The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1929-02-18

wicked things in my life, but I have
never sunk to the level of a prohi-
bition informant"
Reed contended prohibition en-
thusiaSts even have abandoned the
Bible and reason in their efforts to
enforce prohibition, "using the lash,
the prison, the gun and the bludg-
con instead of the Christian doctrine
OF kindnes steward fellow men,"
They have substituted force for
reason, penalties for persuasion and
cruelties for charities" he COR
tended.
Reading an excerpt from the BIZ
ography of the late Wayne B.
Wheeler, former superintendent of
the Anti-Saloon League, Reed said:
There isn't a slum district in the
United States where the political
boss hasn't higher code of ethics
than this"
He also read statements by "that
fearless knight of temperance
Pussyfoot johnson" admitted that
he had lied and bribed for the cause
of prohibition.
"That is the man, is it, who fixes
the morals of the country?" Reed
shouted.
Lashes Under-CO Men
Turning to discussion of the
prohibition enforcement personnel,
Reed said most of them we're nee
essarily "under-coyer men,"
what does this mean?" he asked.
"It means that they are spies-the
lowest order of animal alive. Any
man who will do this work will COM
nit perjury and accept bribes."
Reed read a long compilation Of
the offenses committed by prohibit
ton agents. He said only forty
have been convicted of selling the
liquor they took in raids, but esti-
mated that there have been 100000
such cases never brought to light
'You can't get decent men to do
this work" he said Consequently
it falls very largely to criminals and
near criminals.
There are cases on record OF
prostitutes hired as decoys by pro-
hibition officers. They have con-
sorted with the representatives Of
the law. Yet all this has been done
under the white cloak of purity.
What saloon was ever worse;
what dive even lower?"
Reed quoted figures showing that
$1,000 arrests have been made for
liquor law infractions, that $1,000
offenders sent to jail.
"If you prohibitionists could have
proved that liquor sent that many
persons to Jail in similar period,
you would have had a better case for
your law than you were ever able to
make" he said.
Brands Dry Law Crime
The exchange Of sentiments pre-
ceded a vote expected shortly after
4 p. m. on the pending Jones bill
proposing maximum penalties Of
five years in jail and $4,000 fines
for violators of the prohibition law.
The measure had been scheduled
for passage quietly Saturday, un-
til Reed delivered a characteristics
ally Satirical speech berating "the
hyprocrites of congress" who fail to
adhere to their public position in
their private life, voting dry and
drinking wet"
at will not be many years before
the moral sensibilities Of the Amer
ican people will awake" said Reed
Saturday, ''to the fact that the pro-
hibition law is the worst crime in
the history of the United States and
that the reign Of hypocrisy and cant.
Of false pretense and Of chicanery
and fraud viii come to an ignomi-
nious end.
"The day viii come when the man
who votes for prohibition. but who
himself violates the letter and spirit
Of the law, win be held in that kind
of contempt which ought to be vis-
tied upon the knayish hypocrite,
who masks himself behind pre-
tended virtue and who seeks 70 hold
Office by virtue Of his false pre-
tenSe&"