Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-10-10
DORIAN LAUDS LAW
. IN WET-DRY DEBATE
Lusk of Crusaders and Dun
ford of Anti-SaIoon League
Argue Liquor Issue.

A meeting of the Washington Chap
ter, Unitarian Laymen's League, last
night became the forum for brisk
three-cornered debate on prohibition
between DR.. James M. Doran, Federal
commissioner of industrial alcohol and
former commissioner of prohibition
Rufus Lusk, a member Of the Executive
Committee Of the washington branch of
the Crusaders, and Edward B. Dun
ford, counsel for the Anti-Saloon
League.
Charges Of being "nullificationist'
were hurled from the floor at Mr..
Lusk, when he frankly told the audi
ence, in answer to questions, that he
expected to drink in spite Of the eight
zenith amendment. Mr.. Lusk with
stood rapid-flre questions regarding the
stand Of the Crusaders who are work.
ing for modification of the prohibition
law and declared that prohibition Is
based on what he termed a fallacy.
Doctor Quoted on Drink.
Mr.. Lusk quoted DR.. Raymond Pearl
Of Johns Hopkins University to the
effect that "teetotalers" do not live as
long as the moderate drinkers, while
admitting that the habitual drunkard
does not live as long as either Of the
other class.
Mr.. Lusk declared "the eighteenth
amendment must and will come out of
the Constitution" after asserting that
tide Of sentiment has changed regard
ing 1t.
The general subject of the debate,
staged at All Souls Church Hall, was
What Shall We Do About Prohibi-
tion?" DR.. Doran frankly admitted
that "a great reform" in prohibition
can be effected and said:
1T may be that Congress will change
the act tn some part, but in any event,
Congress must enact proper enforce
ment laws, in order to be mentally
ing sacrosant about always holding
that more than one-haf of per cent
OF alcohol content Is illegal"
DR.. Doran declared, IN his opinion
the eighteenth amendment will con-
tinue, and developed the thought that
there are bound to be certain, evils in
enforcement no matter how the latter
Is tried.
Increase Of Evils.
"I care not whether you have liquor
1
under dispensary, under the bootleg
ger systen-it's all the same. AS the
volume Of consumption increases the
evils flowing from that system win in
crease. II prohibition were repealed to-
morrow, and it were left to the States
to administer the dry laws, 1t would not
strike at the greatest problem of the
United States today. The big question
Is how can we better our system of
criminal law administration"
DR.. Doran then developed the thought
that there could be no advantage in the
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment.
stating that the advocates of repeal
seem to close their eyes to what we
have gone through" adding that every
regulatory effort before prohibition had
failed.
Mr.. Dunford also said, In effect, that
all kinds of regulation of the liquor traf-
nc has failed, and predicted the Amer
lean people will never take a backward
step TO make alcohol easier to get"
DR.. Doran, following the debate, ad-
dressed a meeting of the Washington
Chemical Society In the Cosmos Club,
In which he asserted the modern meth
DDS Of distributing alcohol "is a prob
lem Of economies and not Of morals"