Evening star., 1932-02-28
SMITH REAFF|RMS
DRY REPEAL VIEWS
Reopens Prohibition Question
in Addressing National
Democratic Club.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated PreSs.
NEW YORK, February 27.-Former
Gov. Alfred E. Smith reopened the
issue Of prohibition today with the same
vigor of speech he used in his 1928
campaign for the presidency.
He said President Hoover became the
dry leader of the country with his
stand on the Wickersham report, denied
that the South was dry, condemned
"ducking and dodgingp on the question
and advocated q new amendment to the
Constitution to give each State the
right to determine its method of liquor
control by popular referendum.
His address was made before the
forum of the National Democratic Club.
ITO say that prohibition is not an
issue is stupid" he declared, "and I
that believe it themselves"
Cites Wickersham Report.
He cited the Wickersham report in
support of his contetnicn that prohlbl-
tion cannot be enforced and he def1ed
1.-The most rabid dry in the country TO
deny the statement that there Is, In all
human probability, more hard liquor in
this country today than there was at
any period prior to the enactment OF
the eighteenth amendment"
OF President Hoover he said:
ct claim that he made himself the
dry leader of the United States because
H. Cd YNln N
suggested in the Wickersham report
If it isn't an issue, why did he have
to talk about it in his speech OF accept
ance? If it isn't political issue, why
did he have to bring the commission
into existence? Why did Senator tess'
the chairman of the Republican Ma
tional Committee, think it was neces-
sary for him to make some apology for
Hoover's rejection of the one forward
looking statement in the whole report?
What is Fess annoyed about? But, OF
course, that is just little part OF the
duck and dodge"
Mr.. Smith said that in the South
only the political leaders were dry, ana
they because they depended upon the
direct primary for nomination. he
claimed the primaries are participated
in by the drys, neglected by the vets.
"Still for Repeal"
"I want to clear up what might be
a mistaken notion in the minds OF a
good many people" he said. I am
personally still for the repeal OF tne
eighteenth amendment. I firmly believe
that it should never have been put INTO
the Constitution"
Relief, if it is going to come to this
country, can only come through tne
agency of the Democratic party" ne
continued. There is no use OF looking
TO the Republicans. The door OF hope
and of opportunity there has been
closed years ago, and the American peo-
pie will not tolerate any eleventh-hour
or death-bed confession. That can't
De done. They have had II years TO
deal with this subject, and during all
that II years they have ducked it, they
have dcdged it, they have straddled
1t, they have sidestepped it, and they
gave to the people of the world the
greatest example of political hypocrisy
that has ever been written into this
or any other history.
II am satisfied-and I know in this
have the support of thinking men
that II We are to have relief we must
write into the Democratic national plat
form not only an expression Of our po-
litical faith with respect to this ques-
tion, but we must write into that plat
form a definite plan of what we pro-
pose to do about it,
FavOrs Raskob Plan.
Mr.. Smith Endorsed the Raskob home
rule plan for liquor control, adding:
"If Kansas wants to be dry, want it
to be dry If Texas wants tn be dry l
am with Texas. But I want to say to
Kansas that if New York wants to be
wet you will be kind enough to take
that same kind of an attitude!"
Speaking Of the national deficit and
prospect for stiff taxation. he said $780,
100000 Is spent annually on enforce
ment and 81 900 900 600 lost each year