The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-10-23

 ness and danger of national prohibition. The following expresses the essense of MT Tafts view
 I am opposed to National prohibition. I am opposed to it because I think it is a mixing of the National Government in matter which should be of local settlement. I think sumptuary laws matters for parcchial adjustment. think it will vest in the National Gov ernment and those who administer it so great power to be dangerous in political matters
 Again, Mr Taft said:
 National prohibition amendment to the Federal Constitution will be adopted against the views and practices of majority of the people in many of the large cities and in one-fourth or less of the States. The business of manu- featuring alcohol, liquor and beer will go out of the hands of law abiding mem bers of the community and will be trans ferred 10 the quasi-erimnal class. In the communities where the majority will
 not sympathize with a Federal laws restrictions large numbers of Federal officers will be needed for it's enforce ment The central government now has very wide war powers When peace comes these must end if the Republic is to be preserved.
 We have previously mentioned the views of Woodrow Wilson this subject. His words bear repetition. Joseph P. Tumuty in Woodrow wilson as l Knew Him, says:
 Time and again when we discussed
 the Nolstead Act he would say: "The
 wrong way of doing the right thing
 You cannot regulate the morals
 habits of a great cosmopolitan people
 by placing unreasonable restrictions
 upon their liberty and freedom. All
 such attempts only end in failure
 and disappointment Tn the last analysis
 in these matters that seek to regulate
 personal habits and customs public opin-
 ion is the greater regulator.
 In the we-known book Talks with T. R." John ]. Leary, Jr., says:
 Col. Roosevelt not of those who
 favored the Eighteenth Amendment to
 the Constitution prohibiting the manu-
 fracture, importation sale of intoxicat-
 ing liquors To his mind prohibition
 was certain to unrest and dissat-
 isfaction: he doubted the fairness of re-
 moving the saloon without providing
 something to take it's place in the life
 of the tenement dwellers, and he was in-
 cned to think the liquor question was
 settling itself
 MT Leary quotes Col Roosevelt, in part as follows
 Drinking declined once it became
 an economic question, at least as
 soon as it recognized an econ
 omic factor. It then began to be un-
 fashionable-at least to overdrink-and
 the man who drank at all ceased
 to be unsual in any trade calling I
 am, however, sorry that they are press
 ing prohibition hard at this time It
 ls think all right, desirable in fact
 to limit or perhaps prohibit the so-called
 hard liquors, but it is mistake, I think
 to stop or try to stop the use of beers
 and the lighter wines.
 Here words of three men who sat in inc White House during the years that the fight for National prohibition being made One Of them man of great judicial experience and pose, the other two the greatest popular leaders since Lincoln. One of them conservative Re- publican, one of them a Democratic liberal and one of them Republican progressive And each of these former Presidents foresaw the con ditions resulting from National prohibition which exist today Therefore to the honest dry who supported national prohibition in the belief that 1t would benefit the Nation this ouestion may be put ' Is not Alfred F. Smith saying today tba thngs that Taft Wilson and Roosevelt world say If they were in the arena of political die eusslon? And if he is saying what they wonld say IS 1t not the part of wisdom would if not De benefit to the public in which honest drys are sincerely interested, to cease callino black white and to sit down and consider Gov smitb,s recommendations?
 It should be remembered that he does not propose to fasten the sale or use of uouor on any one He simply proposes that as a remedv TOT the admitted evils and corruption of the dav the people of each State be allowed to determine lhelr own treatment of this matter l