Evening star., 1932-08-25
DRY FORCES FACE
WIDENING SPLIT
ON HOOVER STAND
Boston Woman Resigns Post
and Methodist Attacks
Pickett'S Role.
MRS. TILTON PREFERS
DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
Quits Allied Organizations as
Member of Church Board Chal-
lenges Secretary's Authority.

DisSension appeared to be developing
today In the ranks Of organized dry
forces as an outgroWtn oI conflicting
stands taken by leaders Of two large dry
organizations anent President Hoover's
proposals for prohibition change.
While prominent Boston woman was
resigning today from the Allied Forces
for Prohibition In protest to the
groups announced Endorsement of Mr.
Hoover, a question arose as to whether
a statement criticizing the President
made public here yesterday represented
the formal attitude of the Methodist
Board of Temperance, Prohibition and
Public Morals, or the personal opinions
of its research secretary, Deets Picket.
Mrs. William Tilton, member OF the
Executive Committee of the Greater
Boston Branch Of the Allied Forces,
announced her resignation in a letter
to DR.. Daniel A. Polling, president of the
organization, who yesterday pledged
his support to the President. Mrs.
Tflton said she considered the Demo-
cratic repeal program 'less dangerous"
than Mr.. Hoover's.
Question Raised Here.
Local Methodists raised the question
as to the status Of yesterdays state
ment, issued as a mimeographed press
release at headquarters of the Methodist
Board. The release, labeled as from"
the board and bearing the name of Mr.
Pickett as research secretary, was ac-
cepted generally by editors as a formal
statement by the board.
Mr.. Pickett today declared the state
ment was from the board, all right"
and said he would assume responsibility
for its issuance. While the board did
not act formally upon it, as a body, he
explained, the release embodied the
policy adopted at the May conference
and represented the attitude of the
general secretaries. Newspapers were
justified in reporting it as statement
from the board, Mr.. Pickett asserted.
He said he had received no complaints
about it,
Rev. DR.. H. w. Burgan, pastor of
Hamline Methodist Episcopal Church
and recording secretary of the board,
said: There has been no meeting of
the board or of its executive secretary
for some time. Statements made in
the news clipsheet or other publications
OF the board, unless otherwise noted,
are personal expressions. as indicated in
the heading over the clpsheet.'
Mrs. TiIton Wires View.
Mrs. Tilton, who is a member Of the
National Board Of Strategy, director of
the Anti-Saloon League Of America and
chairman of the Woman's National
Committee for Education Against Al
cohol, sent the following telegram to
Dr. Polling:
"As a liberal dry I am compelled
herewith to tender my resignation from
membership in the allied forces and my
position as member of the Executive
CnYf1Ooiffaa nf fha pncfnr
Branch of the Allied Forces I take
this course because I can not follow
you in your correspondence with the
President, which impreSSes me as ac-
ceding to policy of hopeless reaction
on the prohibition question.
THE vital principle of prohibition is
the uniform interdiction by the Federal
Government of the beverage liquor
traffic throughout the entire United
States. Mr.. Hoover would abandon this
policy. I am unable to find anything
constructive in this position.
THE Democratic program Of reten-
ton or repeal is really less dangerous,
in my opinion, than Mr.. Hoover's. The
latter. while it, too, calls for repeal, yet
holds out the hope that this repeal can
be accomplished with protection of dry
States and without the return of the
saloon. This is, to my mind, an impos-
sible proposition which, however, by de-
ceiving the simple minded, will make
repeal easier.
II am unable to see how you can
reconcile an allegiance to the eighteenth
amendment with President HooVer,s de-
clared purpose to revise, that is repeal
the eighteenth amendment. As a lib
eral dry, desiring the progressive reali-
Zation of the full fruits of the prohibi-
ton policy, disagree with the position
ton"