Evening star., 1930-12-08
DRY LEADERS BAR
PRESS AT MEETING
Question of Support of Ref
erendum Considered by
National Council.

barred from their meeting, the Ma
tional Temperance Council, comprising
delegates of many of the important
temperance organizations, met at
o'clock this afternoon to consider the
controversial subject of whether the
drys should support an effort to bring
about a national referendum on pro-
hibition.
The council voted this morning to
exclude newspaper men from its de-
ltberations. The dry leaders will de-
bate recommendation of their Execu-
tive Committee that the proposed ref
erendum be disapproved.
DR.. Clarence True Wilson, general Sec
retary of the Methodist Board of Tenn
perance and a leading advocate for a
referendum, called at the meeting just
before its adjournment this morning and
made known that he would be present
during the later discussion.
CherringtOn Favors Press.
DR.. Ernest Cherrington, secretary OF
the World League Against Alcoholism
and spokesman for the councils EXecu-
tive Committee, favored admitting press
Chicago, president of the council, indi-
Gated he had the same thought, but
the delegates went on to vote against
making the meeting public.
Immediately, Dan Brummitt, editor
of the Northwestern Christian Advo-
cate, one of the leading news organs of
the Methodist Church, asked the dele
gates If they wanted him Ito get out"
He was urged to remain.
Oliver Stewart, president of the Fly
ing Squadron Foundation, and an
nnrlf Ill - =
that he felt free to publish anything he
wanted to about the meeting. AS chair
man of the councils Publicity Commit
tee, he, too. questioned whether he
should remain. The delegates said their
vote did not apply to either.
Members of the council who favored
letting newspaper representatives hear
the discussions said that "timid mem
bers" feared misrepresentation and,
therefore, wanted to hold their debate
In secret. Delegates who opposed the
view expressed the opinion that repre-
sentativeS Of the press should be invited
and relied upon to give an accurate
report OF the proceedings.
When the decision was reached Stew
art, frankly disapproving the course,
posed to comment freely on the pro-
ceedings. He made known he would
receive press representatives after the
meeting and give as adequate report as
possible
DR.. Ira Landrith of Chicago, presi-
dent OF the council, said in his OPEN
ing address today: We meet to plan
winning campaigns"
We meet to repeat what all informed
and thoughtful men know, that this
amendment (the eighteenth amendment)
cannot and shall not be repealed, and
that it must not be nullified.
I'VE are met" he asserted, "to re-
educate public opinion against this
dangerous doctrine at whatever cost to
personal safety, allegiance to cherished
plans, or to our party loyalties when
Cney are betrayed by platform builders
or political leaders who, for example.
would rather be wet than President"
Organization Is Attacked.
DR.. Landrith attacked the association
against the prohibition amendment in
particular. Yesterday, after a five-hour
meeting OF the councils Executive Com
mitee he gave assurance that the sub
sJect fof a national prohibition ref
Serendunf would be discussed by the
council in open meeting. Reference to
the referendum was not made this
morning, however, delegates said, chiefly
because the subject was not presented
by O spokesman for the referendum.
DR.. Wilson, the leading advocate of
the proposal, was kept from the meet
ing by his conference with Lord Astor
and other appointments and did not
attend until late in the morning. Deets
Pickett, research secretatry of the
Methodist board, was i'll at his home
in Clarendon, Va, and the board was
not represented officially at the first
session of the council.
DR.. Wilson, who will deliver his an
ndal report to the Methodist board at
its meeting tomorrow, expects that he
will be asked to discuss the proposed
proh1bition referendum before the Ma
tional Temperance Council, and that
the council will adopt a positive stand
either Tor or against after full discus
sion.
DR.. Cherrington Spokesman.
DIR. Ernest Cherrington is opposed
to the proposed referendum. Cherring-
ton said there existed no "polyanna"
spirit among members of the council
as to the situation facing them, and
that the program they hoped to evolve
would be more extensive than any
taken in the last decade.
Cherrington said further this pro-
gram would not be directed toward
the 1882 presidential campaign, but
that the unity the members of the
council hoped to obtain among the
more than score Of dry groups would
lead directly to it.
1t was pointed out that the National
Temperance Council does not have leg
islative authority over the member or
CARNATIONS. Any formal stand it takes
in resolutions or executive committee
action will be referred to the individual
member organizations and recon-
mended as the consensus of the lead
ers. DR.. Wilson explained that the in
dividual organizations then approved or
disapproved the recommendations as
they saw fit.
During the conference, which will be
followed tomorrow by the meeting of
the Methodist Board of Temperance.
Prohibition and Public Morals, leaders
of the organized temperance movement,
who are members of all the organiza-
tions, will circulate among the mem
bers, delivering addresses and attending
conferences.
Q orlInIF0 ri AnV