Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-24
LA GUARD|A REPLY /
| HALTED BY BISHOP
Methodist. PreIate Declines
to Be Disturbed on Query
About Wet Ship.

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, April 24,-Bishop
James Cannon, jr., Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church South, arriving to-
day on the White Star liner Olympic,
declined to be disturbed by wireless
message sent him yesterday by Repre-
sentative La Guardia. New York. ask
ing why he Travelled ON a wet ship
instead Of dry one"
The bishop admitted having received
| the message, but did not know whether
| he would answer 1t or not. He char
acterized the message as being IAN at
tempt to achieve the spectacular"
Bishop Cannon sat in his second
cabin quarters as the big ship came up
the North River. He was returning
home from Winter cruise on the
| Calgaric to the Mediterranean. With
| the exception Of a few messages eX-
changed with his office, he said he had
been. for the most part, out OF touch
with prohibition and anti-prohibition
matters which had developed since he
LEFT. He is chairman of the board OF
temperance and social service OF his
church.
Sees Temperance Gaining.
The bishop saw little likelihood OF
prohibition In some OF the countries ne
| had visited, such as Egypt. France ana
England Foreign influences III Egypt
prevent prohibition, he SAID. altnough
| the Mohammedans are abstalners. he
] said he thought England was becoming
more temperate, but did not think the
question would be Of much moment III
| the coming British elections.
| st found they have no sympathy III
England for the commander OF the
| I'm Alone. who was a confessed liquor
sm,,gpler.' he said. Rather the
tendency is to condemn man OF tnlS
sort. They do not believe In nauntihg
| the laws Of other lands" mr.,
OF France the bishop SAID u .i,e
most alcoholized nation in the world.
Bishop Cannon will go direct 10
washington. At the close OF the inter
view he again referred to the radio
gram of Representative La Guardla.
eff a man is going aboard Tor otlsl-
noes or Measure I think 1t does not cut
much ice whether this ship is wet or
| DIV ne said. II don't see why man
should shape his trip just to get a
morning today" Temperance aboard
ships. he added, Is becoming more ana
more general. -.s
When the newspaper men swarmeo
about the bishop. he said, In answer
| IN a harrage Of questions, that he old
not know what difference it made as to
what ship a man sails on, II ne has
business abroad"
Prefers Dry Ship.
The factors of comfort and speed are
always TO be considered, he said. But
/ II II were a case of leaving port on
a wet ship or dry ship, he would
naturally prefer a dry ship.
| He remarked that travelling upon
wet ship did not in any wise linpiy
| that a man was sympathetic toward the
| vets.
He did not feel he could say any,
thing at this time as to the changed
nrogram of the United States Line,
inc. in adopting wet westbound pas
sage. as he guessed the line had the
right. as an independent organization
to chose whatever program 1t thought
II should say" he said, 1.-The United
States Lines, Inc, having purchased
the once Government owned SHIPS mas
the right to run these ships as they
But how do you feel on the matter
of American flag ships being wet" he
was questioned.
Constitutional question.
ct should say" he replied, that
American persons or properties accept
ing the protection OF the flag. should be
subject of the law Of the flag. 1 am
not a Constitutional lawyer and do not
know what the technicalities are. Per
haps / shall go into these technicalities
later. 1t seems to me cowardly pro-
cedure to claim protection and then
not be amenable to the law OF the
land
Asked If he had read President Hoo.
yers address before the membership OF
the Associated Press, Bishop Cannon
said:
Il only got digest of the speech on
the ship. 1t was sent In the regular
wireless news dispatches, which are
posted on the ships bulletin board. !
think in saying what he did he was
doing the very thing he must do If he
is going to get results. He had to IN
dictate to the people that he is In ear
nest about this proposition and as far
as is possible he is going to throw In
f1uence and leadership to the principle
that the Constitution is to be upheld.