The Washington times., 1929-05-14
DARRON FLAYS
PROHIBITION
IN DEBATE

BALTIMORE, Nd, May IA O.S0.
Brickbats and bouquets were tossed
at prohibition last night when Gar
ence Darrow, noted lawyer, and Dr.
Clarence True Wilson, secretary OF
the board of temperance, prohiDltlon
and public morals Of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, locked horns IN
debate here.
Arguing the question, Resolved,
That prohibition is right in principle
and a success in practice" Darrow
also launched a vicious attack
against the Methodist Church, term
ing the headquarters Of DR.. wilson's
orga nization, opposite the Capitol In
Washington, the Methodist Vat
ican."
Wilson's Points
DR.. Wilson in the beginning re-
fused to claim that prohibition had
dried UP all sources of supply OF
LIQUOR and claimed that laWlessness
is not the result of prohibition be-
cause the liquor traffic always has
been lawless. He cited the follow
ing benefits:
lawed in the United States.
The saloon has been annihilated.
The American license system,
that picked up souls of citizens
for revenue" is gone.
Legalized temptation has been
taken away from men.
Prosperity has resulted after a
great war for the first time in the
history of the world.
Wilson Derided
DR.. Wilson'S statement that there
was not a drunk in the House or
Senate, was greeted with derisive
laughter. 1t increased when he
said that "the old soaks are gone"
Darrow opened his argument by
saying that a prohibitionist has
great advantage over wet-he can
make up his facts as he goes
along. No matter how foolish they
are, other prohibitionists will be-
lieve him.
He attacked each Of DR.. viii.
sons statements, especially the one
regarding postwar prosperity, say
ing:
ity for all the gold you could pile
up. When men talk of exchanging
freedom for dollars, they are either
bigots or crazy"
Darrow's Attack
The prosperity resulted, he de-
clared, from high wages during
the period Immediately before and
after the United States entered
the war-when men had what they
wanted to drink.
Darrow then attacked DR.. Will
sons organization, demanding to
know what its activities 'as a
board of public morals had been
during the oil scandal" Mem
bers, he declared, were "hypocrites-
plain, square, dishonest hypocrites."
DR.. wilson's office was termed the
Methodist Vatican, across the
street from the Capitol. where
weakened. congressman and SEN
ators can be bulldozed and awed."
Darrow then declared that more
girls and women were drinking
than ever before. Saying that he
had drunk "a little" for As or so
years, he added:
Back to Slavery
IT would rather a man go to
hell free than to heaven bound.
I never will permit anyone to pass
a law in my case telling me what
I can drink. When people can be
bulldozed into giving up liberty
for fear of jails and fines, then
we are going back on the road to
slavery"
In rebuttal, DR.. Wilson declared
that only now had prohibition a
chance to show its worth.
"The wrong kind of men were ap-
pointed to enforcement positions un-
der the Harding Administration" he
said. Coolidge was straight, clean,
non-commital and non-acting. He
made no mistakes and no moves.
Now proper enforcement is at hand. I"
Prohibition, he concluded, was en-
titled to the $50 years of experiment
that had been accorded the license
system.