Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30

| ana DelleVt great majority OF the
people themselves believe, that this was
an erroneous idea. For this reason I
hold that the question is not today as
between liquor and no liquor. or prohi-
bition and nti-prohibition rather, the
question is what is best for the coun-
try to do to relieve a situation that 1t
finds itself in.
We have never had prohibition in
this country in the sense that hard
liquor was banished from it. No person
with knowledge of what is going on in
| the country would claim that there is
no liquor in this country today. / go
further than that and say that there
is as mnrh. if not mora chan there
WIS in the pre- prohibition days, be-
cause countless thousands of our citi-
z"ns today see reason for storing it
away.
The question presented. therefore. is
how best to adapt American custom
and American habit to a constitutional
amendment end a bcHv of sustaining
laws that so many millions of our citi-
zens. respecting all other laws and
stanifng high in their communities,
ere disposed to disregard.
Preservation Of Youth.
said moment ago that this is a
n1oral question and. certsi'lly. there is
stern~r duty resting upon the American
oeopla than the preservation OF the
morals Of our youth Ct this COUNTRY. In
NV snaech of acceptance / said the
following:
II believe in Temperance. We have
not achieved tcmnorance under the
nraSent s~st~m. The mothers end
fathers of voIng men and women
"a 49, ~
md WORRY which has been brought to
them l,v thair children's Use of LIQUOR
in WY which was unknown before
prohibition. / believe in reverence for
law. Today disregard Of the prohibit
ticn law is irsidiouslv sapning respect
for all law. ] raise, therefore, what ]
nrofou odlv believe II be great moral
Issue involving the righteousness Of our
national conduct and the protection of
cur childrens morals
This settlement has been challenged
and criticized by the cverzealouS among
thu prcl,:bitienists who appear to be
willing to disregard facts and the
record
This was no original thought of mine
have no personal or intimate kllowl-
edge of these conditions erong the
youth. No man In my position would
abundant evidence to sustain what
said and 1t was upon this evidence that
made the statement
Covers Whele Nation.
Let us consider some of it. If it
were confined to single section of the
United States. It would not impress me,
but it Is Nationwide. 1t comes. from
clergymen and educators. Starting with
49, ~f w.. 49, SO
testimony Of the rector Of the All Saints
Island, who saws:
Il cannot imagine worse condition
than exists at present among the young
people who are led to the use of
afuIterated. strong drink, such as
whisky gin raw brandies and even
plain alcohol, and this because the
n1iider drinks such as beer, ale and
light wines, cannot be had for the very
simple reason they are difficult for the
bootlegger to handle profitably. We are
suffering an intolerable situation that
means further debauchery of youth be-
yond anything we have ever imagined"
Let us step into New England. Rev.
P. c. Power, director Of the Episcopal
Hcne of st. John for Children, located
In Boston, says:
hebitually in conversation boast of their
private and favorite bootieggers."
Hits Moral Effect.
Rev. J. D. Saunderson of the Epis-
copal Church of Christ in Brownsville,
Pa, says: 't~
THE moral effect of an unenforced
and unenforceable law, particularly on
our young people, has been very sad.
1t soon became, unfortunately, the
smart thing to carry something on your
boys and girls Who In many cases. had
never tasted alcohol until the fad had
become habit"
Rev. r. Johnston Thomas of Nebraska
says:
I'm days gone by. 1t was disgrace
for boys to drink, and especially girls,
but now it is the smart thing to do
Similar letters could be read from
all parts of the country.
Miss Ida Tarbell writes:
"Bootleggers and their customers
shape their commerce to suit circun1-
stances and, in doing so, often make
drinkers of those who. in the old days,
were protected from direct temptation.
Something of that kind is happening
In many business offices: the bootlegger
serving the man at the top manages
to build up q trade among clerks.
office boys"
Gives Buffers Views.
Nicholas Murray Butler, president Of
Columbia University, says:
I'VE have brought about a situation
in which we challenge the ingenuity
and sporting instinct OF millions OF
young persons to test whether or not
they can safely violate law for which
and induced a spirit and habit OF
iaWlessness which are quite without
precedent, and which reach from the
highest ranks in the nations life to
the lowest and most humble"
Finally, let me call your attention
to the report of the Institute of Social
and Religious Research, which has
recently completed a study of condi-
tions among undergraduates In %
American colleges This study was made
under the craftsmanship of John r.
Mott formerly international president
Of the Y. M. G. A.. and associated with
president of Brown University, and
Paul Monroe. former professor in
teachers college, Columbia University.
New York.
Fifty-six p>r cent of the women
undergraduates who were questioned
said
THE most demoralizing influence in
college life as whole Is the use of
liquor"
All Of this must be known to the
people In Washington, but the real truth
and the real facts have been concealed.
Takes Up Record.
Let us look at some of the facts
Let US take them from the record. In
the first place. I claim that the
eighteenth amendment and the Volstead
act have produced condition of whole
sale corruption among officials of the
Government charged with their en-
fnrcnraeat and call as ,a,u u,ittanss