Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-08-11
BY VILLA N hard.

hhRDs
Az the reconveni&E Of the Senate
looms up. so does tRe demon rum in
new raiment. Senators will plunge
almost at once into Hhe new STYLES Of
the prohibition debat& The farm prob
lem may do some fading and the tariff
trouble may in the and blow of clear.
but alcohol is seen here now to be the
big endless storm OF r. Hoover admin
istEation.
The polit'"ir n the National Capt.
tel see + ~Eeat changes that have
hsppe :. IN the prohibition situation
isince President Hoover took Office. That
would look like progress, but the fact
is that two OF the changes encourage
the vets. and We now simply have the
dryS drier and the vets wetter than
ever before.
The flrst change is the growth in alb
solute total abstinence in high national
political circles. The number OF nom
drinkers in such circles in Washington
has quite considerably increased. Also,
the total volume drunk by the drinkers
In such circles has quite considerably
declined. There has been d develop
ment toward moderation as well as to-
ward total abstinence. This develop
ment IL denied by some Of our jewellers,
but they cannot laugh 1t OF. It exists,
and II encourages the drys extremely.
Law, Right Or Wrong.
The drys are similarly encouraged BY
the Presidents success in scattering the
seeds OF the idea that all laws are
equally worthy of legal respect and
obedience. Reports reaching here from
all parts of the country are convincing
TO the effect that multitudes OF con-
verts have been made to the proposition
that a law Is q Law. right or wrong.
reasonable or reckless. and that the
citizen should swallow 1t the way Soc
rates happily swallowed the poison
when the governmental system OF
Athens told him to.
The drys are thereupon full OF graft
tude to Mr. Hoover. Mr.. Hoover. it is
TO be understood, does not pry into the
drinking or abstainink habits or theories
OF his political associates. Some OF his
most conspicuous appointees are in
principle wet Some Of them are wet
Also in practice. Nevertheless, most Of
them. irrespective OF principle conform
IN practice generally to their chief: dry
example and to the dry policy OF his
administration. They also support him
in his propaganda Of obedience to the
whole Of the Constitution and to all
statutes. The dryS accordingly rejoice
As they see less drinking in high places
and more preaching and accepting of
the doctrine of 100 per cent law OBJ
servance" everywhere.
It is Just at that point, however. that
the vets come out and begin to do a lot
OF counter rejoicing of their own.
The really biggest, deepest new de-
velopment perhaps OF the whole ive
months that have gone by since Mr..
Hoover became President Ia the re-
appearance in the United states Of an
outright deliberate philosophy Of con-
scientiouk violation OF a law thought
to be morally vicious." This writer
doubts II there has been any other
such event in the United States since
the days befor2 the Civil war. when
OF violation OF the F. ieral Law for re-
storing runaway slaves to their masters.
Limitation to Obedience.
Against Mr.. Hoover's propositions
that 4 law Is o law, there Is now reared
the answering proposition that law
can be so rotten or so ridiculous As to
cease to have the moral status of law
and therefore cease to have any moral
claim to obedience. This doctrine is
coming to be widely current now in
circles not only respectable but earnest
~ religious.
II there ia In this country any in
stitution Of learning unexceptionably
respectable and religious, 1t is the
Protestant Church. School, 0roton. in
Massachusetts,. gentleman long as
ISOLATED with that school, Mr. George
W. Martin has recently expressed him.
self upon the Volstead law as follows:
1T Is founded on lie. It is enforced
by a lie. Is submission to any law
moral obligation? Surely not unless
thA a,lhV,a iSSiOt1 "a rriAe NTH the ,YAeF.
sonAl conviction of rightness. which
makes It moral. For years have tried
to teach boys to live the highest truth
as I saw It. have taught the Cuty OF
obedience. I should also have taught
the duty Of rebellion"
That Ia from rs high Protestant
"ouree a. the country AFFORDS. In the
Catholic element OF the population
there is no more learned and no more
ethics than the Rev. John "A. Ryan Of
the Catholic. University OF Washing
ton. Ills announced opinions on, pro-
hibition include these:
80 far as the law itself is concerned.
both seller and buyer Of liquor are free
from moral guilt or blame II they feel
morally certain that the law is devoid
of ethical validity. There exists no uni
versel moral obligation to obey every
CIVIL Jaw. Inc manlIOiu eVu COIlSc-
ouences of national prohibition have
shown that 1t IL probably the very worst
possible method OF dealing with the
j.cuor problem. / do not think that
the national prohibition laws are any
longer directly binding In conscience"
Effect Is Profound.
The effect of such deliyerance has
been profound. Political travellers
ahrougaout the country return to wash
ington with the view that out OF the