New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1928-08-23
Smith COMES OUT
| FOR MODIFICATION
Continued from First Page

! u omen.
Immigration Stand
While standing "squarely" on the
Democratic platform declaration for
/ restrictive immigration, the nomi-
nee asserted that he was heartily
in favor of removing from the I'M
migration law the harsh provision
which separates families" and was
opposed to the principle OF restric-
ton based upoa the figures of i'm
migrant population contained in a
/ census thirty-eigEt years Old
| Half way through his address,
which he had prepared with the
idea of completing its delivery with
in an hour, Governor Smith tackled
the prohibition question. He never
will advocate or approve any Law.
he said, which directly or indirectly
permits the return of the saloon,
and sale of intoxicants by state
agencies was proposed as an alter
| native.
| Declaring that the president Of
the United States has two constitu-
tional duties with respect to prohi-
Acknowledgement of the law and
a determination of what changes, if
any, should be recommended to
congress. the nominee made this
pledge:
Il shall to the very limit execute
the pledge of our platform to make
an honest endeavor to enforce the
| 9Th o,>l on
| visions of the federal constitution
and all laws enacted pursuant there
to-"
Then he added: The President
does not make the laws. He does
his best to execute them whether
he likes them or not. The corrup-
ton in enforcement activities which
caused a former Republican prohi-
bition administrator to state that
three-fourths Of the dry agents
were political ward heelers named
by politicians without regard to
civil service laws and that prohibit
! ton is the new political pork bar
rel | will ruthless'y stamp out.
/ Such conditions cannot and will not
exist under any administration pre-
| sided over by mo"
Insisting that the present legal
| definition of the alcoholic content
of an Intoxicating beverage is lad
mittedly Inaccurate and unscientif-
| lc, Gov. Smith expressed the view
that some immediate relief would
come from an amendment to the
Nostead law" which could permit
each state to fix its own standard
OF alcoholic coltent. Subject al
ways to the provso that tina,
standard could not exceed the max
imum fixed by congress-"
The 18th Amendment
Il believe moreover that there
should be submitted to the people
the question of some change in the
provisions of the 18th Amendment, -"
the nominee went on. certainly, no
one foresaw when the amendment
vas ratified the conditions which
exist today of bootlegging. corrup-
ton and open violation of the law
in all parts of the country. The peo-
pie themselves should, after this
eight years of trial. be permitted to
say whether existing conditions
should be rectfied.
Il personally believe in an
amendment In the 18th Amendment
which would give to each individual
state itself only after approval by
referendum popular vote of its
people the right wholly within its
borders to import. manufacture or
cause to be manufactured, and sell
alcoholic beverages, the sale to ,e
made only by the state itself and
not for consumption in any public
place.
I'VE may well learn from the ex-
perience of other nations. Ou..
Canadian neighbors have gone far
in this manner to solve this prob
lem by the method of sale made by
the state itself. and not by private
individuals.
There is no question here of the
return of the saloon. When stated
that the saloon 10 and ought to be
a defunct institution in this coun-
try. l meant it. mean it today. /
will never advocate or approve any
law which directly or indirectly
permits the return of the saloon"
Declaring that he believed the
solution he proposes would be that
(which would today be offered by
Jefferson. or Jackson. or Cleveland.
or Wilson, Gov. Smith pointed out
that ''the platform of my party is
silent upon any question Of change
of the law"
II personally believe there should
be change" he added. land / shall
advise the congress in accordance
to my constitutional duty of what
ever changes l deem necessary or
expedient.' 1t will then be for the
people and the representatives in
the national and state legislatures
to determine whether these changes
should be made"
The Farm Problem
Turning to the farm problem, the
Democratic standard bearer an
nounced that he proposed Ito SUBJ
stitute action for inaction and
friendliness for hostility" in dealing
with the question.
Recalling that President Coolidge
twice vetoed the McNary-Haugen
bill passed by a Republican tln-
gress, Smith said that whether the
veto of that specific measure was
right or wrong, it is undisputed
that no adequate substitute was
ever recommended to the congress
by the president and thta no con-
structive plan of relief was ever
formulated by any leader of the
Republican party
Emphasizing the need for cooper
alive, coordinated marketing and
warehousing of surplus farm pro-
ducts. the nominee expressed the
view that the Democratic platform
points the way to make the tariff
effective for crops of which we
produce a surplus