situation in
le face Of relatively sober Ameri- 2
IN competition is fast approaching
le impOssible.' The remarkable =
yidence visible on every hand in
urope of growing American trade q
reinforcing these convictions. 2
1T seems to me that the results
; the recent election will afford q
uropean opinion a final verdict Oh
'ohibition. 1 found the European
terest in the American political
Impaign intense. Nor was the
'ohibition issue underestimatcd
ne first question asked by cas-
Il acquaintance would inevitably q
J. Are the American people going
keep prohibition or will they
ect Al Smith? There is of course,
nee the election a disposition on
e part of that section of the for 3
gn press which is still fighting
e battle of the drink trade to mis- \
ad sentiment have letter from
v brother, DR.. j. WaskOm Pickett,
- T,,I 7 1rIy "A