Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-19
SALVATION ARMY HEAD DEFENDS
PROHIBITION LAW IN STATEMENT

law, because much as he may disagree
with prohibition mean as q principle
he can't AFFORD to have his opposition
to prohibition impair the influence oil
the Constitution and laws Of the coun-
try or wreck the future of the society
whose basis must rest upon them"
Continuing his testimony, (Horacel
Taft said, Beer and light wines offel
no solution at all" and added, multi
vets always carried the straw votes
but when the regular elections came
around ut was monotonous.'
Drys Do Not Participate.
Drys. he added, did not vote in the
big straw votes, and as O consequence
the straw ballots did not amount tc
anything.
Taft said I'VE all know that of every
dollar spent for drink, so cents went
for corruption and that the individual
person, II asked as to his responsible
ity in the question of drinking, must
give one of three answers:
OF three-"First, Let the country 20
to the devil. am going to have my
drink
The second is. T regard the small
amount Of personal liberty involved as
so important that I would rather cor
rupt all the officials and undermine
our Government than give it up
The third answer is, I will quit
drinking. obey the law, and help to
enforce it,"
"Of course" he went on, ''the answer
comes very promptly that my suppose
ton Is wrong and that the amendment
will be repealed. That is something
that must be settled by time.
We stand for the law and the Gov
eminent"
Asked About Letter 10 Lincoln.
Representative La Guardia, Repub-
lican, New York, asked about o letter
the late Chief Justice had written
to Allen Lincoln.
You said so cents of every dollar
spent for liquor today went to cor
ruption, didn't you?" La Guardia in
quired.
yes" the witness answered.
Then you should have no objection
to the introduction of that letter to
Lincoln in 1918, predicting the very
things you say now exist"
Il have no objection" Horace Taft
explained. "I merely think we should
give some emphasis to my brothers
views during the last 10 years Of his
life"
La Guardia then questioned the wit
ness about articles in the Christian
Science Monitor and the Congregation
alist, the latter written by the Rev.
A. Z. Cook Of Denver, Colo, detailing
dry propaganda methods. The New
Yorker said he referred particularly to
activities Of the Law Enforcement
League Of Boston.
Representative Stobbs, Republican,
Mass, interrupted to ask how many of
the Chief Justices predictions in the
letter to Lincoln had been realized
II talked the matter over with my
brother, who always laughed at me as
a reformer," the witness answered, land
we agreed that there were many ad-
vantages as wen as disadvantages.
II would say, though, that the advan-
tageS and disadvantages of prohibition
are about equal"
Relating the conversation with Yale
dean, Taft said that he had been told
that prohibition Is godsend to Yale"
and that youths now were dismissed for
drunkenness when previously they had
Ito punch q policeman in the eye or
something"
Expects Only Improvement.
eff conditions become worse than
they are now would you favor retaining
prohibition?" La Guareia asked.
"Oh. think we can expect nothing
but Improvement" Taft responded.
La Guardia asked about those who
praise prohibition. talk about the evils
Of drinking and then go home and take
q nip themselves"
Oh Taft smiIineIy replied, "You
can massacre the hypocrites all you
please, but you must remember that all
hyprcrites aren't all on one side"
Stobbs asked the witness why he held
straw votes on prohibition were not
trustworthy.
1.-The drys don't vote" Taft replied.
Taft discussed the straw vote taken
at Yale recently.
drinking there now than when was In
school, but I doubt that there Is one
twentieth Of the drunkenness" Taft
said.
IF some scenes saw there when /
was q student were repeated today, the
news OF them would be cabled all over
the world"
Representative Celler, Democrat. New
York, wet, got an answer of yes" to
q question of whether he thought he
had failed In his attempt to get grad
uate students of the Taft School to
favor prohibition. When Celler asked
about the straw vote taken by the Yale
Review, Taft replied:
1T doesn't take m III to make the
Review take q straw vote"
Credits Prohibition With Prosperity.
Answering another question BY Gel
Ter, Taft explained he would attribut ;
large proportion" Of present pros
perity to prohibition.
Following Mr.. Taft, Jenkins present.
ed Evangeline Booths statement to the
committee which declared that proi1i-
bition had brought about Improvement
In the social order in the country, al
though its enforcement was lax.
Social loss and wreckage is I'M
measurably easier with drink than
without 1t, and restoration to paths of
virtue IS a much simpler problem now
that drink Is banished," Comdr. Booths
statement said.
The statement said that the condition
OF Comdr. Booths health prevented her
personal appearance, and added,
"but you viii find my representative,
Col. Jenkins, competent to answer any
reasonable question that has any bear
ing upon this matter"
Comdr. Booths brief took issue with
a statement, presented previously to
the committee by wet advocate, pur-
ported to have been made by Col. Will
liam S. Barker, formerly of the north
ern division of the Salvation Army, to
the effect that since prohibition the
ages Of the girls who had to be rescued
by the Salvation Army were younger
than in pre-prohibition days.
The brief quoted a telegram from
Col. Barker to Comdr. Booth, describing
his statement as grossly distorted, and