The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-08-29
Governor Roosevelt Throws Down The Gauntlet To Hoover
 And His Dry Straddle Plank

platform and the remarks of the president on this question in his ac- ceptance speech, the difficulty un- der which the president labors will become obvious and the reason Tor his use of meaningless words will become clear. It is the difficulty that always attends sacrificing prfn- ciples for votes, and attempting to conceal that fact by the use of pussy-cat words. N
 "That statement can be no better substantiated than by the pres ident's own statement that I have always sympathized with the high purpose of the eighteenth amend ment.' Does that spell out pro- hibitionist attempting to retain the support 4cf. the drys?
 His recent statement proceeds deliberately to misrepresent the po- sition of the democratic party. He says: Our opponents pledge the members of their party to destroy every vestige of constitutional and effective federal control of the traffic.
 "I have the right to assume that the president read the democratic platform and on that assumption 1 charge that this statement was made to mislead the people of this country and I assert that a mere reading of the plain, unequivocal prosivions of the democratic plat form will sustain that charge. So that there can be no possible mis- understanding, let me read the pro- visions of the democratic platform on this point. 1t begins:
 We advocate the repeal of the eighteenth amendment. Tt effect such repeal we demand that the congres immediately propose a constitutional amendment to truly representative conventions in the proposal "So much for repeal. Now what does it tell the states to do:
 We urge the enactment of such measures by the several states as will actually promote temperance, effectively prevent the return of the saloon and bring the liquor traffic into the open under complete super vision and control by the states.
 Tt then clearly states what the president either accidentally over- looked or deliberately mlsrepre- sented!
 We demand that the federal gov- ernment effectively exercise us power to enable the states to pro- tect themselves against importation of intoxicating liquors in violation of their laws" "It then goes on to speak of the Volstead law:
 Pending repeal, we favor im- mediate modification of the Vol stead act to legalize the manufac- ture and sale of beer and other beverages of such alcoholic con- tent as is permissible under the constitution ana to provide there. from a proper and needed revenue
 Thus the de r.ocratic platform expressly and uneQuivocally oppos- es the return of the. saloon and with equal emphasis it demands that there be federal control of the liquor traffic to protect dry states. Only on the theory of seeking to return to power by the mere use of words can such statements of the president of these United States be explained.
 "The republican candidate for vice. president. .hastened to avow his devotion to the republican plat form but he found in the words or the oracle full justification for the belief that the eighteenth amend ment should not be repealed. 'In New York state in 1880 there was a party which tried to ride two horses at the same time. The re- publican party had one fOot-tts candida e for governor on the wet horse-and the other foot-its can- didate for lieutenant governor on the dry horse. The voters of New York state saw that 1t was q circus stunt honest vets and honest l drys-democratic. republican and | ndependent-Nered disgusted. They | threw the ticket into the discard.
 "This year the republican na- | tional leaders have tried the same circus stunt. The answer of the voters throughout the nation will be precisely the same.
 However people may differ as to the principle of prohibition. nation al or state, they all will agree that | a temporizing and insincere policy | Is disastrous not only to the cause of prohibition but to that of tenn | perance as well.
 "The present ieadership stands
 convicted of attempting to evade and confuse the issue. Tie honekt
 dry will, l know. honor more the
 honest wet than the shifty dry; and
 the anti-prohibitionist prefers.
 know. the four-square dry to the
 uncertain wet. All will join in con-
 demning a fearful and timid prac- tice of evasion. 1
 Here as before emphasize that the deop question in thiB campaign
 iH ono of confidence in ieadornhip-- in londern The measure or the truth Of whnt they say is what they