Evening star., 1932-08-31
". c. I. j. SCORES
ROOSEVELT STAND
Candidates Support of Re.
peal Called "Surrender to
the Lower Powers"
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The National Womans Christian
Temperance Union said in a state
ment today that Gov. Franklin D
Roosevelt's prohibition repeal polio!
constitutes surrender to the lOwel
powers"
Saying the statement was made "ir
opposition to the repeal, rot in favor
OF any party or candidate" the w. c
T. U. outlined views 1t holds texually
as follows:
once upon a time there was a mar
named Roosevelt in the White House
who, as the result of experiences with
the liquor traffic, said that the Ameri-
can people must defeat the liquor traf-
f1c or the liquor traffic would defeat
the American people. Later, during
the World War. the liquor traffic at
temped such defeat by threatening
President Wilson with a blockade OF
his war plans if in any way the liquor
traffic was curtailed. That final
freacherous impudence caused the
American people to outlaw the liquor
traffic by the eighteenth amendment.
Longs for Big Stick.
For a dozen years liquor has acted
the part of an outlaw, running its buSi-
ness illicitly, refusing to obey, making
threats and spreading lies All this
has scared people of weaker moral con-
stitutions; and smaller Roosevelt has
hrisen who offers to restore the liquor
traffic to respectable place in bust
E1ess, with its old opportunities to de-
Fbauch in return for a license, if only
fthe liquor traffic and its friends will
quit kicking and place this second
Roosevelt in the White House.
This spectacle of inferiority makes
america long for the big stick Can any
Zone imagine the greater Roosevelt sur
Rendering to the opportunities of polici-
kal organizations foStered and supported
by the liquor traffic? The liquor traf-
kfic has always supported the politics of
bad government; it was the corner stone
of much of the evil President Roosevelt
exposed. opposed and dethroned.
Corrupt government, corrupt inter-
estS. selfish politics not only want State
control of liquor but State control of
everything. It makes no difference to
the corrupt city political organizations
which party wins this election, as long
as State control comes along with it.
The racketeer, the liquor dealer, the
underworld are in control of city poll
tics largely: city politics in many local
ities control the States; hence the loud
cry for State rights from certain quar-
ters It will put State control in the
hands of the city hall gangs.
Supported by Liquor Interests.
The drive against prohibition is sup
ported in practical political manner by
racketeering politicians who derive sup
port from liquor interests, legal or il
legal The cry for State rights is ac-
companied by strong effort to remove
State prohibition laws, a situation
which always creates happy hunting
ground for bootleggers and giving con-
troll of State politics and State govern
ment TO the lower order. 1t builds that
type of liquor dealer support on which
selfish political interests climb to pow
er-the exact opposite OF the require
ments for good government.
Gov. Roosevelt makes much of the
brcmise of liquor soaked Nation with
out saloons Liquor, no matter how sold,
has a universal and uniform debaucn-
ing effect. However, the liquor business
wants and will have saloons in case of
repeal. Right now, according to news
paper advices, liquor people are taking
options on property they hope to turn
tnto saloons. We are informed that the
brewers are laughing in their sleeves
at the gullibility of the American people
who think the saloon can be prohibited.
Leaders of high standing may prom
sse there will be no saloons, but the
Chicago and New York crowd that en-
visions a political empire based on
booze know that the strong points Of
their power will be the saloon, no mat
ter what its name.
In many larger cities the gangs
which attempted defiance of the Fed
eral Government, have sold out their
depleted business to smaller fry of the
underworld and have taken up gam
bling, commercial racketeering and vice,
dissipations which are covered mainly
by State law.
Favor No Candidate.
These gangs working closely with
State and city political organizations
know they cannot successfully buck
Federal law, but can, will and do defy
State law by their control of State and
city political organizations. So also the
small bootleggers. All they want is a
wet majority in politics, withdrawal Of
Federal law and State control. That's
why so many babbling politicians have
reverted to the traditional slogan of
States rights Under the present plan
of the predatory and vicious interests
States right has no more relation to its
original high ideals than skull and
bones pennant has to the Stars and
Stripes.
once the liquor business is back on
Cts feet, paying license to the Gov
ernment for the right to debauch and
enslave, it will take its place beside
big business and be hideous, omniv-
orous, but legitimate portion of our ma
tional activities.
Gov. Roosevelt's intentions may be
honest; but if so, he is exposing abys-
NAL ignorance of the liquor power and
the liquor problem. His premise is
wrong; his policy constitutes surren-
der to the lower powers. He is asking
to restore the thing that made him op-
pose Tammany and won for him a
place in the Wilson cabinet as Assistant
Secretary of the Navy. No matter what
he does for or against Tammany now,
II he helps to bring back liquor he is
building the Tammany idea in hun
dred cities.
THE w. c. T. o. makes this state
&nent in opposition to the repeal; not
Rn favor Of any party or candidate"