Evening star., 1932-07-04
'DRYS START DRIVE
ON LIQUOR P[ANkS
Board of Strategy to Outline
Campaign Procedure
Plans Shortly.
BY the Associated Press.

today against both party platforms on
prohibition.
A proclamation by the National Pro-
hibition Board of Strategs declared un-
alterahle oppo-ition to repeal or sub
mission Of any repeal or modification
proposal which would weaken or destroy
the dry laws and concluded:
I'VE urge all friends of the eighteenth
amendment to devote their be. efforts
to the election Of dry candidates to both
houses of Congress and to the State
Legislatures"
Plan Recommendations.
Although taking no stand on the
presidential contest, the board said 1t
would recommend and publish at an
early date the procedure and active
steps to be taken in the conduct Of the
c-rnpaign."
The drys heartily" agreed with that
portion Of the Republican plank de-
claring for obedience to and enforce
ment OF the law and the preservation
of gains admittedly accomplished under
the eighteenth amendment" but op-
posed that section recommending SUBJ
mission of a substitute amendment to
permit dry States to remain dry and
wet States to go wet again.
Regarding the Democratic plank
committing the party to repeal and
modification of the Volstead act, the
board said:
This plank would eliminate the
eighteenth amendment in its entirety
from the Constitution and would open
the f1oodgates to wholesale and un-
controllable violations of the law"
Oppose Convention Plan.
The board voiced objections to the
provision in both platforms for rati-
fication Of new amendment by State
conventions.
I'VE oppose the convention method
for ratification of constitutional amend
ments," the board said, "as untried,
entirely unprotected by election laws
and corrupt practices acts and directly
inviting all forms of jobbery and ma
chine control"
I'm this emergency" the drys' state
ment continued, I'VE urge the friends
of the eighteenth amendment to unity
of effort and against ill-advised and
ineffective political movements tending
to waste their energies and resources,
dividing and diverting them into chan
Ilclo blldL WOuIQ oClhC O11ly bAlC CllC-
mics of our cause"
Holds Prohibition Best.
The board recognized that national
prohibition had not been fully observed
and enforced, but held it had accom-
plished more and had been "far more
successfully enforced than any other
policy of liquor control which has ever
been tried"
"Those who flout the Constitution
and disobey the prohibition law" it
said, will not obey the restrictions
which would necessarily be part OF
any regulatory law which might su-
persede the eighteenth amendment"
The text of the dry proclamation
follows:
Drys Start Drive.
"The results of the recent national
political conventions were not such as
to eliminate the prohibition issue from
the 1882 campaign. Therefore the
board of strategy, created by the Ma
tional Conference of Organization Sup
porting the Eighteenth Amendment, in
cluding in its membership officers and
leaders of the national temperance Or
ganizations and general church de-
nom1national temperance boards, in the
interest of the retention OF the eight
eenth amendment and the defense OF
the Constitution against the lawless
liquor attacks, offers to the people 1t
evaluation of the platform adopted by
the conventions.
I'VE are opposed to repeal. We are
opposed to the submission Of any repeal
or modification proposal which would
destroy or weaken national prohibition.
The prohibition forces of the Nation
will, to the very limit Of their ability,
preserve. protect and defend that salu-
tary governmental policy.
Benefits Held Proved.
Proof of the benefits of the eight
eenth amendment is evidenced by un-
impeachable testimony from govern
mental records, social welfare agencies
and other authoritative sources. Those
benefits are in proportion to the extent
| Of observance and the degree of en-
| forcement.
while we recognize the fact that ma
tional prohibition has not had the de-
gree of observance and enforcement to
which it is entitled, we are, neverthe-
| less, convinced that this national
policy of government has accomplished
more and has been far more success
| fully enforced than any other policy
Of liquor control which has ever been
| tried.
Experience has demonstrated that
any other method for the mitigation
Of the evils of the liquor traffic would
unquestionably foster greater evils and
create more formidable difficulties OF
administration and enforcement than
those with which the Government has
been compelled to deal under the
| eighteenth amendment.
The violation of the prohibition Law
and the evils attendant thereon, by nc
process of reason or logic, can be prop
erly chargeable to the law. Such evils
are the natural product of the nefarious
traffic which in all its long history has
| Scoffed at law and defied government
No Federal or State regulatory law has
! ever received from the liquor traffic
! willing respect or observance. That
traffic is inherently laWless and has
always challenged popular government
THE very success Of the law today
| Is primarily responsible for the highly
organized and heavily financed propa-
| ganda against it. Those who fiout the
/ Constitution and disobey the prohibition
/ law will not obey the restrictions which
/ would necessarily be part Of any reg
! ulatory law which might supersede the
eighteenth amendment.
Agree With Part of Plank.
"The platform plank on the eight.
| eenth amendment adopted by the Re.
I publican party convention declares fol
| obedience TO and enforcement of the
| law and the preservation of gains ad.
| mittedly accomplished under the eight.
| zenith amendment. 1t declares against
notification, nom observance, referen.
dums without constitutional sanction
the submission of mere repeal amend,
] ment and any backward STEP The
plank declares that prohibition has beer
and is non-partisan question. 1t doe.
not pledge nominees or members of tn,
| party to follow any specific course, de-
clareS against the evils inherent ir
/ tha LINN,