The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-06-27
ARTICLE v
INTERCHANGEABLE Heart Of
Prohibition.


r ALREADY have stated that ma
4 tional prohibition was enacted at
the demand Of the Anti-Saloon
League. At the head Of that organ
ization and It's presiding genius was
the late DR.. Wayne B. Wheeler.
His official biographer, himself a
member of the leagues staff, de-
scribes him far more vigorously
than I ever can hope to do. Justin
Steuart was DIR. Wheeler's publicity
secretary and knew his subject init
mately. Here is his estimate of the
man:
Wayne B. Wheeler controlled six
congresses, dictated to two Presi-
dents of the United States, direct
ed legislation in most states Of
the Union, picked the candidates
for the more important elective
state and federal Offices, held the
balance of power in both Repub-
lican and Democratic parties,
distributed more patronage than
any other man, supervised a fed
eral bureau from outside without
official authority.
A tireless opportuniSt, he
dramatized himself as a mighty
st. George fighting single-handed
against a swarm of dragons. He
loved power. His favorite text
was: 1.-The powers that be are
ordained by God" He was an ex-
ponent of force. He preferred
threats to persuasion.
He desired the most severe pen
alties, the most aggressive poll
cies, even to calling out the army
and navy, the most relentless per-
secution. A favorite phrase was:
We'll make them believe in pun
ishment after death"
Such was the man and such is
the spirit that has permeated our
country. It has usurped the kindly
persuasion and gentle ministrations
Of the temperance folk of a few
years ago.
The doctrine of force espoused
by Wayne B. Wheeler has sup
planted the spirit of charity and
love taught by Jesus Christ. For
nierly we sought to persuade. Now
these apostles of reform by perse-
cution assert that they will compel.
THERE might be some chance
i for a sinner to escape the flames
of torment. Hell-fire is not as eff
fective as it once was. But from
the modern prosecutors, there is no
escape. Punish them while still
alive" The professional reformer
will see to that.
With a club over congress, the
professional drys forge the links OF
intolerance into flercer and still
fiercer laws to punish those who dis
obey them. They will secure ap-
preparations to build more peni-
tentiaries to hold the ever increas-
ing stream of convicts.
Last month the warden Of the
federal penitentiary at Atlanta tele-
phoned to the encouragement of
the United States that in a prison
built for less than 2,000-he had
1900 at Atlanta and a couple of
hundred more on the rails, and he
did not know just where to put
them"
The terrible holocaust in dry Ohio
is a reminder of unspeakable condi-
tions there. In a prison crammed
to twice its capacity, BIT convictS
were burned to death.
In my own state of Missouri, the
warden of the penitentiary admits
daily fear of prison mutiny. At JEFF
ferson City, 4,O52 prisoners are
housed in cells that were con-
structed to hold 1851.
But the reformerS will know what
to do. They will see that there is
standing room at least for every
culprit.
The proudest boast of the prohibit
ton zealot is the number of convic-
tions secured.
%THE basic principle underlying
l. the eighteenth amendment is
the Masters teaching concerning
human brotherhood" This is the
latest revelation of Bishop James
Cannon Jr., the ecclesiastical phi
losopher and speculator upon things
divine and mundane, as handed
down to us in a recent issue of the
Forum magazine.
In two short years 125,000 to $780,
900 have been jailed; human beings,
with hearts that beat, with nerves
that feel, with souls to be ran
somed or destroyed. Into prison