The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-09-05
NEWS REVIEW OF
CURRENT EVENTS
American Bar Association
Upholds Referendum on
the 18th Amendment.
BY EDWARD w. PIcKARD

DROHIBITION laws and their en-
i forcement were to the fore at the
opening session of the fifty-third an
nual meeting of the American Bar as
ISOLATION in Chicago. George w. Wick
ersham, chairman Of the Presidents
enforcement commission, was the chief
speaker of the day, and naturally he
spoke mainly on that topic; but what
he said would give small consolation
to the dripping vets Of the country.
"Good citizenship" said Mr.. Wicker
sham, unjust acquiesce in the law as
it is, for the time being. A society
which has adopted the inventions and
applied Science of the last quarter of
a century and has taken into its midst
millions of aliens from every country
in the world, must resort to legisla-
ton in order to regulate its life, pre-
serve order, and, so far as possible,
suppress acts and habits injurious to
its welfare.
"That the Individual and minority
groups must accept and abide by the
restraints so imposed is obvious. 9th
erwise lawful government breaks down
and we have anarchy. The remedy of
those who object is to appeal to the
same authority as that which enacts,
for rescission or modification, There
can be no individual right to elect
what laws one will or will not obey"
The commission, said it's chairman,
had opposed the Jones law and the
Dyer act, believing ;'that speedy
prosecution Of minor offenses and the
imposition Of penalties having some
relation to the character Of the offense
would be more likely to induce respect
for law than the creation of penalties
so disproportioned to the gravity of
the offense as to induce resentment
in reasonable minds"
MORE exciting than any speeches
1Vl was the battle over an attempt
by some Of the members of the assO-
citation to halt the referendum vote on
the Eighteenth, amendment. Secretary
w. P. MacCracken, Jr., reported that
the executive committee had rejected
q petition to recall the postcards sent
out for this vote. Judge James F.
Ailshie of Idaho offered a resolution
that the submitting of the question
was not in accord with the objects
and purpose of the association and
contrary to its constitution and by
laws, after the committees report had
been accepted. President Henry U.
Sims sustained point Of order that
the right Of the executive committee
to take such action was specifically
granted in the constitution and ruled
that the action of the committee could
not be recalled by the delegates. An
appeal from this decision was voted
down by a majority Of about fifty to
one. f'|t
The convention also upheld the ex-
ecutive committee in rejecting the re-
port of the American citizenship COM
mittee which contained bitter attack
of the federal farm board, declaring
its appointment was the first step to-
ward state socialism and that this eff
IOTI. 10 dlu lltC was AOAS7
doomed to failure. The section on
criminal law and criminology also re-
fused to adopt report on 'lawless
enforcement of law" and ordered the
committee to continue work for aneth-
err year.
In his opening address President
Sims asserted that constitutional lib
erty in this country is in no danger
whatever, land that the visions of so
cial strife supposed to be impending
are but plantasmagoria of morbid
brains" .-.
The sessions of the association
were attended by a number of distin-
guished lawyers and jurists from for
eign countries. and many American
notables were among the 1000 dele
gates.
~ ENEROUS rains fell over much
VI of the corn and wheat belts, but
they were too late to save the crops
from at least partial ruin. and the
plans Of the government and the