·sTATE
Volume 27.
No. 8
WESTERVILLE, OHIO, AVGUST, 1926
TO· OUR LEGISLATORS . -
$1.00 Per Year:
He is a good n1an, conscientious, and a prohibitionist.. But his record at
Austin has been only about fifty-fifty. During this campaign he confessed
to the editor of the HoJ;Ile and State that it was a mistake, that the legisla..
tive program of the Ani-Saloon League was proper and shottld be enacted.
Mr. Thomas B. Love announced against him. Mr. Love's dry record was
perfectly satisfactory, but under the above circumstances the Anti-Saloon
League took no part in the fight. V\f e feel sure that the deciding factor in
his _defeat was John Davis's failure to stand as strongly for prohibition at
Austin as he should. ,, Mr. Loye will be, an important factor in our n~xt
Senate.
~.
In District No. 16, our information did not justify any choice of can-didates. Quite a number ran, and there is yet to be a run-off between Mr.
J. W. Hall, for the last three sessions a member of the House, and Mr. K.:
C. Barkley. Voters in that distri-ct should at once attempt to determine:
how these two candidates will sand upon he Search and Seiz-ure Law, Sen-l
ate Bill 115, (for excluding evidence again-st bootleggers), and - all other
_questions affecting the enforcement of our dry laws. Our information is
not sufficient to justify any statement.
\
In district No~ 17 Senator Holbrook, whose past record is wholly un ...
-satisfactory to the Anti-,S aloon League, seems not to have had any opposition.
For the last eighteen months, Home and . State has been mercilessly
turning on the light on records made by_ certain legislators at the last session of the legislature. Let every member of the legislature understand
that there was no personal factor involved. The editor of the Home arid
State holds no person~] grievances against any~ He is simply fighting' tl1e
battle committetd to him by the dry forces of Texas:
Superintendent Webb of the Anti-Saloon League is not playing· politics with anyone. He could not play politics. He is not a politician. He
is not built that way.· His conscience would forbid any politics in his
poli<:y. He is simply ~ghting for principle. It is not his battle. It is the
battle of the millions behind him~
IA giving the records of legislators, it has grieved him often that he
was forced to give bad records of good men, but . his convictions for fair
play with no favorites forced him to give the records as written, whether
favorable or unfavorable. Superintendent VVebb did not rri'ake these recordf,. Each legislator made his own record. The great body of good citizens of 't'exas have placed Superintendent Webb as a w-atchman upon the
tower to see clearly what was going on, and to proclaim faithfully .the
facts. Hef could do nothing less. If at any time he makes an error it will
please him more than anybody else in the state to make a correction ot
In District No. 19, Senator A. J. Wirtz has been the senator for some
that error. So far, none have been able to point out an error in their years" To us he seems to have been delegated the authority of floor le~der,
records.
for the wets in the Senate. He may deny this to be true. We form our
We trust that the members of the legislatures, past and· present, may opinion from his conduct in the Senate. He was the author of the Search'~
forbear the privilege of holding a grievance and· we assure them that the and Seizure Bill. His record is wholly unsatisfactory to the Anti-Saloon
personal element has never l)een a factor in this campaign against wet and League. He represents a district, however, well arranged to prevent his
in favor of dry legislation.
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defeat. One halt of it is dripping wet, and one-half bone dry. He lives in
Again, we want to call the attention of good prohibitionists in both the wet section. In spite of the unfavorableness ·of this situation, when
Senate and House to the fact that there has not been manifest on their Judge J. T. Ellis of Caldwell county announced for the Senate, the Antipart such an expression of cooperation in behalf of the cause as the voters .Saloon League decided to let the voters ki:ww his record in the last session
of Texas h~tve u. right, to expect. The best thing 'for every real prohibi- of the legislafnre, wrote briefly this record as found ~n the Senate Journal
tionist in either house of the legislature to do is to make up his mind to do and circulated ·it somewhat over the district.
team work in behalf of the cause of prohibition and good -government, and
As we at-:: writmg this, we do not know who was elected. Our report
quit being led by the 1!0se around by the Association in the Legislature to is that outsid.'e of Wirtz's own county, Guadalupe, Judge Ellis was leading
Prevent the Enforcement of the Prohibition Laws. Let every new mem- Senator Wirtz by 289 votes. We understand that a number of efforts
ber of the legislature be alert to learn who comprises the Association. have been made to get the report from Guadalupe couny, but without sucThev do th~ir work under cover.
cess. We do not know why Guadalupe county's returns are held up.
Senator Eugene :Miller misrepresented District No. 22 the last ses1ion
of the legislature. Out of 23 ballots affecting prohibition and law enforcement, he cast 21 unsatisfactory to the Anti-Saloo~ Lea.gue. But nobody
. in that district was willing to serve the state at $5.00 a day, and so Senator
During the last session of the legislature the Texas State Senate of l\1iller l,Jld no opposition.
In District No. 23, W. D. McFarlane of Graha_m wired us that his
31 members, 27 of whom are reported to have told the dry voters in their
home district that they ·w ere dry, only abo1).t 12 proved true to the cause majority will reach over 3,000. Mr. McFarlane is a splendid man and very
of prohibition when they reached Austin. It seems now that the drys will satisfactory to the Anti-Salvon League.
In District No. 27, so long misrepresented by Archie Parr, J\!Ir. Arte..:
have at least a working majority.
Of the 31 senators, only 15 came up for reelection. Te·• of these fifteen mus R. Roberts was this year his opponent. Mr. Roberts is a .very splendid man. Texas needs him in the State Senate. He is a man of ability.
districts had -been filled by those whose 'records were unsatisfactory.
District No. 2 elects a new senator, Miss J\!Iargie Neal of Carth;;1.ge. Vie have not heard the returns from that district. - We are afraid, howShe has no official record except that she has always stood for prohibition ever, that Mr. Roberts did not have time to make a vigorous campaign
and is very popular with the prohibition forces of East Texas.
· covering such a large distJict. VVe did what we could to inform the people
District No. 6 was misrepresente-d by J. Roy Hardin during the last of that district of Senator Parr's past record) but can hardly expect success
session. His record was almost wholly unsatisfactory to the Anti-Saloon , under the above circumstances.
In District No. 28, Senator Robert Stuart of Ft. vVorth was reelt;.cted
League. Mr. Julian P. Greer of Henderson county announced against him.
The Anti-Saloon League took from the Senate Journal of the -last session \vithout opposition. At the last session of the Senate, Senator Stuart got
a brief statement of Senator Hardin's record and sent a number of c~ies into his head a cranky notion that the government should directly sell liqout over the district. As a result, -vve understand that Senator Hardin was uor for medicinal purposes, a method that has ·been discredited everywhere
defetJ.ted by something over 1,000 votes.
attempted. But Senator Stuart was perfectly sincere and the bill he introIn District No. 9, Senator W. S. Moore, whose record at Austin was duced in this effort was the most stringent before the State Senate. The
not satjsfactory, was appointed district judge by Governor M. A. Fergu- - result of attempting to put that bill over caused Senator Stuart to cast
son. and was not up for reelection. It is practically certain he would have several votes unsatisfactorily, but we believe that Senator Stuart is a good
been defeated if he had. Senator V/ est brook will represent that district. man and bone dry. \Ve are glad that he was reelected without opposition.
Sixteen of the senators were hold-overs and will come up for reelection
He is a good man. Was formerly one of the dry leaders in the State Senate . \Ve -..velcome him ba-ck.
two year from now. Several of them represent dry districts but have not
In District No. 10, Senator Joe Moore was reelected without opr:~­ dry records. They have two years of grace in \vhich to reform and the
sition. He is one t>f our best men and we are glad to see that he did not Anti-Saloon League will be glad to see this reformation.
·b.avr opp,sition.
-"
ln Bist;.·ict No. 11, John Davis has been senator for a number of years.
Additional State Matter on Pages 2, 3, 5, 8
PROSPECTS GOOD FOR DRY TEXAS ·SENATE
HOME
Page Two
\YARNING TO THE PROHIBITIONISTS
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· August 7~ 1926
STATE
paralyzed sheriffs, pr~secuting attorneys and district judges, demoralizing the enforcement of the law. Around eVery court house rolled like a
maelstrom this tide of propaga.nda.
Did you ever hear a Texas coyote howl in the lone of night? If one
howled, you thought you k11~\V there was a dozen. All of this noise of ·
propaganda is but the howl of the booze coyotes. Be not deceived. The
voice of the people was heard in the recent primary electipn. It thunders
in defense of the Constitution and of our dry la,vs. Did ye hear it, ye
bootleggers? Did ye hear it, ye guardian angels of bootleggers, authors of
the recent search and seiz.ure la\\~S? Did ye hear it, ye sheriffs who refuse
to suppress bootlegging? Did ye hear it, ye prosecuting attorneys who
ask for the dismissal of the b~otleggers' cases? On with the battle!
Because of our great victory, some prohibitionists may again think it
, is, time to go to sleep on the job. To do so w.ill prolong the agony. All
the trubles that we have had in the last three or four years, even down to
the laxity in law .enforcement by local officers, have been the result of the
' 'dry forces quitting when the Eighteenth Amendment was adopted. \Ve
reached a point where the wets thought that the only thing that stood between· them and success was the Anti-Saloon League. Had they not
thought this they would never have dared to make the vicious assault
upon the League that they have been m~king the last year. For the dry
forces again to go to sleep at the switch will mean to repeat the tragedies
of the last three years. It means to give such encouragements to the
"friends of bootleggers as will prolong the fight for law enforcement.
Besides this, there is much yet to be ~one. A legislature meets in
:Austin next January. 'Two bills written by the wets at the last session
Dallas Craftsman
;vvill have to be repealed before the law is ever enforced. Much good legA\
a sample of the unfair and ut1ethical methods of the friends of bootleggers in
islation to strengthen the prohibition laws is needed. For six years the
an effort to b:-eak down respect for the law and bring back the open saloon, we invite
legislatures of Texas as a whole have moved upon the assumption that the reader's attention to the conduct of the Dallas Craftsman. This paper is supthe people would not back up the Anti-Saloon League in its demand for posedly run in the interest of the laboring people, the class of our citizenry who have
effective legislation. This is the source of much of our troubles in Texas received the greatest benefits, morally, fin~nciaily, and socially, brought to our nation
from the ado!;·tion of the Eighteenth Amendment. From its utterances, one would
.t oday.
-judge that its chief aim is to discredit prohibition. Editorials jammed with misrepreWhile the recent priniary has been a terrible shock to the wets, we
sentations are to be found in its columns. Its editor led the fight at the State Federawill not obtain the results unless we l{eep up the fight. If the voters of tion of Labor to endorse wine and beer. In spite,' of the fact tl)at it is supposedly a
.Texas do not back up whole-heartedly and persistently the legislative pro- labor paper, we would grant them the privilege without criticism of expressing their
gram of the Anti-Saloon League, some Senators and Representatives will views on this question.
But recently they inveigled a great number of high class business firms and busiagain conclude that they can safely defy the League and our difficulties at
law enforcement will continue. Remember that the wets are organized in ness men of Dallas into endorsing their views without submitting the same for their
consideration. In its issue of May 28, under the head "Eternal Vigilance is the Price
the State Senate to prevent the enforcement of our prohibition laws.
of Liberty" it printed what it called "An Editorial," and at the bottom stated that the
:\Vhile the recent primary broke into the ring, it is not certain that we got editorial was endorsed by a long list of business men and firms of Dallas, listing 43
their leaders. Remember, eternal vigilance is the price of good govern- Jlames, in such a way as to make these firms responsible for the sta:tement in the editorial.
·ment: On with the battle!
ASAMPLE OF WET PROPAGANDA
THE LESSON OF THE RECENT PRIMARY
For the last six months, one tidal wave of wet propaganda after another has poured out upon the people through the public press. The source
.of most of this propaganda has been at \Vashington city. There Congressmen and Senators have consumed much of their time, at the expense of
the taxpayers, making speeches against the Constitution that they swore
tCl defend against all foes, foreign and domestic. Their object was to get
these speeches into the columns of the public press. They were seldom
careful about stating correct facts. The truth was inconvenient for them.
Falsehood and error, misrepresentation and garbling of records fitted into
their program much better. To honest citizens, this propaganda becan1e
nauseating and they wondered how any man could swear to defend the
.Constitution and spend most of their time fighting it.
The purpose of this propaganda was to try to convince the public
that there was no earthly reason why the Eighteenth Amendment and the
,Volstead Act were ever passed. They explained h.ow it happened by asserting that a very small minority, comprised principally of preachers and
women, most of whom were crooked and hypocrites, put over the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead Act by chicanery, trickery, falsehood,
and bribery. They boldly asserted that this little coterie of preachers got
control of this great Untied States government and put these acts ov~r and
that the same little coterie of clerical hypocrites still had the American
government by the throat.
They claimed that the people were in open rebellion against their government because of its effort to enforce these laws, that the government
should no longer attempt to sustain the Constitution or enforce the \r olstead Act, and, if the government did attempt to do so, that all good citizens should viciously oppose the government and, if needed, arise in rebellion against the government that proved loyal to the Constitution.
,They lauded the bootleggers and compared them to the heroes of English
liberty \\·ho through the centuries have fought for the liberty of the people.
In their praise of the bootleggers they stood these traitors up by the side
of the heroic Englishmen who met King John at Runnymead and wrested
from him the 11agna Charta of English liberty. In the public press, in
:dignif1ed magazines, and even upon the floor of Congress, they boldly
claim that the bootleggers of America are heroes of liberty comparable to
those \vho fell upon the battlefield for American independence or who resisted successfully the English kings.
The above is the substance of the propaganda given by the \vets to the
public press. The tide rolled on till its mighty roar hushed many a poli!ician \Vho quaked in his boots for fear that the wets would defeat him 1
The editorial was a vicious attack upon an order given some time ago by President Coolidge, allowing local peace officers when they wished, to be clothed with the
authority of fi:deral officers in their effort to aid in the enforcement of our prohibition
laws. The order of Mr. Coolidge was perfectly legitimate, sane, and sound. But the
;\'Vets of the nation leaped on it with both feet in an effort to prevent the government
from succeeding in suppressing bootlegging. They readily saw that if President Coolidge's order was generally followed by the peace. officers, the bootleggers would have
to take to tall timber. The way in· which they misrepresented that order to the public
is little less than a scandal.
\Ve quote from the Craftsman "Editorial" as follows: "Probably Mr. Coolidge
did not realize the viciousness of his attempted extension of the Federal authority, his
executive order .no doubt being issued at the behest of government officials chagrined
with prior failure in the enforcement of prohibition, who in turn were beset by those
fanatical citizens who can see in the Constitution naught but a single amendment, and
nowhere on the federal statute books more of law than the enactment that bears the
name of Andrew Volstead." There was much more of the same drit>el and misrepresentation, and these 43 reputable firms of Dallas were made to endorse it.
Looking over the list of firms, the superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League recognized many names of men whom he did not believe would endorse any such editorial
and wrote to these firms for further information about the matter. The result was that
every letter practically repudiated the editorial and some of them went after the editor
of the Craftsman in pretty vigorous language. Vve think that hereafter the Dallas
Craftsman will be· more careful in trying to make the public believe that reputable men
are endorsing the effort it is making to discredit prohibition.
}rom the letters we received from these firms we understand that the. Dall ·'
Craftsman proposed to these firms to write "a series of articles to promote harmony
between capital and labor." And from one writer we quote, "For the promotion ~f
civic and industrial relationship in .Dallas and Dallas county." From the letters we
re~civ:d from these firms, we infer that every firm contributed $15 to pay for these
ed1tonals for the above purpose. At that rate, the 43 firms contributed $845 to the
Dallas Craftsman under the above representation and the Dallas Craftsman used the
funds in an attack upon our prohibition laws . .
Vv c giv~ the above .as a sample of the methods of that class of our citizenry who
ar~ denounCing the Anti-Saloon League and howling because the Anti-Saloon League
ratscs and expends funds openly in behalf of the Eighteenth Amendment.
'WARE THE WET PRESS
(From the Dearborn Independent)
~ o{hing
~1ore
amusing than to read the news dispatches dealing with 'dry'
~eanngs at \\ ashmgton. Even the suppose<l.ly impartial press reports strain ludicrously
·:o make it appear that information secured from the 'dry' workers was wrenched,
Jorced, dragged out of a regular knock-down resistance of the 'drys' against the
lruth. The 'wets' are the frank, open, honest, transp~rent, pure advocates of truth;
the 'drys' are the shady, furtive, dissembling practitioners of deception and con,1s
~ealment.
A rum-running steamer was captured
Dear Boston and had on board l-iquor of
;he value of $"1,000,000. The seizure is
;he biggest ever tllade in the Boston port.
Do not expect the best enforcement of
law when you vote for candidates you
know are not iu sympathy with thi prohibition law.
HOME
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AND
THE RUN-OFF PRIMARY
FOR GOVERNOR
As we go to press, it seems that there will be no run-of in the governor's race.
. We are sure that Jim won't risk any more· expense on winning the race and those
who have been backing him will be slow to do so either. Besides, Dan Moody may
have a majority of all votes when, the final report comes in.
FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL
For attorney general there will be a run-off. Mr. Claude Pollard of Houston
led in. this race with 135,656 votes. He is a good, clean, strong man.
Mr. James V. Allread of Wichita Falls was one of the real surprises of the
campaign. Though only 26 years of age, he came second among .many good men
for the attorney general's office, having received 128,890 votes. We feel sure that
either of these gentlemen will make us a splndid attorney general.
FOR TREASURER
For treasurer, the · present incumbent, Gregory Hatcher led in this race, with
192,803. Jim Ferguson's candidate, J. R. Ball, of Fannin county, came second wit!1
120,400 votes. Friends of good government will attempt to make it unanimous for
Mr. Hatcher in the run-off. He has given us a splendid administration as treasurer,
and tracked the law, though in doing so he had to fight Jim Ferguson.
COURT OF CIVIL APPEALS, 11th DISTRICT
One place on this count will require a run-off to determine who is elected. Judge
Geo. L. Davenport of Eastland received 18,772 votes. Judge J, F. Hickman of
Ereckenridge received 17,801. Both of these are excellent gentlemen.
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POLITICIANS PLEASE NOTE
STATE
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Page Three
tatives are able to meet all these expenses on the .$5.00 a day. If they are able t(j
do so they should be commended as experts in finance. If they do not, then dcter1
mine who does pay for these room's, and why.
If permissible we would also suggest that , an investigation be cond~tcted :to'
determine what senators, if any, got liquor on physicians' prescriptions for bever~i
age purposes and what effect this practice has upon their vote in the senate.
Senator Wirtz, we believe you are on the right line. Let not your heart fail
you, but make the investigation sweeping and take in all the above. Very like1y,
when the next legislature meets, we will have about that much more to suggest along
that line.
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AN INTERESTING LETTER FROM MERCEDES
Home and State advocated the election of Artemas R. Roberts~ Corpus Christi,
to the state senate against Archie Parr. In response we received an interesting
letter from Mercedes. The letter closes with the following language, •'verbatim et
literatim." "Down with the saloon. But I want more whisky, and better whisky.
When I need your advice I will write you. I am for Parr."
Tlte last four words of the ~bove was u~necessary. We knew for whom he 1
would vote before he said ·it.
RECOUNT OF BALLOTS ORDERED
Court Orders Ballots Cast in Cook
County Primary Elections. Be
Recounted
COOK COUNTY JAIL SCANDAL
Investigation Reveals That Cook
County Jail ·( Chicago) Inmates
Were Supplied W1th Booze
A complete recount of the vote cast in
Cook county (Chicago) for the United
Testimony that Frank McEr!ain-~ and
States senatorial nomination, in both Re- others, specially favored inmates of Cook
publican and Democratic parties, was or- cc.unty's (Chicago) jail, held frequent re~
dered July 22 by County Judge Jarecki at
ceptions in the hospital of the jail, where
the request of Se·nator James Reed, of
hquor was servC'd, was given, July 23, by
Missouri, chairman of the Senate cama former jailer in Judge John J. Me~
paign expenditures committee. It is reGerty's inquiry into jail conditions. Mcported that fifty-four election judges and
Erlaine's recent appearance in court un~
clerks who served in Cook county's April
der the influence of liquor caused the inprimaries weTe indicted July 22 by a spequiry. James Castignango, former assistcial grand jury on charges of conspiracy. ant jailer, said he had seen McErlaine
to make a false account in connection
drunk "so many times I can't remember,"
with irregularities at the polls. These ir.-. and told of hearing from a guard that
d:ctments bring the total to 109 returned
] ules Portugese, lately siain gangster,
against judges and clerks.
was "stiff drunk" in his cell one night
It is charged that more than $3,000,000
while held on a minor charge.
bad been spC'nt in the senatorial primary
Castignango gave his superiors in the
race. Hearings under the direction of
jail credit for doing all they could to stol'
Senator Reed began Monday, July 26.
smuggling of liquor to the prisoners, but
All senatorial candidates, together with
said they could not cope with the situatheir campaign managers and officials of
tion. He named Elmer Moore, sentenced
various organizations, have been called to
tc ninety days in jail for contempt of
testify.
court, as one of the guards who often was
under alcoholic influence. Moore was
sentenced because when he was cal!ed as
THE RURAL NEWSPAPER
McErlaine's guard to explain the p~ison
condition he also was found to be unHow It Stands for Respect for Consti.
steady and expresse'd the desire to "knock
tuted Authority
the court loose from his trousers."
A raid on an apartment adjoining the
. Several hundred editors and publishers jc:.il was believed to have dried up the
Senator Wirtz of Seguin, who seems to be the 'floor leader for the wets in the
of rural newspapers from all parts of the
principal source of the booze. Raiders
state senate, became very wrathy because· the Anti-Saloon League went to the
United S~ates gathered in Los Angeles
discovered radiators and hot water bottles
senate J o~trnal of the last session and copied his record in brief, printed a few copies
for th C' N a tiona! Editorial Association's in which they believe intoxicants were
and circula·ted them in his district at the time he was seeking reelection. He sent
forty-first convention.
smuggled into the jail. .One signal, they
what we presume was a paid advertisement, to the Lockhart Post Register, from
Frank 0. Edgecombe, of Nebraska,
said brought whisky and two signals
which we quote as follows: "At a moderate estimate, at least $5,000 is being spent
president of the associ:.tion, in his annual
brought beer.
in the circulation of this literature alone." WHOOPEE! Senator vVirtz! Thanks for
address indicated the importance of the
Here is a situation that should be
the compliment. If that much money should come into the Anti-Saloon League, · rural press and declared it is a privilege probed to the fullest extent. It indicates
we are sure the entire ofice force would die of heart failure.
for any man or woman to have a part in
or:e of the principal causes of lax enforceAgain we quote: "l do know that money is being spent to defeat me in excess
either pre-paring or direc'ting the utter- ment of the prohibition law in our large ·
of the amount permitted by law to be spent by a candidate for this ofice." Hold
ances of a newspaper. Speaking of the c1t1es-viz., the dishonesty and iiJeffiup, Senator Wirtz, you do not lmow any such thing!. We quote him again. ''vVhen
relation of the rural newspaper to law ob- ciency of public officials. Effective enI return to the senate, I propose to urge the passage of a resolution to :conduct a:
servance and law enforcement, Mr. Edge- forcement can never be achieved by offi-thorough and searching investigation into the use of slush funds by or on behalf
combs said:
cials who are out of sympathy with the
r: .(1.11 candidates in this primary." Good! Here is our ha~d, Senator Wirtz~ o~ that
The rural newspaper, weekly or
bw and who are themselYC'S violators of
daily, boasts that it is the newspaper
proposition. It is one time we are agreed.
the law.
of the home. Therefore, it is of parBut I suggest that you write into that resolution a request that an investigation
ticular importance that our news. be conducted as to whether, or not, it is true that $10,000 slush funds were raised
MA FERGUSON DEFEATED
papers, forming a part of the rural
by the bootleggers of Guadalupe county (your own county) to be spent for the putting:
The Texas pr1mary election r~sulted in
press and our organizations being 'the
over of the Sea-rch and Seizure law at the last legislature. And further to determine
the defeat of Governor Miriam A. Ferguonly national voice of the rural
who got the money, whatever amount it was.
son for renomination on the Democratic
press, should at all times support
Let me also ask that you incorporate into the resolution an investigation con'ticket and the triumph of Attorney Gendefinitely and boldly every constitucerning the report that a certain senator has come into possession mysteriously of
eral Dan Moody. Mrs. Ferguson had
tional and statutory enactment and
$75,000 of money since the last session of the legislature, whether this is the exact,
m ade a pre-election promise to resign if
_give our utterances weight by private
or what is the correct, amount and as to whether it was in payment for the passage
Moody got one more vote than she, on the
and public observance of the same
of the Search and Seizure law, or for what purpose.
condition that he resign if she led him by
principle-obedience to law and re•
I would further suggest that you add to your resolution an investigation as to who
25,000 votes. Governor Ferguson n~w anspect for constituted authority.
pays· for elaborate suites of rooms at hotels at Austin for some members of the state
nounces that she will resign the first of
senate, and it might be well to make it a joint resolution with the House and include
November. 'Pne Democratic nominason
some of its membership. Determine how it is possible on $5.00 a day for senators
Alcohol as a beverage is as dangerous is equivalent to an election. Governor
and representatives and their families to occupy such suites of rooms as would cost bow as in the days when the sale of such Ferguson has not been counted a friend
the editor $10.00 to $20.00 a day, and whether er not these senators and represen- liQuor was permitted bY: law.
. Gt the dry cause in the state of Texas.
Home and State has no desire to do an injustice to any one. In wntJng up
the dry records of candidates for office, if one worthy of our commendation is
inadvertently omitted, and his opponent is mentioned, it becomes a great disadvantage
to the one whose. name was omitted. This is never done intentionally, but it is
physically impossible for Home and State to know every one over the large state
of Texas who may announce locally, or even in the metropolitan papers for office.
It is physically impossible for this office to read all the papers and all that is in
each of them.
Every year there are those who complain that we do them an injustice by
omitting their name, when they did not give us the consideration to inform us that
they were in the race. They go on ignoring us until the Home and State appears. with
its endorsements, and they find it is having a tremendous influence and their name
being omitted they are put at a disadvantage. Then, some of these politicians make
· a great complaint, and abuse Home and State.
We wish to say that we \yill not bG responsible for the omitting of any name of
any candidate who is not interested in his own candidacy enough to let us know
directly that he is in the race for an office. Also he should give us a line on his past
record and more than this he cannot expect Home and State to take his own statement
of his record. There must always be given time to investigate.
A few years ago a man ran. for congress. He ignored 'the Home and State completely until the issue of the Home and State was out and then wherever he went
he found his way blocked, and was defeated. He was a good man and worthy the
confidence of the prohibitionists. He acknowledges today the influence of the Home
and State in a campaign, but has never forgiven us, and never allows an opportunity
to pass for knocking the Home and State, and is not particularly careful about the
truth.
Sen. Wirtz Wants to Investigate the Anti-Saloon .League of Texas
HOME
Page Four
HOME AND
S1~ATE
(Established 1903)
Official Organ Anti-Saloon League of Texas
Published First of Each Month by
THE AMERICAN ISSUE PUBLISHING CO.
130 South State Street, Westerville, Ohio
FOR THE ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE OF TEXAS
EDITORIAL OFFICE-311-13 Slaughter Bldg., Dallas, Texas
ERNEST H. CHERRINGTON, Editor
REV. ATTICUS WEBB, State Editor
Entered as second-class matter at the postoffi.ce at Westerville,
Ohio, under Act of March 3, 1879
Subscription Price--$1.00 a Year in the United States
All letters should be addressed to HoME AND STATJ•:, Dallas, Texas
OFFICERS OF THE ANTI-SALOON LEAGUE OF TEXAS
•
Belton
President-DR. J. C. HARDY
.
• 'Amarillo
Vice President-J. L. SMITH .
.
.
Austin
Second Vice President-DR. L. D. GRAFTON
Dallas
Recording Secretary-JUDGE GEORGE SERGEANT
Dallas
Superintendent-REV. ATTICUS WEBB
AUGUST, 1926
United States and Great Britain Co-operating
in Fight on Rum Smuggling
The supreme effort of General Andrews· to perfect prohibition enforcement has been directed toward ''stopping
bootleg liquor at the source." He has repeately stated
that the two principal sources are diversion of industrial
. alcohol and liquor smuggling. He is greatly disappointed at the failure of the Senate to enact legislation
:in preventing diversion of industrial alcohol. However,
1
he is not discouraged but is using every means at his
\comand to check this source of bootleg liquor.
With a view of putting the rum boats entirely out of
'commission, General Andrews headed a delegation from
the United States which has been in conference with
1
British representatives in London seeking further co'operation from Great Britain. Our coast guard has already succeeded in a large measure in scattering the rum
.fleet, but the menace of the Bahamas and other near-by
.British possessions as supply stations for the rum boats
,still exists.
It is a fine spirit of friendliness manifested by the
'"British government in consenting to a conference look~ng to a remedy for this source of annoyance to the pro[hibition enforcement unit. Every well-wisher for the
.success of the prohibition policy in the United States rejoices in the good news carried in London press dispatches of July 27 announcing complete and amicable
agreement betweeJ1 the reJ?resentatives of these two governments in conference. The announcement of the good
feeling with which the conference clcseu is especially
gratifying. Both Great Britain and the 'Cnited States
are satisfied.
General Andrews believes that the agreements reached
will be most effective in stopping this source of supply
of bootleg liquor to the United States. It is announceCl
that eight recommendations have been framed which are
not made public for the reason that it is not advisable to
'disclose them to the rum runners. These gentry are
Jikely to be the first to know when the new regulations
are in actual Qperation.
It is announced that this conference has probably
.struck the greatest blow to trans-Atlantic bootlegging
since the enactment of the Volstead law and that General Andrews considers his work in this connection as
the biggest · achivement of his career. as enforcement
chief.
Friends of prohibition on both sides of the Atlantic
have reason to rejoice over this forward step in prohibition enforcement. ·
General Andrews" Mission
Genera'! Andrc;ys is in London endeavoring to
persuade the British government to do something
to check the rum running from that country to this.
In other words, we are placed in the position of appealing to a foreign power to protect our people
against the temptation to commit crimes which are
not re'cognized as crimes in the country to which we
appeal.
The above ,\,hine is the introduction of an editorial in
the Ohio State ] ournal of July 15. It must be disconcerting to the editor of this wet sheet to read the London, dispatch of July 28 announcing the accomplishments
of this conference between the representatives of the
United States government and Great Britain.
This country does not expect Great Britain or any
other fgreign power to enfon;e our prohibition laws for
us. })lit it has a right to expect cooperation from these
powers in the effort to prevent boats flying the flags of
AND
STATE
these respective powers from carrying contraband liquor
on to our shores.
The wets profess to believe that this effort to deal with
foreign rum runners would complicate this country in
international entanglements that would be embarrassing.
The London conference has pointed the way out. The
agreement was entirely satisfactory to both countries
and good feeling prevailed. The Ohio . State Journal put
itself in the class with the British brewers and distillers
who also greatly resented the visit of General Andrews
and his delegation. In other words, there seems to be a
growing fear on. the part of wets generally that prohibition law enforcement is growing more effective.
Canton's Shame-·A Warning
The slaying of Don R. Mellett, the Canton, Ohio,
editor, by assas3ins, who fired from ambush, has directed
the attention of the entire country to this Ohio city.
Editor Mellett had waged relentless warfare on the
criminals, who "pparently were operating with immunity
In the city. Through his effort sthe chief of p·olice had
been suspended, was late·r reipstated and since the slaying has again been suspended.
Mellett' charged protection of the organized underworld crowd and was insistent upon a general cleanup.
Thus far the pe•rpetrators of the crime have not been
apprehended.
An Associated Press man investigated recent po:itical
history in Canton and the facts whi·ch he brought to
light reveal a situation that condemns, not only public
officials for dereliction in performance of their duty, but
show that the citizenship of that city is suffering from
a severe case of moral sleeping sickness. As one newspaper puts it, the first essential to the prompt administration of justice in a community is a sound and alert
public sentiment, insistently demanding it. The' facts
produced by the Associa.ted Press man show that this
public sentiment was woeful:y lacking in Canton and ~t
was the effort to awaken this sentiment that cost Don R.
Mellett his life .
Here' are the facts as given by the Associated Press:
There have been forty-eight murders in Canton in the
last five years, some of them evidently planned with deliberate care. Not one of the murderers has suffered the
extreme penalty of the law. Only seven of them have
been sentenced to life imprisonment, six have been let
off v,:ith shorter terms and one or two are now out on
paro1e. Four cases are now pending in the Starke county
courts, one of them a case in which the first jury disagreed, though the accused confessed his guilt to the
prosecutor. Twenty of the murderers have' never been
caught.
Evidently murder was not a particularly hazardous
pursuit in the' city of Canton. Canton is reaping the
whirlwind and her experience should be a warning to
other communities where law observance and law enforcement is at low ebb.
There is nation-wide need for a real educational campaign for law observance and law enforcement.
Bootleggers Hold in Equal Contempt Prohibition and License Laws
The death toll from poison liquor in New York and
the province of Ontario up to July 27 had mounted to 38.
New York as one of the sovereign states of the Union is
subject to the national prohibition law although she refuses to cooperate with the government in the enforcement of that law. Being without a state enforcement
code, it is probably true that nowhere else in the Union
is prohibition at as low ebb as it is in the Empire State.
Hov.'ever, New York is legally dry. On the other hand,
the province of Ontario is experimenting with so-called
non-intoxicating beer of very much higher alcoholic content than is permitted under our national prohibition act.
The so-called four point four beer has an alcoholic content of about 3.5 per cent as measured by this country.
\\ e are told by the wets that if this country would
permit beer of 2.75 per cent alcohol the poisonous hooch
trade would stop immediately. The Ontario and New
York tragedy proves the falsity of this claim. Dealers
in poisonous liquors do not confine their activities to prohibition territory. They are out to sup,ply the demands
of the fellow with an alcoholic thirst, a thirst that can
not be quenched by mere malt liquors, and, furthermore,
bootleggers' activities in the provinces of Quebec and
British Columbia where distilled liquors are legally dispensed, prove that the bootlegger is also an ever present
competitor with the lice1;sed liquor vendtlr.
In short, the bootlegger holds in equal contempt license and prohibition laws.
French Wines and Two Great Ameriean
Dailies
Exhibits of newspaper clippings from one Chicago
and one New York paper were made before the Women's National Committee for Law Enforcement, vVashington, April 13, 1926. The time of publication was
thirty days. The measurement was in printed yards,
and this was then multiplied by the number of papers
printed. The figures were staggering!
But the point of interest lies in these two facts: that
'the material thus published was hostile to prohibition;
and that the two newspapers are named among its accommodating servants or agents for the publication of
its anti-prohibition "literature" by the French \Vine Exportation Commission.
Mrs. George Mathes, of Chicago, held up the clippings
for the convention to look at. For the "great New York
daily," the columns cut out measured twenty~five yards.
For the "great Chicagc. daily," the columns cut out measured thirty-seven yards.
Now these "yards of columns," when multiplied by
the grand total of the papers printed and circulated over
this nation, made the neat little printing job of more
than sixty-six million yards of columns, or enough miles
of columns to stretch· around the earth at the equator,
with enough left over to festoon from pole' 'to pole, and
leave a little end to flutter toward the Southern Cross.
'Ne cautiously submit that's quite a gift for two Amercan newspapers to make to the wine interests of France!
A nation that can afford to spend $700,000,000 a year
on an army and navy merely to be ready to fight an imaginary enemy from across the sea, can surely afford to
spend $20,000,000 a year to stamp out the destructive and
deadly work of a small army of traitorous bootleggers
and their abettors who are in rebellioJl, and who imagine
themselves safe merely because they are inside the nation and not outside!
THE GOVEitNMENT AS BARTENDER
(Christian Science Monitor)
The ease of the wets against the Eighteenth Amendment and the Volstead act was submitted to the Sixtyninth Congress in the shape of various "modification''
and "nu:tification" bills, every one of which was con•
signed to the official waste' basket. The net outcome,
'therefore, of all the arguments there presented was-precisely nothing. The public hearings on these bills, however, served a useful purpose in that they showed unmistakably a general agreement among the liquor interests
to the effect that a return to conditions such as were
present before prohibition was so strongly oppose·cl to
the people's wi:l as to be impossible of realizatwn.
It was also conceded that there is not the slig-htest
possibility of the rescinding of the Eighteenth Amendment nor any indic.ation that the Volstead act Ciln be
amended so as to permit the sale of alcoholic bevera~es
now under the ban. The opposition to the e'xisting law
has, therefore, taken refuge in the demand for the adoption of a system of government controlled sales of liquor,
simi:ar to that in effect in the province of Quebec .
The process by which this concluc.ion is reached illustrates the ''logic'' of the anti-prohibition forces. The indiscriminate sa:e of liquors, they say, is not to be thought
of as a public policy. The evils attendant on the sale
by licensed drinking places were so grievous that an
aroused popula:: conscience insisted upon taking the nationaJ and state governments out of partnership with the
liquor traffic. The American people decided by the proper
constitutional methods that their government should no
longer sanctiol:! the making or selling of intoxicating
liquor. or derive a revenue therefrom. That having become the settled policy of the nation, it ;s 11ow proposed
that the nation.1l or state governments shall enter dircct:y
into the busine::;s· of supplying alcoholic beverages at re'tail to all who wish to buy.
In other words, liquor selling under government licenses
and regulation was such a failure that the people arose
and drove it out. Because after a few years' trial the
prohibition law is not yet wholly effective, the remedy is
to make the liquor traffic respectable by putting it in the
hands of government agencies
Alcoholically speaking, the count-.·y is becoming drier
every day and in every way.
vVisc4Jnsin Democrats adopted a convention platform
recommending the repeal of tl1e Eighteenth Amendment.
But then the country is not surprised at anything \Viscousin ooes.
HOME
AND
Fmancial Report of the Anti-Saloon League of Texas Made to
the Senate Committee
Summary, Anti-Saloon League of Texas, from A'~gust 1, 1920, to April 30, 1926
Statement of Cash Receipts and Disbursements
Balance August 1, 1920 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 335,24
Receipts: from August 1, 1920, to August 31, 1921 . . . . . . . . • • . . • . . • . . . . . . . . 50,663.36
Total receipts .............................. ·................... -:' .... $50,998.60
Disbursements: from August 1, 1920, to August 31, 1921 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50,695.52
Balance August 31, 1921 ........................... ...................... $
303.08
Balance September 1, 1921 ............•.............................• $ 303.08
Receivts: from September 1, 1921, to July 31, 1922 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. • . . . . .• 32,598.40
Total receipts .....................................•..•.............. $32,90L48
Disbursements from Sept. 1, 1921, to July 31, 1922 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32,586.83
Balance July 31, 1922 ................................................... $ 314.64
During the period from August 1, 1922, and August 31, 1924, the auditors who
audited our books during this time set up a surplus fund which included our bank
balances as you will notice from the following figures.
Receipts from, 1August 1, 1922, to August 31, 1924 . ......................... $63,077.76
Disbursements from August 1, 19f2, to August 31, 1924 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58,928.02
Surplus August 31, 1924 ................................................. $ 4,149.74
Receipts from September 1, 1924, to April 30, 1926 ..........••..........•. $48,201.89
Disbursements from September 1, 1924, to April 30, 1926 . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . 42,011.56
Surplus April 30. 1926 ......................................•.......•... $ 6,190.33
The above is a correct summary of the finance·s of the Anti-Saloon League of
Texas, as shown by the auditors' reports, for the period stated.
ANTI-S:A.LOON LEAGUE OF TEXAS.
By Atticus. Web~, State Superintendent.
State of Texas, County of Dallas, City of Dalias.
Subscribed ·and sworn to before me this 12th day of July, 1926. A notory public
in and for Dallas county, State of Texas.
Claud Westerfeldt, Notary Public.
How the Finances of the Anti-Saloon League are Handled
Haskin and Sells, probably the largest auditing firm in the world, audits regularly the books of the Anti-Saloon League of Texas. Not an item of its financial
affairs, since the present superintendent took charge and long pervious to that, but
has been covered by careful audits from responsible and bonded auditors. These reports are placed in the hands of Judge Geo. Sergeant of Dallas, an elder in the First
Presbyterian Church of Dallas, formerly judge of the Court of Civil Appeals of the
sixth district and secretary of the Anti-Saloon League for the last 15 years.
Every member of the office force and everyone who has anything to do in handling
the fi' a·nces are under bond. Any loss that might occur through the conduct of any
of the se persons can readily be recovered from the bondsmen.
It is the policy of Superintcnd~nt Webb, who himself is under bond, to handle the
finances that every check or other remittance that comes into the office can be traced
to an 0. K.'d. deposit blank from the bank s howing that it has been received. After
the funds reach the bank there is no way for it to be got out of the bank except by
a che ck which shov·;s \\'ho received it and for what purpose.
] n other words, every transaction of the Anti-Saloon League of Texas has a check
to cover it.
P.y the abo,~e methods, we belieYe that the funds of the Anti-Saloon League of
Telas are guarded as safely as the funds of any bank in America.
STUPIDITY OR DISHONESTY
Not many days pass over our heads ·without the El Paso Times writing an
editorial giving the Aj"lti-Saloon League a good cussing. Just why, we do not know.
It ca...! not be that our activities has shut off their supply of booze~ for over the river
is Juarez, and the river can of times be waded.
If the Times he.ld down to the fact and the truth, nobody could complain, but
the truth and ~acts hurt neith er the Anti-Saloon League nor the prohibition cause,
therefore they are not available to the purpose of The Times.
Recently, under an editorial styled "Why the Secrecy?" The El Paso Times
said: "The Anti-Saloon League is put in an unenviable position when its sponsors
frank!y state that its contributors fear to have the facts Qf their contributions made
puhlic."
This is falsehood K o. 1. The fact is that for the reason given below, some of
the contributors ask that their names be withheld.
Referring to the wet organization it says, "That they are far more to be praised
when they make the names of the supporters public without quibble."
This is fal sehood No. 2, or is it stupidity? No well informed man believes that
the wet organizations are letting the names of their supporters be given to the public.
They never did so before, and their is no indication of their reform. They simply
let the names of some of their supp orters be given to the public.
To quote the Times further: "To the average man wl:i.o is not afraid to have his
opinion kno·wn, the stock of the Anti-Saloon League goes away below par by such
a stand." Thi s is falsehood No. 3. ?\ o sensible man blames the Anti-Saloon League
for respecting the request of som~ of its contributors for reasons givet1 below to be
~ithheld. The fact is that since the atta_ck upon the Anti-Saloon League began, its
stock, as shown by its bank account, has gone "away" up. The public easily sees
ll!hat is behind the attack upon the League, and is nobly rallying to it.
STATE
Page Five
To quote again: "But the Anti-Saloon Leaguers take the stand th~t the general
vun of their contributors desire secrecy." This is a straight falsehood,-no stupidity
about it.
Quoting the El Paso Times again: "If there are any large contributors to the
Anti-Saloon League from the rank of our prosperous bootlegers it would be easy
to appreciate Mr. Wheeler's desire for secrecy."
This is an insinuation attempting to state what would be libelous if s_tated in
'straightfor·ward language. No one but a coward, ot one who will not make a fair
fight, will attempt to drive home by insinuation what he is afraid to state as a straightforward fact. The Times makes a number of additional effQrts to drive home this
same falsehood. All who support the Anti-Saloon League know just where the funds
come from. They are taken in church collections where the Anti-Saloon Leagu~
men speak, and bootleggers do not attend those church services.
Why Would One Who Supports The ·Anti-Saloon League Want His Name Withheld?
This is a legitimate question, but one that any man with average intelligence
could ans·wer for himself. Before the saloons were gone, they conducted driving
boycotts against the friends of prohibition, and business men were justified in attempting to avoid the boycott by requesting their names not to be given. Since the
Eightee~th Amendment, these same saloon keepers, now bootlegging, not only. conduct boycotts against those who are fighting for prohibition, but have added to its
terrorism. They have burned the houses of those who fought for the enfo'!·cement
of the prohibition laws, they have sent threatening letters to them, and to their
wives, they have shot some of them down. The Times, in conducting a campaign
to discredit anybody that stands for Pfohibition, has had the company of some other
papers. For these and many other reasons perfectly legitimate, it is a small thing for a
friend of the cause to attempt to avoid calling down upon himself the wrath of the
Times, the bootleggers, moonshiners, and ex-saloon keepers by requesting that their
names be not given to the public.
·
When these facts were presented to the Senate Committee, they saw the
justness of the contention, and gladly agreed that the sponsors of the Anti-Sa~on
League were right. VVith the Senate Committee the great public, loyal to the flag,
heartily agrees as is shown by better financial support the League is receiving.
Movies Will Cease Propaganda Against Prohibition
Probobly the three greatest agencies of propaganda, or the effort to make public
sentiment, are the newspapers, the pulpits and the movies. The most effective method
to use against any cause is ridicule and sarcasm. The movies lend themselves
especialy to. this weapon. It is expected of a newspaper that it will give the news
in its news columns, but it is granted the privjlege in its editorial column to advocate
any cause that it thinks best for the country.
. The movies are not supposed -to be a medium of propaganda, but to be purely
for public entertainment. Any movie that lends itself to propaganda is prostituting
its purpose, and offends the public.
Since the co'ming of prohibition the wets have used movies pretty freely for
propaganda, but the Anti-Saloon League has been making a constant fight to correct
this. This fight has been made along two directions. One was to create a public
sentiment that would frown severely upon any propaganda in the movies; the other
has been a work with the leaders of the movie industry. The Anti-Saloon League
has proceeded all along with the conviction that those who are in the lead in production of movie films were not primarily wedded to the wet cause and. would not
sacrifice their business for booze. The editor has been fortunate in a warm personal
friendship with one who is closely allied with this industry and whose convictions
on the prohibition question was in complete sympathy with the Anti-Saloon League.
Also the editor has been a frequent correspondent with Will H. Hays, president of
the motion picture producers and distributors of America, inc. We are afraid that
sometimes our protest was couched in language too sharp. But such protests were
always given the utmost courtesy and consideration.
We are now in a position to announce the positive stand of the leaders of the
moving pkture industry. The organization with which Mr. Will H. Hays is connected, claims f'o produce 85 per cent of the films of America. He has recently
given out the following statement:
"Make certain that into no title there be allowed to enter any word, phrase,
clause or sentence that directly or indirectly encourages the slightest disregard for
law. There might be a tendency to make light of prohibition on the theory tl;at it
is a type of humor and might bring the laugh which sometimes follows, but any such
treatment of the subject is, of course, a belittling of the statute itself, and it is the
earnest purpose of the association to make certain that the screen shall never be
used in a manner which promotes the slightest disrespect for any law, whatever that
law may be."
N 6 Drinking Scenes
"Make certain that into no picture there be allowed to enter any shot of drinking
scenes, manufacture or sale of liquor, or undue effects of liquor which are not a
necessary part of the story or an essential element in the building up of the plot. That
is, there should be no picturization of liquor, its manufacture, use or effect which
can be construed as being brought in unnecessarily as a type or propaganda. It is
one thing, of course, if the use of liquor in a picture is a natural element, but quite
another thing if it is brought in unnecessarily in any way which can be construed as
.being for an ulterior purpose or which in any way promotes disrespect for law.
"The motion picture has a definite duty, still more emphasized at the present by
not allowing itself to be misused in any situation. Further, it has the continuing
duty of positive support of law, order and authority, and the great opportunity
which is in pictures measures exactly their great responsibility." _
It is now up to the friends of prohibition to show their appreciation of this stand
and to render their backing and co-operation to those movies who exhibit productions of this organization, and frown unmistakably upon all productions that lend
themselves to propaganda against our prohibition laws. If we want the moving
picture to present the very best in government, religion and civilization, we, the good
citize,1ry, ought to make a clear, decided distinction between the good and thG bad,
for it is certain that we will never be able to do away with all. Again, if rightly
CGI!ducted, we get not only entertainments, but educational advi£ntages.
.~·
J
HOME
AND
,WHAT THE CURRENT MAGAZINES ARE SAYING ABOUT
PROHIBITION AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
STATE
Prohibition, fairly judged, is by no means
so indisputably a farce or a failure.
(Literary Digest, July 10 and 17, 1926)
COLLEGE STUDENT DRINKING
SINCE PROHIBITION
and
guard's work. The actual expense of pro- COLLEGE STUDENT EDITORS ON
hibition enforcement, therefore, narrows
COLLEGE DRINKING
down to perhaps 15 cents per person. It
The Digest has done good serv~":e in the
is not likely that the American, people will
cause of truth by collecting from college
regard that as .an extravagant expenditure
presidents and from college student edifor enforcing a law which gives effect to
tors further denial of the wet propaganda
an integral part of the Constitution 'o f the
New York City Always Has Been
that prohibition was increasing drinking
United States.
Infested With Blind Pigs; Need .
among college students. The information
was gathered by means of two questionfor State Enforcement Law
(American Review of Re-views, July, 1926) naires sent to these two classes of qualified witnnesses to practically all of the
WHAT CONSTITUTES FAILURE?
Federal prohibition administrator of
colleges and uhiversities in the United New York, Chester P. Mills. estimates
Editorial.
Closing a series of paragraphs on the States. The following are some of the that there are 15,000 "speake-asies," or
political phases of prohibition, in New outstanding statements in the Digest's blind pigs, operating in New York City.
York and Pennsylvania particularly, the summary:
Attention is called to the fact tnat this
Prohibition is winning in the colleges, tJ.umber exceeds the nuntber of licensed
editor comments as follows on the quesaccording to the almost unanimius testi- saloons operating in 1918. Excise c~m­
tion in the title:
There are two current lines of argu- mony of more than 200 college and uni- missioner Sisson reports that there were
ment against prohibition. They are totally ver.sity heads. . . . The repeated charges 13,085 licenses for saloons in that year.
unlike, yet the wets continue to Ul)e both that college students and the youth of the
The enemies of prohibition are making
lines of argument indiscriminately. One land at large have been debauched by pro- much of this statement by the prohibition
argument is to the effect that prohibition hibition are refuted by this great array of administrator. They assume that it is posiinterferes with sacred personal rights and witnesses. . . .
tive proof that prohibition is a failure and
There· are 213 replies, representing that it is a strong argument for the return
that it ought to be abolished so that peo. The replies are of the lice·nsed saloon.
ple may obtain the alcoholic drinks of forty-four states. .
which they are now deprived. The other well-nigh unanimous in · reporting that
The wets' purpose in fighting for the reargument holds that prohibition ought to drinking in colleges and drinking by the peal of the prohibition law is to make
be abolished because it cannot possibly be younger generation as a whole has de- boo~e more accessible. If prohibition has
enforced, inasmuch as drunkenness is far creased under prohibitiin, that the tipsy resulted in i;1creasing the number of drink
more prevalent and the evils of alcohlism student is as unwelcome as he is becom- emporiums in New York City, what are
far gTeater under prohibition than they ing unfamiliar, and many of them agree the wets kicking about?
that the student body of today is of a
were before. .
It is apparent that something is wrong
Our regular readers are aware that from much higher moral and intellectual stand- with 'the figures. In the first place it is
our point of view prohibition has gone be- ard than any generation in the days of only an estimate. If the administrator
yond all expectation in the extent t.o which booze and beer.
knows the exact number of blind pigs in
Student opinion as to the .:JWount of New York City he must know the location.
it has shut down an enormous manufacturing industry, ended a great line of im- drinking now compared with the past is Why doesn't he close them? He is guess·
port trade, converted hundreds of thouwidely various. Some report it increasing, ing, and one guess is as good as another.
sands of liquor stores and saloons into but the majority of these young college
But, for the sake of argument, assume
places carrying on other lines of retail editors agree with the majority opinion that the figures are correct. There still
business and affected the ordinary habits
expressed by the college heads .
remains the fact that there weTC vastly
and expenditures of millions of people. that drinking among students has declined more drinking places in N cw York City
in 1918 than there are now because blind
pigs and speakeasies flourished in that city
MOPPING AGAINST ODDS
under license to as great an extent--or
greater-than they do at the present time.
This was true in all cities where the
licensed saloon operated. It was very easy
to determine the number of blind .pigs in
those days, for the operators of these
places were careful to pay a governme·nt
license fee of $25, but completely over- .
looked the little matter of paying the city
and state license fee. The checkup, for
instance, in the city of Chicago, -in the
balmy days of license. when that city was
supporting more than 7,000 saloons,
showed that there wer·e more blind pigs
or speakeasies operating in the city than
licensed saloons.
But, aside from these considerations, the
L.:ct remains that the Legislature and the
Governor responsible for the repeal of the
state prohibtiion enforcement law are
largely responsible for these blind pigs.
Federal Prohibition Administrator Mills
places the blame for their existence upon
'the failure of police co-operation. How
can police co-operation be expected in a
state that has no state enforcement law?
The repe·al of this enforcement law left
prohibition enforcement in New York in
the hands of approximately 100 federal officers, and what are 100 federal officers
compared with 13,000 policemen. which is
the size of the New York City police
force.
(Reviewed by Emma L. Transeau)
(Saturday Evening Post, July 8, 1926)
ONE-TOPIC TALKERS
.
Editorial.
Another name given these talkers is
"anti-prohibition pests." They are "pests"
and "bores" and "single-track minds," becauseScience may reconstruct the universe,
men of daring may play tag with the
No~th Pole, revolutions may threaten empires, governments may fall, notable books
and plays may appear and Jess Sweetser
may bring home the British amateur golf
championship, but the anti-prohibition pest
appears to be as ignorant of these topics
of conversation as if he dwelt on some
lonely reef on Friday Island. There is just
one thing he wants to talk about and none
track mind, but it is laid out in a circle,
track mind, but it is said out in a circle,
and there are no switches, sidings or
bumpers to prevent his going around and
.around the same old ring. . . . . No new
thought, no novel angle of approach, no
fresh argument, ever mars the perfect
standardization of their gusty diatribes.
Why these deadly bores talk so much
and do so little puzzles the editor, who
thinks the issue is to be decided at the
polls. "Ballots speak louder than words,
but the wear and tear on the ears of the
majority is not nearly so severe."
(The Congregationalist, July 8. 1926)
LIQUOR DRINKING AND SLAVERY
By Lawrence R. Howard.
Several strong points of similarity between drink and slavery are brought out.
Whatever other arguments were employed
in their favor the profits involved gave
them their strongest support. It is t~is
that is back of most of the propaganda
against prohibition, just as in England if
is preventing more effective action in Parliament for greater restriction. The Britisher who thinks he is making a stand for
personal liberty is mistaken:
Not the greater independence of the
Britisher, but, on the contrary, his lack
of it, is what makes for drunken women
on the streets· of London and other terrible sights resulting from drink. .
It is the financial standing of the liquor
business . . . just as the financial standing of slavery maintained tr..at institution.
(The Outlook, July 7, 1926)
THE HORRIBLE EXPENSE OF
PROHIBITION
Editorial.
A little work with a slate and pencil
takes all of the scare out of the headlines
the wet newspapers have been putting
over their reports of the proceedings of
Senator Reed's investigating committee.
The $35,000,000 which was blazoned as the
cost of prohibition, according to the estimate of Wayne B. Wheeler, amounts,
when figured out, to one cent per person
per year. This was money spent by the
Anti-Saloon League, with which "th~
people as taxpayers are not concerned.
Nor did the "investigation·' show that the
$800,000 which the league has spent in
Pennsylvania since 1919 has anything to
do with the. Republican primary in that
state this year.
Another sum which the wet headlines
have played up is the $29,000,000 which
General Andrews asked for, _to be used in
prohibition enforcement.
But it turns out that of this sum $15,000 000 is to be spent for building coast
~d vessels and the like. Prohibition
enforcement is only & part . of the coast
in recent years. and that such driaking as
there is is done by the "sm~rt Alecks."
One far-visioned young man says:
The ultimate effect of the Volstead law
upon the young men and women Qf today
v.-ill be helpful, but not until we have
passed through the transition stage which
is now upon us.
BUND PIGS NOW AND THEN
.
Mahatma Gahndi, the great Indian nationalist idol, is quoted in a London dispatch as telling what he would do if he
were emperor of India. G _d,ndi's first
declaration is: "I v,rould pro• ibit the importation of intoxicating liquors and close
--chicago Daily Newa down every distillery."
August 7, 1926
HOME
·.AND
STATE
Page Seven
QUEBEC UQUOR .COMMISSION TELLS OF VAIN EFFORTS TO ,STOP BOOTLEGGING
In Spite of Fact That High-power Beer Is on Sale in Hundreds of Saloons
and That Liquor Is Available to All in Government Stores, Liquor
Commission Says Bootleggers in Liquor Are Increasing and "It Does
Not Appear Possible to Suppress Them"
Last week American Issue readers were totd the story of how so-called government control of liquor is working in the province of British Columbia. Official statistics were given showing how liquor sales had increased and testimony from newspapers formerly strong advocates of· the liquor control system was to the effect that
bootlegging was r~mpant.
A staff correspo~1dent of the Christian Science Monitor under date of July 20
tells of the working of the liquor control system in the province of Quebec. This
Quebec system is advocated by Senator Wadsworth of New York and other modificationists as a solution of the liquor problem for the state of New Y ark. Senator
\Vadsworth is quoted in the New York newspapers of June 9 as saying:
The principles of the Quebec plan I believe are sound. The plan, as t-h e
result of the government taking over exclusively the sale of all alcoholic beverages and the forbiddi1ig of consumption of these beverages upon the ground
wher~ sold, does away with the evils of the liquor traffic. . . . The people
themselves decide what they '"'~ant and they obtain it under strict government
regulation and quite free from the evils so prevalent in the old days.
In reply to tl.~.:; statement the Christian Science Monitor correspondent says:
"The Quebec liquor act does not furbid the consumption of liquor on the
premises. There are now 59 restaurants,
more than 100 clubs, 489 hotels and 573
taverns in the full tide of selling intoxicating liquor, twelYe. hours a day, for
consumption of liquor on the premises in
the province of Quebec.
The writer
walked d"own Montreal's water-front, saw
half a dozen reeling men emerge from as
many taverns, and noted that no matter
how stagnant the trade of all the other
!'tares along the street might be, the
corner sz..!oons (which by courtesy have
been rechristene1 'taverns' in the province) are a'lways full, liYely, and doing a
rushing trade. It is true that the law forbids the sale of distilled spirits by the
glass and sells these only in bottles at
government stores, but high-proof wines
and beer are sold everywhere in taverns
and clubs and restaurants, while the
wholesc..~e and illicit sale of whisky by
bootleggers right m:der the nose of the
Quebec Liquor Comn!ission is best proved
by the statements of ~~e Liquor Commission itself.
Liquor Commission Report Shows Bootlegging Increasing
"The report of the Quebec Liquor
Commission for 1924-25, in which the
commissioners boast that they have increased the sales of beer by one million
gallons over last year, has a section devoted to "police department." The section brings cases down to May, 1925. In
the twelve months ending on that date
there had been 4,806 complaints laid
against bootleggers and ''blind pigs," as
against only 3,823 in the equal period preceding, an increase of 1,000. The total
population of the province, it might be
recalled, is about 2,500,000, with a drink
bill of $20,000,000. On April 30, 1925,
the liquor commission had 1,136 non-completed investigations of this caharacter,
as against only 498 the year previous.
these figures indicate how bootlegging is
growing. The report states:
Baotleggers Persistent
''The excess of 679 completed inv'-stigations during the course of
1924-25 demonstrates that a very active campaign was waged against illicit resorts (blind pigs) both in the
city and c~untry. As in the past, it
has been proven that the tenants of
such illegal resorts use every effort
to continue doing business at the
place where they have been already
established.
Nevertheless, we succeeded in having several closed up,
but many still remain open in spite
of repeated raids made on them.
Special mention must be made of
certain so-calletl clubs where the
owners defy the law and which up
to the present we have found impossible to close up · definitely.
Pursuit of Bootleggers
"In order to speed up the pursuit
of bootleggers who transport liquor
between the United States and the
Province of Quebec, a patrol was
formed during the course of the summer of 1924. The inspectors forming
this patrol, who are in uniform, were
and still are comissioned to superintend the routes leading from the
American frontier into our province.
Four inspectors, having two motorcycles at their disposal, form this patrol. The results obtained in connection with seizures of alcohol and automobiles fully justify this experiment.
there is the official statement 'that it does
not appear possible to completely suppress them' (bootleggers and blind pigs)
as against Mr. \Vadsworth's statement
that the Quebec system is 'quite free
from the evil conditions prevalent in the
old days.'
"It is apparent that Mr. \Vadsworth's
argument is not with the drys, but with
the Quebec Liquor Commission.
"The last report of the commission
states that in 1920 there were 520 convictions for drunkenness for 100,000 population, while there were only 259 per
100,000 in 1924-25. Such figures, Dr. E.
I. Hart, general secretary Quebec Prohibition Federation, points out, 'have no
meaning when we know that the policy
of the government is to arrest only those
who are violently or embarrassingly
drunk'."
The Christian Science Monitor correspondent makes no mention of the fact
that beer is also sold by grocery-stores
in the province. The beer is of the high-
c================================================================~
STAYTON CHARGES DOUBTED
Head of Association Against ~rohibition
Amendment Says Liquor is Being
Sold Aboard United States Boats
Charges that liquor is being sold on go'lernme-nt vessels were made by W. H.
Stayton, national chairman of the Association Against the Prohibition Amendment.
The charges were developed at an inquiry
by federal agents in New York. Shipping
board officials express surprise at the
charges and declare they are unfounded.
Chairman O'Connor, of the shipping
board, made puLlic a letter, written to
Stayton, in ·which he says:
I am rather surprised that you had
given this out without at the same
time attaching a statement of what
you know to be a fact, that the shipOrganized on Big Scale
ping board regulations have since ·the
''The affairs of the 'Barge Trem- ·t ,
passage of the Volstead act and do
blay' demonstrated that illegal traf- 1
now specifically prohibit the sale of
fic in spirits was organi~ed on a big
liquor on any of the government vesscale. There is no doul:-t that relasels. I say that you know this betively considerable quantities of liqcause you were y.ourself an operator
of shipping board vessels. Captain
uor have been distributed successHerbert Hartley, master of the Leviafully for illicit sale and have finally
than, has the reputation of being one
reached consumers by means of nuof the strict disciplinarians on the
merous sub-agents. We have put
ocean, and, I believe, would not perforth special efforts to prevent this
mit violation of the shipping board
illegal traffic and have met with
regulations prohibiting the sale of
marked success. Even while we are
liquor where he could prevent it.
convinced that we are able to hinder
Stayton, it appears, had specified the
to a great extent the activities of
Leviathan as the offending vessel.
bootleggers as well as of 'blind pigs'
illicit resorts, it docs not appear
to completely suppress them.
MOOSE MUST OBEY DRY LAW
"In another place the commission reports:
General Director Warns Lodges That
National Fraternity Will Not Tol"Our operations against illicit reerate Violations
sorts in Montreal have by no means
come to an end. . . . Cases of sales
without permits are still ;umerous,
Thomas M. Powell, Mooseheart, Ill.,
amounting to 936.
general director of the Moose lodges of
~'The report adds:
America, made a statement following a
Cannot Search the "Clubs"
conference with officials of the Hamilton,
"Notwithstanding our efforts we
Ohio, Moose lodge, against which two
are well aware that these illicit reconvictions for violation of the prohibisorts still exist and that vve shall
tiOn law have recently been obtained, that
never succeed in permanently closall lodges have been '''arned that the na.
ing up such places."
ti0nal fraternity '''ill not tolerate the pres''It speaks of 'clubs' which frequently
cr,ce of intoxicant..£ in clubrooms. At the
'are nothing else but illicit resorts on a
same time he announced that no action
large scale,' and it adds:
toward revoking the charter of the Ham.
"The managers manipulate matters
ilton lodge was contemplated. He added
in su'ch a way as to make it imposthat he is visiting lodges in varic•us c:ities
sible· for us to reach them.
to impress upon them that the fraternity
"To sum up the matter as revealed by
demands strict adherence to the prohibiadmissions of the Liquor Commission. tion enforcement laws.
or
power variety. A judge of the mumcJpal court, Montreal, told the editor of
American Issue that while this beer was
supposed to contain 8 per cent alcoholic
content, it often went much higher and
no effort was made to hold it down to the
limit. He laughingly remarked that if a
man not used to high-powered liquor
would drink two bottles of the Montreal
beer as sold in the saloons it would make
him feel that he could step over Mt.
Royal American Issue editor watched
the beer saloons disgorge their patrons
at closing hour at night, standing on a
corner where he could observe three saloons. He was thoroughly familiar with
the old barrel-house dist ..·ict of Chicago
in the saloon days, but never had he seen
so many drunks reel out of the saloon
doors in a given length of time as on this
particular occasion. When Senator Wadsworth talks about the beer saloons of the
province of Quebec promoting temperance, he is either misinformed or he is
misrepresenting.
GIVEN BROADER POWERS
Wisconsin C{)urts Will Now Apply
Habitual Criminal Statute Upon
Frequent Violators of Law
Wisconsin's lower courts have been
given broader discretionary powers in
dealing with offenders under the state
prohibition law as the result of a recent
decision by the Wisconsin supreme court,
in the opinion of J. E. Messerschmidt,
deputy atto~ney general, who represented
the state in the cases at issue, says the
Christian Science Monitor.
Sentences of five out of six liquor law
violators serving in state's prison were
affirmed by the supreme court, while one
of the six who appealed on writs of error
won a reversal of the lower court's decision. The court's ruling establishes the
power of trial courts to apply the habitual
criminal statute on violators of the prohibi-tion act convicted previously under
other statutes.
Penalty sections of the state prohibition
bw (Severson act) provide the punishment, not only for first, but also the second and subsequent offenses under its
1erms, the maximum being a year's term
in county jail. The habitual criminal
statute, howeve·r, provides a maximum
penalty of three years in state's prison.
Five of the men whose appeals were
considered by the supreme court had been
sentenced to state's prison as habitual
ct iminals. The sixth had been sentenced
only as a repeater under the prohibition
l.nv. The appeals were brought on the
contention that all should have been sentenced under the provisions of the Seve-rson act.
FIFTY MORE DRY AGENTS
Reorganization of the Philadelphia prohibition area 'vas completed July 17 with
the approval of Frank Dow, acting chief
of prohibition enforcement. of the emp;oyment of fifty new prohibition agents.
Ir addition, Mr. Dow informed the assistant administrator at Philadelphia that the
district would receive seventy-five additional men. It is planned to use these
fcrces principally as inspectors of permits, in an effort to check the flow of alcohol into bo~tleg channels. The Philadelphia area includes eastern Pennsylvania
and Ne-.•: Jersey.
-
Page Eight
HO,.ME
AND
STATE
prescription. The Legislature did enact a law establishing such agency in all
incorporated cities of 2,000 or more, and in incorporated towns of 1,000 or more
where it was considered a public necessity. However, this last provision was not
While the brilliant young lawyer from Taylor, the Titian-haired blonde, who chased
Jim Ferguson so vigorously that on election day Jim's tongue lolled while his wife to become operative unless the people of Oklahoma sustained it by a vote at the
general election in 1908 ordered in the bill by the Legislature.
fanned the sweat from his brow, went to the governor's office with a landslide, his was
"The rest of the law became operative March 24, 1908. The whole matter
not the only victory for the drys. Every candidate for a state office who had opposiof agency was submitted to the people as a constitutional amendment at the election
tion and was elected, is a dry. The friends of Ferguson went down in defeat everyNov. 3, 1908, by order of the Legislature and if it carried it would carry with it the
where.
above mentioned provision as to the agencies in towns of 1,000. The vote Nov.
The 11th Court of Civil Appeals located at Eastland, was formed by the last ses8, was as follows: Yes 105,392, no 121,537, and the amendment lost. ·This, however,
sion of the legislature. This gave Ma an opporeunity to appoint three judges. She
did not repeal the statute as to an agency in towns of 2,000 or more.
seized this opportunity to appoint old pals of her husband, Jim. One of these judges,
while wet, is a splendid man. The Anti-Saloon League had no fight to make upon
"The agency system continued to operate until its repeal in 1911. It became
him. The other two judges were very objectional to the Anti-Saloon League because
a rotten, political, lawless institution. Unscrupulous doctors wrote prescrip.J:ions by
of their past records.
the hundreds. So I prepared an amendment to the law, or rather a new law establishing one central state agency by the Governor to handle pure grain alcohol only
J1:1dge W. P. Leslie, of Colorado City, a splendid Christian gentleman, with a fine
and to dispose of it only to licensed. apothecaries, druggists or pharmacists who filed
record as district judge for a number of terms, ran against Judge Little, the Fcrguso11
a bond with the state in a sum not less than $1,000 conditioned that none of said
appointee, and won by 20,716 to 17,741.
alcohol woul-d be used or disposed of for any purpose other than compounding
Judge Ridgell·of Breckenridge, another Ferguson appointee, had two opponents,
prescriptions or medicines, the sale of which would not subject them to the payrr.~nt
Judge Geo. L. Davenport of Eastland, and Judge J. E. Hickman of Breckenr:idge.
Judg~ Ridgell ran far behind either, so there is a run-off between Judge Davenport of the special tax required of liquor dealers by the United States. This law repealed
the agency law in its entirety. This law was approved March 11, 1911. It became
and Judge Hickman, both very splendid men.
effective ninety days after final adjournment of the 1911 session of the Legislature.
FOR CONGRESS
"Texas will rue the day if they ever go into such a rotten system."
Before the primary, the Anti-Saloon League took the position that since every
Government agencies for the dispensation ol liquor for both beverage and
Dentocratic congressman in Texas, whether originally dry or wet, have come to the
medicinal
purposes have ·been abundantly tested and as temperance measures have
point where they vote regularly for the dry bills and, since they are doing this under
always proved failures. As a ~eans for finding a market for the products of
the intense fire of the wets, the proper thing to do was to return everyone of them to
distillers and producing_ the usual drunkenness and debauchery accompanying the
Con!j.ress and to continue to do so as long as the wets are making the fight they are to
discredit our prohibition laws. Vve are glad to say that the voters of Texas endorsed · same, they have been a success.
Unless our druggists and doctors are willing to handle tbe trade in medicinal
this policy and renominated every Democratic members of Congress. This completely
liquor in the spirit as well as the letter of the law, restricting it solely to medicinal
rewdiated the charge of the wets that since the enactment of the Volstead Act sentipurposes, there is only one thing to be done, and that is to forbid liquor being sold
ment had turned against prohibition.
on prescriptions. This has already been done in twenty-three states and the exSome of the Congressmen had no opposition. We are glad that they did not have.
perience in those states abundantly prove that liquor is not necessary for medicinal
It was a tacit acknowledgement of the claim to reelection above stated.
use. Federal reports on mortality rates show that the death rate in those states
Some of the Congressmen had bitter opposition from the wets. Mr. Gerlach of
that forbid liquor for medicinal purposes is one less per 1,000 population than in
Houston ran against Congressman Daniel E. Garrett and held to the forefront his
those states that permit liquor for medicinal purposes. So that instead of saving
platform for beer and wine. Houston and Harris county was one of the last counties
life, liquor for medicinal purposes caused a greater loss of life, if we may draw any
to go dry in Texas. The change of sentiment favorable to prohibition instead of
conclusions from the federal reports.
against it is indicated by the vote. Gerlach for beer and wine got 7,934 votes. Garrett,
Texas must get ready to stop the farce now connected with liquor prescriptions
bone dry, got 30,609. This should be a lethal dose to the wets of that district.
and forbid the sale of liquor on prescriptions.
Congressman Buchanan of the lOth district at last report was still leading in a
dose race with Judge Hamilton. Congressman Sumners of Dallas received 34,453
votes and his opponent, McCalib, 5,336. Congressman Box of the 2nd district rec~ived 36,346 votes; Mr. ~i-ng received 13,813. Congressman Connally of Marlin, received 29,967 votes, Mr. Brann, his opponent, received 5,636. Congressman Lanham
Concerning Senator Reed's criticism of the Anti-Saloon League finances. and
of Ft. \Vorth received 16,828; Mr. Farmer, his opponent, 4,381. Congressman \Vilhis effort to intimidate the public from financial support of the League, we quote
liams of Decatur received 20,960. Judge Sartin of Wichita Falls received 17,015.
the following from the Country Editor:
Congressman Garner of the 15th district received 15,342. His opponent, Mr. Sid
"The other day, the senator was credited in the newspapers with saying that
Harbiin, $5,804. In this district, the endorsement of all the Democrats from Texas,
anyone who monkeyed with the political situation knew what he had to expect. The
given by the Anti-Saloon League, proved a little embarrassing to Mr. Hardin. Mr.
allegation has not been denied and may be accepted as substantially accurate. The
Hardin is a splendid Christian gentleman and bone dry. Of course the Anti-Saloon
stateme11t was made with reference to those individuals in private life who had conLeague did not make a specific choice between Garner and Hardin. In fact, when it
tributed money to influence public sentiment with res.pect to the primary elections.
first gave that endorsement to the Democrats generally, it did not know that Mr.
No Intention to Suppress Newspape~·s
Garner would even have an opponent. While we feel confident that everyone heartily
"Of course, every newspaper 'monkeys with the political situat~)O· every day
approves the policy of the League in backing up those in office who stand true to the
in its news as well as in its editorial pages, but Senator Reed does not. certainly,
cause, we sincerely regret the embarrassment to Mr. Hardin.
intend to suppress the newspapers.
In the 17th district, Congressman Blanton had vigorous opposition from Mr.
"But what docs Senator Reed mean by hi-; warning to those who monkey wi.-{l
Smith of Burnet. Mr. Blanton won by 40,157 to Mr. Smith's 13,875.
the political situation? Is he going to deny to the private citizen the right ..of arguThe 14th district i:; at present represented by Congressman Wurzbach, a Republiment (paid argument. if you like) that every newspaper and periodical enjoys?
can. l-Ie was overwhelmingly renominated by the Republicans, receiving ·2,804
" 'Jim' Reed himself has been monkeying with the political situation for a ty;--.at ·
votes to his opponent, Mr. Knetsch's, 618. Mr. Wurzbach's record has been unsatismany years. He knows as much about that kind of thing as any p0.,!itical organization
factory to the Anti-Saloon League, but we have received word from San Antonio to
in the country. Is it only the politician or the man in public life who is to enjoy
the effect that Mr. Wurzbach promises to back up the Volstead Act. We have not
the privilege of monkeying with the political situation? Is the private individual-the
verified this promise.
taxpayer who pays Reed's salary and whose servant Reed is-not to be allowed to
Against Mr. \Vurzbach, the Democrats nominated Mr. A. D. Rogers of San Ando a little monkeying on his own account? Is Senator Reerl and his fellow politicians
tonio. Mr. Rogers is a dry. a splendid citizen. One of his opponents, Mr. Pfeiffer,
to have a monopoly on monkeying?
ran on a strictly beer and wine platform and received 10,34-9 votes to Mr. Rogers' 16,624
What Rights Have Private Citizens.?
votes. Mr. Chrone, another candidate, received 5,508.
"As a matter of fact, is the private citizen to be denied the right of making conTi~ 14th district, including San Antonio, is the wettest district in Texas. J'he
tributions of money or effort for the promotion of a <;ause in which he is interested?
prospects are good for it to be represented by a dry Congressman. If so, Texas will
If Senator Reed has the right to make speeches in behalf of his own political situabe an unbrohf1 rank of drys in Congress. Her two state senators are bone dry.
tion, has not the private citizen the right to hire someone el~c to make speecl-:.es in
This is the answer that the voters of Texas give to the propaganda of the wets to
behalf of another situation?
the effect that prohibition is a failure, a farce, and that public sentiment repudiates the
"What does Senator Reed mean by warning the American people not to monkey
law. Certainly our legislators. our state officers a
our county officers ought to be
with the political situation? Is the private citizen to be ham- trung and hog-tied
able to read the language of this message direct from the voters. Woe to that officer
with respect to political situations?
that cannot read this message.
Preswnptious Taxpayers in Political Domain
"No doubt it would be most convettient for a certain brand of politicians if an
effective muzzle could be clamped onto the presttmptious · taxpa} er who dared to
monkey with the political situation. The domain of politics must not be trespassed
upon by the private citizen. It is held inviolate for the politician except as the
The State Druggists' Association, according to press reports, favor the dispensa- · politicians may otherwise determine.
tion of medicinal liquor through Government agencies. They have so expressed
''This, if his words mean anything, is what the Senator is driving at. But let
themselves before. Knowing that this policy was once adopted by the State of
him not imagine a vain thing. If there is anyone in this country who has the right to
Oklahoma, I, as superintendent of the Anti-Saloon League of Texas. wrote to Mr.
monkey with the political situation it is the Am4•ican citizen in private life. His
H. T. Laughbaum of Oklahoma City some time ago, inquiring concerning the
right to do this is supreme and inalienable. It transcends whatever rights the
politician may have in the same direction.
satisfaction such a law gave Oklahoma, and whether or not the policy has been
"Let not that long-suffering individual, Mr. Private Citizen, allow himself to
continued. From Mr. Laughbaum's reply it seems that the law proved very unsatisfactory and was repealed after three years.
be bulldozed. His right to influence public opinion in behalf of whatever cause he may
From Mr. Laughbaum's letter we quote as follows:
be interested in, properly and legitimately, by the spending of money for propaganda
"Sg.me of our politicians in the First Legislature insisted on enacting a law for
by word of mouth or by the printed word, is clearly established. No United St·.. tes
senator has even the right to question it."
agencies in each county to dispense liquor for medicinal purposes on a physician's
THE RECENT PRIMARY HARD BLOW TO WETS
Senator Reed's Fight on the Anti·-Saloon Leagr e Finances
GOVERNMENT LIQUOR DISPENSARIES