The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-01-19
Governor Murray
 Startled Drys
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(Continued from Page l.) Iforward later.
 As speech after speech attacked Ithe regional control idea, Murray Ifidgeted about in his chair. Dr IErnest H. Cherrington then summed them all up. Referring to 1.-the ''half-slave, half-free" days before the Civil war, he said:
 "Tf the government to-day pro- Sided . group of liquor and non- lliauor states we should have that Identical situation-only worse." As q result of the attempts to knock down his speech in advance, Murray digressed from the pre- Ipared text. He toned down many parts of 1t, but told newspapermen afterward that he personally stood lby every word of the original.
 "I got started wrong, and I did lnot stick to my text" he admitted frankly. T was satisfied that a lot of the crowd did not think as I do, and that they were not sym pathetic with my speech. felt, with the coldness of the audience, that I might embarrass the execu- tive committee. But I stick to every word of my advance text | Murray left out none of the es- lsentials, however. He recalled his part in bringing Oklahoma into Ithe union dry, and said:
 T stated at that time, and 1t is Iny judgment now, that possibly prohibition will not prove the Iwisest legal solution of the con- Itrol of the liquor traffic. It is but the beginning of this vexa- Itious question:"
 He started right in the middle lof his prepared speech, and Jumped back and. forth in the text luntil he had covered the ground. He began by saying:
 "The subject have selected does not commit me to any plan that will change the fundamental law. am not discussing such a change, because took an oath to uphold it."
 Then, saying the road to tenn tperarce was a long one, he added:
 "Yet I may discuss possible changes in the light of possible kevehtualities and possible defeats" |"
 He said he wanted nothing done En0w, nor until the economic situ- ation returns to normal and peo- Lpl0 AKO 2Ul0 " ulHCu63 without prejudice or passion.
 The plan:
 "ft defective liquor control) could be done within the constitu- ton and under its limitation by the use of leagues of states and zone control: In effect a treaty between the states and the federal govern ment-a power used but once or twice in the history of the govern ment, yet entirely within constitu. tional powers and limitations.
 II give this merely as an illus tration of what can be done. It would be entirely constitutional, as fn the settlement of the source of the waters of the Boulder Dam. For the United States government through congress to create a com- mission to make treaty between the several states by groups or zones of states in league for a common method, each state, in turn, appointing commission to draft jointly n plan with the fed- eral commission.
 Suppose then they should agree that . uniform law covering the |entire republic could not be made Isatisfactory; that they found New York. Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Hllinois and Wisconsin wanted beer land wine; California and the other EPacafic and grape growing states IwaNted wines; certain other states Ewanted to handle liquor in a given tway, for medicinal purposes only; land certain other states wanted to Erernain bone dry.
 Tt would be within the power lof such . commission to draw a statute, grouping these states &C., cording to their desires and wishes, and have that statute ratified by Icongress and by three-fourths of all the states; at the same time providing that interstate com- merce should exisit only between Ithe states or groups of states per- nitting the sale of the same Eliquers.
 "In other words, that interstate lcomfnerce between the beer states ehould be had, but not between them and other states; and like wise that those having wine alone would be forbidden such com merce with the bone dry states.
 "9uch a law drawn on the zone system, when ratified by congress and legislatures of three-fourths of the states, would undoubtedly be within the constitution and the law of the land, until amended or changed by q like method"
 Drys Said Little. ..,
 Washington, Jan 19.-UP)- Anti-Saloon league officials decid- cd to-day to ignore the speech of Governor William H. (Alfalfa BilD Murray, who suggested before the dry organizations convention last might that a retreat from prohibi- |tion might be necessary.
 Murray's plan for regional liquor |control among the states was de- scribed by F. Scott Mcbride, sup |erintendent of the league, as an |old wet argument with no new phase except the method of con- |trol. Mcbride said the Oklahoma governor, introduced as dry Leader, had repudiated his own con- victims by deviating from his pre- pared speech. ..,
 Chairman A. J. Barton of the executive committee, said he could see no. reason why the league should comment officially on Mur- rays speech. It will be answered amply, Barton and Mcbride said, in resolutions and a declaration of policy which will climax the leagues five-day convention. |Qoid nn En,.r,nnr