Milford chronicle., 1930-10-10
HASTINGS IS FOR
THE DRY LAW, HE
TELLS ". c. 7. i.
[COHtiHned from First Pagel
Senator Hastings letter in full


Mrs. Anna Lee Waller,
} State President, Woman's Christian
Temperance Union,
Delmar, Delaware.
) My Dear Mrs. Waller:
l am in receipt of your letter o
the goth instant in which you asl
me to define my position on certain
questions relative to the prohibition
law.
l assume yO uhave read the Re
publican party platform on thi'
question. l think it states as firml!
as it is possible to state that the
Republican party is for the enforce
ment of the laws on prohibition anC
derectly refers to and approves o.
the platform adopted by the nation
al Republican party in 1928. You
may be interested to know that
prepared that part of the platform
and, of course, l stand by it.
l think every member of the Leg
islature of every State in the Union
is bound under the 18th Amendment
of the Federal Constitution to enact
such reasonable laws as may be
, necessary to assist in carrying out
the term of the 18th Amendment.
am absolutely opposed to the State
of Delaware becoming a Stacker by
failing to support the Constitution
in this respect.
So far as the 18th Amendment
itself is concerned, | think up to
the present time it has been great
disappointment to the country.
think the conditions are bad and
that every effort must be made to
improve them. l think one of the
reasons for our difficulty in enforc-
ing the laws supporting the 18th
Amendment, is the opposition of va
rious associations that are working
for its repeal, and also working to
repeal all enforcement laws.
OF course, every one must admit
that every person has right to
work in a reputable way for the re-
peal of the 18th Amendment. l don't
see how any patriotic citizen how
ever can be in favor of annulling it
by repeating the laws that have
been passed to support it.
You ask me the direct question
Whether l am in favor of the an
nulment of the 18th Amendment"
1 answer that question with an en-
phatic mo-" if by annullment you
mean to place us in the position
that we were in before it's passage.
l am not prepared to say that it is
impossible to find some better
method to control a bad situation
than the existence of the 18th
Amendment and the laws now on
the statute books, but am prepared
to say this: That in my opinion the
18th Amendment cannot be repealed,
nor can any better method be found
to control the liquor traffic than the
present laws, unless and until the
great moral forces of the nation
that are responsible for the 18th
Amendment have worked out their
own satisfactory remedy.
In order that 1 may not be mis-
understood by you l may say L
think the sole prohibition question
before the country in this genera
tion, or the next or the next, and
the sole remedy for the present dis
tressing condition, is for every pa
triOtic citizen to do what he or she
can to enforce the laws as they find
them on the statute books. And,
more than that, every member of
Congress and every member of the
Legislature should see to it that so
long as the 18th Amendment exists
some reasonable law must be found
on the statute books that is de-
signed at least to enforce its provi- |
sions.
If 1 have not made myself clear
in this letter, 1 will make some
further efforts during the campaign
to do so.
Very truly yours,
DANIEL o. HASTINGS.
Mrs. Walters letter to Senator
follows:
Delmar, Del, Sept. goth, 1880.
Hon.. Daniel o. Hastings,
U. S. Senator,
Del.
Dear Senator Hastings: The stage
is now set for the coming election
in November, we know of the eX-
treme efforts that have been made
to control the entire situation on
the part of the A. A. P. A. leaders,
we know how the Democratic ma
chine was, we believe, forced in line
and their representative is now on
the ballot for U. S. Senator, and a
wet plank put into the platform. We
also know that the platform as
by the Republican cOnVen-
lion declared for Law Enforcement
and went on record as supporting
The National Policy of the present
administration. 1 also know that l
have your reply to my letter dated
April z, in which you generaliZed on
The situation. But now, the people
hat l have the honor to represent
want to know where the candidates
stand.
Mr.. Bayard has made it entirely
plain by repeating, what we already
lnew, that he stood for the annul-
nent of our PROHIBITION LAWS
BOTH STATE AND NATIONAL, and
low we will be glad to have a reply
rom you that will enable me to
definitely declare to the good people
,f our State just W hat your posi-
ion is going to be?
(a) On Law Enforcement.
(b) On the Prohibition cause.
(c) On the Annullment of the
9Th Amendment.
(d) On the Annullment of our
,tate dry laws.