The Washington times., 1930-04-23
'Du PONT FEARS
REVOL | OVER
DRY LAWS
Declaration. of independence
Cited by Industrial Chief
as Final Source of Relief
Continued From Page ~

| F~SbSSNRNsShINE
defiance Of the recorded wishes
Of a majority of the people.
Prohibition should be sub
mitted to State constitute
conventions Of elected delegates.
Declaring the automobile in
dustry, not prohibition, brought
prosperity to the nation, de POnt
continued:
'Tt Is . remarkable fact that
many, even Of the most up
right and respected citizens, are
in open revolt against the sup
posed purpose OF the Eighteenth
Amendment, this ID, the entire
suppression Of drinking"
Challenges Officials
MANY who pretend ~ mp.
hold the law and exaIt its benz
| fits do not hesitate to drink
when liquor Is furnished them.
at seems . general belief
that men In high Government
positions. in the legislatuI es, In
Congress and elsewhere CON.
tinue 10 use intoxicating liquor
just rs those In private life. II
would cause no surprise to find
drinking even among those Ad.
n1lnisteFin9 the law and judg.
ing the law breakers"
He issued q challenge to all
members OF State legislatures Of
Congress, governors Of States and
high executives Of the l1atic11 to
sign q statement saying t;iat
they have not used liquor since
the Eighteenth Amendment Das
adopted, and continued:
with all this uncertainty no
person responsible in the case
seems justified I'm withholding
submission Of repeal TO cOnven.
tIOnS Of the people"
"TO refuse submission IL to
invite reference to that court Of
last resort referred to in the
Declaration Of independence In
these words Of unTnistakable
meaning
whenever any form Of gov
eminent becomes destructive of
these ends tthe security Of
rights Of peopiel it is the right
Of the people to alter or TO
abolish t."
| Not Moral Question
| Du Pont told the committee
that the question is, one Of legal
procedure, not Of morals He as
serted: e
'eIf IegalIzed traffic In liquor
is sin, our country was born in
sin and lived in sin for IA
years, during which period the
best Of our men spent their
lives and brought the nation to
It's prosperous condition in the
year 1885,"
Tracing enactment Of national
prohibition, DUPONT said that Rt
the time 81 ,OO0. 900 people. or So
per cent Of. the population, per-
mitted liquor to be legally OBJ
tanned In their states.
Wartime prohibition, he said,
was rushed through Congress in
defiance Of the recorded wishes
Of the people Of the several
states.
On five occasions at least the
Congress has felt obliged to dis
regard the Constitution. twice
after definite Interpretation by
the supreme court, said dupont.
Names Violations
He named the violations as
permitting transportation of
liquor on ocean liners within the
12-mile limit by treaty: permit
ting transportation. by. treaty, of
liquor across the United States
to Canada; permitting sale in
the Philippines and formerly In
the Canal Zone; permitting
manufacture of wine for home
use from homegrown fruits and
permitting transportation Of
liquor to foreign embassies In
Washington.
The enforcement division Of
the executive department is
equally embarrassed. he said,
charging these law violations to
the Federal Government.
Killing Of innocent citizens
entering Of houses without war
rant. permitting employees to buy
liquor without proper permit
enticing persons to break the law
and keeping places of illicit sale.
Tinkham Cites Prof. Fisher
Representative George Holden
Tinkham (R.) of Massachusetts,
presented correspondence between
himself and Prof. Irving Fisher
Of Yale, on the contribution Of
prohibition to prosperity.
Tinkham cited figures showing
the rate of increase in industrial
activity In Canada since 1926 is
approximately six times that Of
the United States and said that
Switzerland is the wealthiest coun.
try per capita in the world.
Prof. Fisher promised to look
up the international comparisons,
but added that they could not be
of much value in assessing the
influence Of prohibition. He said:
Like all other economists
find evidence that prohibition
has materially helped the United
States, but I do not think IL as
important q factor rs several
OtherS.n