The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-08-05
PAGE 2

plemented q truthfully might say
supported this infant practice by
teaching Americanization classes in
the Macy street night school in
the foreign quarters of the city.
Practiced without Pay
AS public defender, appointed
without salary, by the mayor and
city council of Los Angeles, I gained
valuable court experience trying
hundreds Of cases of every character.
When the war came. was named
chairman of the legal advisory
board, with a large staff Of lawyers,
handling cases under the draft law.
Certainly the whole period of my
legal education and early practice
was Of a nature calculated TO lay
foundation Of sympathy for what
is termed the under dog"
While since 1921 I have been re-
sponsible for the direction of
prosecutions under the Volstead act,
1 have had many other duties in no
way connected with prohibition.
Attorney-General Mitchell, in &C
cepting my resignation, with both
truth and generosity, said:
"I think your prohibition work
unduly has submerged your other
accomplishments in the public
mind
Runs Gamut of U. S. Law
He undoubtedly was referring to
the volume of work before the
supreme court of the United States,
where, in number of cases handled,
my record is fourth among members
nf the American bar. These cases
have not been confined to prohi-
bition, but pretty well have run the
gamut of federal law. In point of
service long have been the oldest"
assistant Encouragement and at
various times 1 have been called
upon to administer practically every
position in the department, except
that Of solicitor general.
My division has grown from the
smallest, with but three assistants,
to the largest, with more than 100 in
the immediate staff and several
hundred in the field. We have not
only at all times supervised prohi-
bition cases, but for various periods
have carried the responsibility for
matters arising under interstate
commerce, all agricultural laws, fed
eral insurance, including war risk
insurance and the veterans bureau,
litigation growing out of independ-
ent treaties, Immigration, admiralty |
and all federal taxation cases, and
prisons
A single phase Of my other work
should furnish ample proof OF the
fact that all my mental processes
can not have been submerged In the |
determination of the liquor traffic. |
During Just the last year my office |
has handled nine tax cases before |
the United States supreme court. |
eight of these having been decided
In favor of the government.
We also have prepared and ar
glled ITS cases in the ten circuit
courts of appeals throughout
the United States, and court OF ap-
meals of the District Of Columbia,
and have directed or reviewed el3 |
other cases involving tax matters
in which the government was inter-
ested to the extent of hundreds OF
millions of dollars.
Stung by Bigot Charge
To the charge that I am a bigot
and injected the religious issue In
the last campaign, the unsVlnVeo
faith and support of my many
Catholic friends IS the best and per-
haps the only reply. For intolerance
and bigotry are motives OF the neart
and lie deep.
1t so chances that the man most
responsible for securing my appoint
ment by President Harding is Frank |
Doherty, an attorney OF Los Angeles
a Catholic. When the cartoons we're
picturing me as a sort of modern !
witch burner. I could stand 1t no |
longer and called Frank one Sunday
afternoon and said, Surely you and
Sarah do not believe these things OF
me?' And with the friendly reassur-
ance in his warm Irish voice, all my
front" collapsed.
I laughed later as I paid the bill
for my record long distance and
most expensive "cry." What salts
faction my weakness would cause a
lot of folks who thought l was
mathematical" I do enjoy real
clean fight, political, legal, or other
wise, but most of us have vulner-
able spot where we really can be
hurt and the charge of religious in
tolerance found mine.
] have said enough-perhapS too
much-about myself But if what
am to say about prohibition, the
most controversial question in the
public mind, is to receive fair hear
ing, there first must be presented a
basis for belief that my opinions
and my actions are not those OF a
zealot, unguided by facts and reason.
Why talk about prohibition at all?
AS Vital as Slavery
Certainly have no overwhelming
desire to force acceptance OF my
views.
I have lived so much Of prohibit
ton for the last eight years that
sometimes I wish I never might
hear of the subject again. But it
is no more possible to avoid prohibit
ton discussion than to avoid
breathing. In every newspaper
every day of the year, on every
street corner where people stop to
talk, at every afternoon tea party,
in every social gathering of any
kind involving any class of society,
one subject recurs time after time
and is of universal interest.
No political, economic, or moral
issue so has engrossed and divided
all the people of America as the pro-