Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-18
BORAH DECLARES
DRY LAW TO STAY
ldahoan Starts Reply to Reed,
Who Continues Attack
on Prohibition.
Continued from First Page.

rescue the Incorporate into a prosecu-
tor.
They have abandoned the tract and
assumed the bludeeon," said Mr.. Reed
1--WE send unfortunates to the peni-
Tertiary instead of seeking to rescue
them"
The Missouri Senator, referring to
the Durant contest for the best plan for
the enforcement of prohibition, said
that many of those who had replied
urged the infection of penalty on PEN
atty. He gave as examples of EN-
thusiasts gone mad" the suggestions
of one person and of one lady" The
first, he said, had proposed that liquor
law violators should be hung by the
tongue and carried in airplaneS over
the country. The woman who entered
the contest, he said, urged that the
Government distribute poison liquor
through bootleggers on the theory that
only few thousands would die and
that it was worth it to get prohibition
enforced.
Law Justifies Atrocity."
'That," said Senator Reed, sis the
spirit that is abroad in the land Any
thing that may be done under the law
is right. The law justifies any cruelty
and atrocity. Yet the law has been the
instrument of tyrants and the weapon
of brutes since time began. Despots
have sought to Justify their tyrannies
which have filled the land with groans
OF those dying by the law.
What, sirs, is the law? 1t is some
adopted by general consent. If it be a
proper law. it must be more than that.
1t must be founded in justice and hu-
name in its provisions. It must be
something that commends itself to the
soul OF mankind to be proper law. A
cruel law and an unjust law may be
as much crime as assassination. It
Is urged that we can pass any kind of
law. Such was not the theory of
the founders of our Government"
Senator Reed said that the founders
OF the Government acted upon the
theory that all laws were derived from
the consent Of the governed; that they
were against cruel and unusual penal
Ties, and that they set bounds to the
authority OF government itself.
Some people, he said, think that
II you have the votes to enact cruel
law, that he is the end of the matter.
Why the Savior of Mankind was cru
cited according to the Roman law and
the Jewish law. Joan of Arc was
burned at the stake in accordance with
the laws that prevailed them
senator Reed said that he was not
urging the American people and Con-
gress to defy this prohibition law. ''be-
cause we have the power of changing
the law, and 1t is our business to pro-
ceed In the right way to remedy wrongs"
The right way, he said, is to repeal
Dad laws and to change bad constitu-
tons. The prohibition law, he said. is
e nad law, destructive law, and has
introduced corrupting influences into
the life of the country.
Senator Reed, in continuing his at
tack on the dry organization. criticized
It's methods in politics. He said it made
no olfference how man would vote on
otner questions, II he voted as Mr.
wheeler wanted on the question he was
supporting. He declared the dry forces
changed from one political party to an
other without regard for the ethics of
politics.
The Missourian next turned his
oratorical guns upon "Pussyfoot" john
son. After quoting at length from
statements which he said johnson had
made, describing the methods he had
followed in furthering the cause of
prohibition, Senator Reed next crit
icized the employment of members of
Congress Ito go about the country
supporting prohibition. Senator Reed
declared he was not Directing to an
organization defending It's views, but
added that he did challenge the right
OF an organization ito go to the men
who were to pass on the laws and put
money in their purses"
Turning next to the machinery for
prohibition enforcement. Senator Reed
continued:
What is an under-cover agent? He
Is spy-and a spy, except in the case
OF the man who risks his life for his
country in time of war, is unquestion-
ably the lowest order of animal life.
The spy Is creature who has aban-
doned IN advance every principal of
honor. The men who enforce this law
must so about peeping through key
holes. They must make friendships in
order to betray them. They will COM
nit perjury. They will accept bribes."
After reading records of the number
OF enforcement agents separated from
the service for various causes, Senator
Reed continued:
''It spells this story: That you can
not get decent men to do this work.
Hence it goes into the hands of off,
scourings of humanity"
Senator Reed asserted that the old
temperance forces carried on "a beau
tiful and glorious work." which he de-
scribes as the work of trying to save
men by appealing to them
But now behold what their success
eors are doing. Their boast is of the
number of human beings they have
hair ia
up In penitentiaries. More than $4,000
prohibition arrests in Federal courts.
More than $4,000 jail sentences, and
this Is the glory OF prohibition"
Home Poor Place for Brewery"
After declaring that 5,631 years was
the aggregate length of the jail sentences
In these cases. he added, IF Adam had
been put in jail when boy, he would
just about have served out his time now
II he had these aggregate sentences"
Senator Reed next declared that beer
and wines are being made in the homes
and, IF the children are to be safe
guarded, the home is a mighty poor
place to have a brewery"
Senator Reed asked his colleagues IL
they had read in the paper two days ago
OF the finding OF an 1,800-gallon still
within few blocks of the Capitol.
And when they did find it," he said.
''they could not find any one who owned
1t, and so they broke up that still, which
probably was worth only few hundred
dollars and probably had been worn
out when found"
Senator Reed read an advertisement
from newspaper which he interpreted
IS indicating big cut in prices at
chain OF stores on articles to be used
in the manufacture of liquor, among
them three gallon charred kegs.
IF this advertisement instead had
been an advertisement offering knives
for the use of assassins at a reduced
rate" said Senator Reed, "the police
would have been after that place in is
minutes"
Reads Detroit Ginning