Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-03-07
1000 DRY LEADERS
PENSESS|0NH HERE
TOCOMBAT REPEAL
All Sections of Country Are
Represented at Con.
ference.
MEETING PRESIDED OVER
BY BISHOP HUGHES
Declares That Cause Is at Stake
and Prokibitionists Must
Fight.

Dry leaders Of the Nation, facing
the most critical period in their long
tight to deny liquor to the American
people. gathered this morning in CAL
vary Baptist Church to map out
plan Of procedure to combat repeal Of
the eighteenth amendment and legali-
zation Of beer and wine.
Drawn from the far corners Of the
country, approximately 1000 leaders in
the dry movement. composed almost
entirely OF churchmen, were in attend
ance for a two-day conference.
Bishop Hughes Presides.
keynote of the conference was
given by the permanent chairman,
Bishop Edwin Holt Hughes, resident
Methodist bishop Of Washington. He
gave picture Of sorely embattled dry
suits OF their century-long campaign
for temperance and sobriety about to
be snatched from them.
I need not stress too heavily" he
said. the fact that the period Is
critical one for our endeavor. Now we
are not only ON the defensive: we are
on the quick defensive. II there are
times when haste is waste, this Is q
time when slowness is suicide.
We are not Indifferent to the neces-
sity OF long-run program of educa-
ton, but in the meantime we must not
give our opponents all the advantages
That come from the disastrously educa-
tlonal power OF an equal law. Legisla-
ton itself may become the patron of
thousands Of deadly schools, known as
saloons, that cannot possibly run unless
our homes send them scholars to be
trained IN ntemperance and iniquity.
We are not here to confess the
sins of prohibition We leave to others
the duty of witnessing to their own
lawlessness" .
Attacks Roosevelt Stand
Bishop Hughes attacked the wet
stand Of President Roosevelt and the
EFFORTS OF dry leaders in Congress to
attempt to help lift the country out
OF the depression with beer and liquor
taxes
The eighteenth amendment, in my
opinion" he said. has done as well
as business and If prohibition needs a
Moses, so does business and banking
and agriculture and all Of the rest
Of the pursuits Of American men. In
fact, to supply the demand for all
the Moses that are needed today. the
River Nile must be plentifully dotted
with arks Of tar and bull rushes and
Pharaoh needs more than one daughter
to supply and care for them
Among the dry leaders attending the
meeting were Bishop James Cannon,
jr, Of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
South; Mrs. Ella A. Boole, Of the
w. C. T. u; Canon William Sheafe
Chase, Of the International Reform
Federation: DR.. F. Scott Mcbride. of
the Anti-Saloon League; Mrs. Jesse W.
Nicholson, Of the Democratic Women's
Law Enforcement League, and Deets
Pickett, Of the Methodist Board of
Temperance. Prohibition and Public
Morals.
Psalm Service Tonight.
The statement Of the Committee on
Arrangements, which IS a rough draft
of the policy to be followed by the
conference, is being presepted to the
evening there will be an old-fashioned
psalm service for conference members
at Calvary Church, with short addresses
by members Of the conference.
Tomorrow the plan Of action Of the
conference as finally approved by the
Committee on Ways and Means will be
presented and as finally approved
adopted.
Emergency Campaign Planned.
The plan of action as proposed and
presented to the conference this after
noon would Immediately organize a ma
tional emergency campaign Of the drys
to defeat in the States the ratification
Of the repeal amendment.
For the purposes of the campaign the
Ways and Means Committee proposes
to set up Continental Committee to
act for the conference In the present
emergency, of 100 members. with an
Executive Committee Of nine members
to be charged with raising prohibition
fund
In a statement to the American peo-
pie, which was presented but not ap-
proved or discussed, the conference
would express its convictions as fol-
lows in part:
I'VE are unalterably opposed to the
repeal of the eighteenth amendment
through the legalization Of the traffic
in alcoholic liquor for beverage purposes
In any form.
Recommendation Made.
I'VE therefore recommend.
THAT all prohibition and temperance
organizations and all persons opposed
to the liquor traffic unite in Nation
wide campaign under the direction Of a
committee to be appointed by this con-
ference for the purpose OF preventing
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment.
THAT the friends of this cause sup
ply a united campaign fund to be adj
ministered by this committee In reach
ing the 10000, 900 voters Of the United
States with the facts involved In this
stupendous issue.
I'VE recommend to the States that
the historic method Of representation
universally used in State Legislatures
be employed in setting up constitutional
conventions. We favor the election OF
delegates from the legislative districts
now established for the election OF
representatives to the lower houses OF
the legislatures. ONLY one candidate
should be presented by each side In
each district SO that no confusion will
arise In the minds Of voters as to the
issue before them. Nominations should
not be made by political parties, but
the nominating system should permit
the friends Of prohibition to choose
their own pledged and dependable can
didates.
1--WE oppose holding conventions prior
to the next general election"
OPPOSES DEBT HOLIDAY