Evening star., 1932-06-30
PROHIBITION REPEAL
PLEDGE GETS WILD
ACCLAIM AT CHICAGO

ACCLHIW III OHtCHOO
Continued From First Page)
was greeted with much applause. THE
eighteenth amendment is doomed from
this dayi" he declared forcefully.
Hull Opens for Resubmission.
Senator Cordell Hull of Tennessee
opened the debate in support OF the
minority plank. 1t was clear from the
start that the crowd in the huge hall
was not in sympathy with him. There
were frequent catcalls and booS, inter
rupting the speaker. Chairman Walsh
demanded that the speakers be given
respectful hearing.
Senator Hull said the traditions of
all political parties had opposed making
the prohibition problem a party issue.
st should say that 85 per cent Of the
delegates in this convention had been
in sympathy with this idea until re-
Gently"
The Tennessee Senator said that the
Democrats faced a serious problem
IAN Democrats want to win victory
in November" he continued.
THE majority report undertakes to
write into the party faith repeal of the
can subscribe to that doctrine hereafter
would be clasSed as good Democrats. 1t
would become test of party faith"
Senator Hull said the minority report
was wetter than the minority or Bing-
ham plank which the wet Republicans
supported at their convention and
wetter than any proposal that came to
the Resolutions Committee Of the
Democratic convention up to so hours
ago.
Hull argued that an amendment to
the Constitution should not be party
matter. He was interrupted with shouts
Of mo, no."
Quotes Woodrow Wilson.
He said every amendment to the Con-
stitution adopted in the past had been
adopted without being made a party
issue. Senator Hull quoted Woodrow
Wilson in support of his contention,
when Wilson was Governor of New Jer-
sey, declaring that local option should
not be made party question. He quoted
also from the address Of acceptance de-
livered by Al Smith four years ago,
after he had been nominated for Presi-
dent, when Smith said the people
should be permitted to say whether they
wanted to continue the eighteenth
just what the minority report proposed
In conclusion, Hull warned the Dem
ocrats not to pass snap Judgment on
this question of gravest importance.
When Smith was announced to speak
in favor of the repeal plank the pande-
monium of applause and the parading
Of States standards lasted for fully
10 minutes, until he himself waved to
the vast throng for order. Challenging
remark made by Senator Hull, Mr.
Smith said: ''Of course, the fact that
the Senator only found out in the last
three days that there was sentiment in
this country for repeal is just too bad. !"
Again challenging Mr.. Hull, that 1t
was an innovation in the conduct Of
our national politics to have a party
declare in favor of an amendment to
the Constitution, Mr. Smith asked IL
the Democratic party had not declared
in favor of the income tax and the
direct election Of United States Sena-
tors"
A quotation made by Senator Hull
from Smiths acceptance speech gave
the former Governor another oppor-
tunity-"Because l happened to be
four years ahead of my time, just look
at what happened to me-" He pointed
out that in those four years "one Of
the chief complaints against the pres
ent administration in Washington has
been its handling Of this particular
question" He declared 'the real
strong point about the majority report
is that it enunciates a party principle
that we are opposed to that kind Of
legislation, particularly in the Consti-
tuition an honest, fair, square,
straight definition of what constitutes
an intoxicant, instead of the definition
of the Anti-Saloon League written into
the Volstead act by Wayne Wheeler
himself
In the interests of the party" he
said, lin the interests of the country,
in the interests of the taxpayers, in or
der to put the Federal Government in
the position to meet the Just demands
that are made upon it, this majority
plank should be adopted"
Ritchie Given Ovation.
The mention of Gov. Ritchie's name
as the last speaker in support of the
repeal plank was the signal for another
enthusiastic demonstration and for
prolonged applause.
Shouse congratulated the Resolutions
Committee on having achieved a great
political party desideratum, "the writ
ing Of brief, concise, honest, earnest.
militant platform, no plank of which,
no word of which is open to double in
depreciation or to false understanding. :"
| Regarding the repeal plank, he said:
| IF repeal of the eighteenth amend
ment is the thing in which you believe,
for Gods sake say so. A lie cannot
permanently live in the atmosphere Of
free people"
Others Who Spoke for Repeal.
Others who spoke for the repeal plank
we're:
| r. H. Anderson Of Florida, a mem
! Der of the Resolutions Con. .nnittee who