Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-31
REPORT NO SECRET,
SAYS DR.. WILSON
Lobby Committee Document
Published in 1923, Asserts
Methodist Official.
Special Dispatch to The Star.

CUMBERLAND, Md, May 31.-The
report read before the Caraway lobby
committee Of the Senate last Wednes-
day was in no way secret report"
DR.. Clarence True Wilson, general sec
rotary Of the Board of Temperance,
Prohibition and Public Morals of the
Methodist Episcopal Church, told the
Baltimore conference yesterday.
DR.. Wilson claimed the report was
published IN December, 1928, when he
made 1t before the annual meeting of
the board.
In an interview later In the day DR..
wilson made clear his stand in the
iast political campaign, explaining that
ms night. was only against Al Smith,
because ne was wet and not against
the Catholic Church. He added that
he believed the country Should have a
Catholic President but not a wet one.
Headquarters to Be Enlarged.
DR.. Wilson said the answer to per-
sons who protested against the presence
OF the Methodist building in Washing
Ton was that the present structure was
70 be enlarged. He said Clarence OAR
row nad referred to it In the debate
WIN MIN last Tuesday as the Methodist
Vatican. DR.. Wilson said Methodists
considered that compliment,
III look 1900 years to make the Vat
ican In Rome what it is now" said DR..
wilson, and Methodists lust six wears
Tor the present building in WASHINGTON
tnat represents q compliment to Meth
DR.. Wilson said "one denomination"
nag 462 buildings In Washington, four
tiiIns OF which were exempted from
to Methodists having a buildinc If
ought not to be that group"
,Whlie not mentioning the name of
Al Smith, DR.. Wilson said he had done
al ne could do against 1.-THE Candidate
VINO nullif1ed the Constitution and
pulled his own State out of the Union
ana who could have run on a platform
put preferred to run instead on a
He said he did not see how mat,no
speeches and writing articles an " o,ns
hibttion could be considered lobbvinr
put that lone Congressman had said
tne board was lobbying, SO the board
nau requested an Investigation bv the
lobby committee. He CHALLENGED anv
CATHOLIC, Jew, Protestant mentioninS
Methodists specifically, to show in any
way that he had violated the Consti.
luton, which, he said, permitted free
oom OF speech and press and public
assembly and the right to petition
Congress for a redress of erieyances
he said he had done nothing else bit
what was allowed by the Constitution
-, DR.. Wilson, In an interview. saio
the report was mot an attack an any
religious body, but on one man who
happened to be not a member of nv
church, AL Smith. only repeated the
TACT that Catholic sisters, who had
never voted before, registered and voted
az mat Time. 1t was not an attack or
the Catholic church, only a Statement
OF fact.
| FavOrs Senator Walsh.
If Senator Walsh of Montana ever
runs Tor President will be on the
stump for him. There would be no
criticism Gssna, even Of Catholics supporting
Catholic candidate for President,
Methodists would have done the same
thing. They took pride in voting for
President Mckinley.
III Smith had run on the Demo-
cratic platform there would have been
little opposition from the drys, but he
tried to run on a wharf.
Had Smith been Methodist we
could have handled him without gloves
The fact that he was Catholic EN-
barraSSed the drys. I have for years
believed we ought to have Catholic
President in this country, but I dc
not want wet one.
The report by some of the papers
that I avoided the Caraway committee
Is funny to all who know me. We
requested this hearing and was dis
bate last Tuesday with Mr.. barrow
took me out of the city that day.
would have liked to have been at the
lobby hearing"
In the morning he gave devotional
!, address, during which he said the
staggering effort to enforce prohibition
showed there was a missing note some
where that had left men without power
, He said this note was the Holy Spirit
The conference voted to hold next
years session In the First Methodist
Episcopal Church, Baltimore.