Evening star., 1933-01-17
(From the 5: 80 Edition Of Yesterdays Star. J
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

"The present movement for repeal oi
the eighteenth amendment obtained it.
principal impetus from the plethoric
pocketbooks of a few nillionaires, de-
termined to shift the weight Of taxation
from their own shoulders to the masses
even If 1t doomed the masses to per-
petual poverty and woe," Senator Nor
ris Sheppard of Texas. author Of the
prohibition amendment told the Senate
today.
The Texas Senator chose the thir-
teenth anniversary of national prohibi-
tion in the United States to deliver his
attack upon the wet movement. On
January Is, 1920, the country was
dried up" 1t has been the practice
of Senator Sheppard 10 sound new
call to the drys OF the country on these
anniversary days. A year ago he ad-
dressed a Senate overwhelmingly dry.
Today he addressed a Senate prepared
to pass a beer bill and to submit a
new amendment to the Constitution re-
pealing national prohibition. Some of
his colleagues likened the Texans
speech to "a voice crying in the wilder
ness"
Senator Sheppard declared himself
! fatty against the Democratic party'S
platform pledge to repeal the prohibi-
tion amendment.
Il stated during my speaking trip in
| behalf of the Democratic ticket In the
last campaign that had not changed
my views on prohibition, that was OPP
posed to both Democratic and Republic
! can planks on that subject, and that I
| supported the democracy on economic
grounds" said Senator Sheppard.
| A year ago Senator Sheppard an
nounced that he would support reso-
luton to submit repeal amendment
| if instructed to do SO by his State
primary. He insisted today that al
| though the victory had gone to the vets
| in the Texas primary, it had been so
merely because the drys had abstained
| from voting and that he did not feel
himself bound, therefore, by the result.
He said he was convinced that prohibi-
ton, because of paid wet propaganda,
/ could not get fair hearing in the coun-
| try today and so he would vote against
resubmisSion of the question.
Ordinarily" said Senator Sheppard,
| II favor the submission of any ques-
tion to the people whenever there is a
genuine desire on the part of any sub
stantial number for submission. In
! deed, I said as much in this Senate
when speaking in behalf Of the submis-
sion OF the eighteenth amendment,
adding that I would vote for submis-
SIGN, even If I were an anti-prohibi-
| ZIONIST, in order that the matter might
| be decided by the proper tribunal. That
situation. however, is no precedent for
| this. The present condition Is the re-
suit of paid propaganda and not Of
any spontaneous movement among the
people. I am oppostd, therefore, to sub
mission under the present circumstances
and at the present time. The country
has been saturated with such subtle and
such vicious Misrepresentation regard
ing prohibition that it would be impos-
| sible to secure a fair hearing on the
facts at this juncture A feeling
amounting almost to an obsession has
been widely established to the effect
that the return Of liquor will solve the
farm problem, conquer the depression.
supply the needed revenue. balance the
budget and restore prosperity. The
! treatment of dry speakers by the
screaming mobs in the galleries of both
the great party conventions at Chicago
is a sample of the difficulty at this time
Of securing a fair and decent hearing
for prohibition"
Discusses Primary Vote.
With regard to the Texas primary,
the Senator said:
"A so-called referendum on submis-
, sion was held in connection with the
Statewide Democratic primary for the
nomination of State officials in my
home State of Texas last year. The
drys ignored the referendum almost
solidly. They voted for State officers,
but refrained almost entirely from vot-
ing on submission. A Statewide meet
ing of Texas dry leaders advised the
drys to take no part in the referendum
on the very just ground that the sudden
order for the referendum. without priors
| notice and within less than six weeks
from the primary in which it was to be
held, did not afford sufficient time for
proper presentation and discussion and
was resulting in widespread protest and
| confusion among Democratic voters
| Although practically unopposed and left
to dominate the situation. the forces
| for submission polled less than half the
entire primary vote, or 405, ,309 out of
973,041. The remaining 567,732 either
did not vote at all on submission or
number 45G,l14 did not vote at all on
submission and 1853 voted against
submission. In my Judgment, it cannot
be said that vote of less than half
the participants in that primary for
submission was such an Endorsement as
l am required by the Texas election
law relating to Senators to observe. In
my judgment, ma iority of all of those
voting in the primary for all purposes
was necessary before the referendum
could be said to have been a represent
ative expression of the will of the pri-
mary voters and such an expression as
would be justified in following"
In his plea for the retention of ma
tional prohibition Senator Sheppard
declared that the repeal Of prohibi-
ton would be the beginning Of the dis
memberment of the soul of America"
He added that prohibition marks an
advance in the application Of Govern
ment and law to human rights OF such
significance as to justify every argu-
ment for its retention in the ConSti-
tuition"
TO repeal prohibition is to put the
right to appetite above the rights to
life to liberty and to happiness in
their true significance. the Texan said.
! THE danger to the United States Of
return to legalized alcohol cannot be
Oyerstated."
Senator Sheppard said in effect that
in this age of machinery, alcohol will
not mix. In addition, he declared that
the problem today is to feed the peo-
pie, to care for the vast number Of
unemployed. not to give them intoxi-
cvating beverages. He said that the
DEVELOPMENT Of the machine and pro-
hibition had gone side by side to make
a.. <rroo{ac+ oyo If rlr0Snprity the conn