Evening star., 1932-10-27
URGES QUICK WAY"
TO REVISE DRY LAW
Smith, Speaking at Mrs.
Sabin's Testimonial Dinner,
Hits Direct Primary.
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK, October 27.-AIfred E.
Smith struck out last night at the direct
primary and the method of ratifying
constitutional amendments, and sug-
gested quick way of amending the
> Volstead act
The former New York Governor spoke
at testimonial dinner for Mrs. Charles
H. Sabin, head of the Womens Organi-
cation for National Prohibition Reform.
United States Representative James
M. Beck( Republican, of Pennsylvania,
speaking on the same program. Sug-
gested three methods of bringing back
light wines and beer, and advocated
marked changes in the method of rati-
Tying constitutional amendments.
Praises Smith and Beck.
Mrs. Sabin paid tribute to Smith and
Beck as men who have jeopardized
their standing in their parties, to which
they have given their most devoted and
statesmanlike service" because of what
she called their convictions
Beck brought applause and laughter
when he declared:
If you will pardon a jocose reference.
would say that the Governors
tSmith's) recent speech in Newark
greatly amused me as loyal Repub-
Ican
1T reminded me of an incident in the
life of Theodore Roosevelt. He had been
invited to deliver the grafton at the
dedication of statue in Indianapolis
to Gen. Lawton. He took occasion to
devote his entire speech to stern ad-
monition to Wall Street to behave itself,
and he received from his Attorney
General, Gen. Philander C. Knox the
following letter:
Dear Mr. President: My hearty
congratulations upon your speech at
indianapolis. Yours very truly. Phi
lander c. Knox. P S.-What did you
say the name of the man was whose
statue was dedicated?'"
Two Weeks to Explain"
Turning to Beck and making refer
ence to the speech the Republican
member of Congress had just delivered,
Smith said
Il have two weeks to explain that
telegram"
After the dinner Beck asked Smith if
he referred to his Newark speech and
to the Theodore Roosevelt story.
Think it over" Smith told him with
chuckle,
In criticizing ratification of amend
ments by Legislatures. Smith said the
unfairness of ratification by State Leg
islatures." and added:
The Legislatures of our States are
not SO constituted as to reflect popular
will
He suggested the volstead act be
amended by the addition of a section
reading:
Nothing herein contained shall be
deemed to apply to matted liquors"
will oIa ;pI,t
away, he continued. I'VE don't have
to pass upon the Intoxicating quality of
1t. Just say the law doesn't apply to it"
Cites Prohibition History.
The former Governor said the history
of prohibition indicates the absolute
necessity of organization.
In this connection he said he wanted
to pay tribute to the late Wayne
Wheeler, former head of the Anti-Sa-
loon League, as smart one" mot |
only a brilliant man, but Snowman,
an actor"
Smith said Wheeler wrote the VOL
stead act and Uncle Andy just intro !
duced it"
He told of conversation he had with !
Wheeler which. he said, ran as follows:
Il said to him, Why didn't you speak
about alcoholic beverages in the eight !
zenith amendment? Why didn't you
use the word alcohol?'
He said, We were afraid We couldn't i
get it by Congress
Il said. How did you happen to hit
on the half of ! per cent??
Why he said, we took that out of
your excise law in this State
oh. 1 said is that so. Well the
State OF New York never attempted to
define an intoXicant. We made it half
of l per cent to get everybody for taxa
ton purposes
Argument Ensues
so we had quite an argument. He
suddenly grabbed me by the coat and
shook me little bit and ne said:
Listen here, do you want to know
the truth? We were in the saddle and
We drove through. That is the
answer"
Smith said in 1913 he allowed myself
to be talked into" dropping his opposi-
tion to the "precise system of nominat-
ing" and that there is nothing that I
ever did in public life regret as much
as that"
He called such a system, "at the
root of this whole thing"
Let us pay some attention to the
direct primary he said a moment
later "and find out if that isn't the
thing that is producing a great deal of
chaos within the parties"
In speaking of party organization, he
said:
We have men today in the Senate of
the United States elected by the Re
publican party that haven't supported
a Republican candidate for President
in three elections. How are you going
to have party responsibility that way?"
He praised Mrs. Sabin for her de
votion" and sacrifice" for "the best
interests of the country
Three Means of Change.
Beck said Congress could bring back
light wines and beer by repeating the
Volstead act, by amending it to raise
the alcoholic content, or by refusing
to appropriate one dollar for enforce
ment of an unenforceable law"
1T only takes 200 brave men in the
House of Representatives, he added,
to cut off appropriations.
Beck compared Mrs. Sabin to Harriet
Beecher Stowe.
OF Smith. he said:
Few public men in the last 10 years
have grown more steadily in the esti-
nation of many thoughtful Americans
of both parties. I am great admirer
of Gov Smith because he is one of
that rare breed who has clear convic-
tions and the moral courage to express
them