Evening Star Newspaper, January 7, 1929, Page 25

_THE EVENING ' §TAR. WASHINGTON. D. C. MONDAY. JANUARY 7. '1929. The Issue of Liquor Law Enforcement is sharply stated in the following telegrams exchanged between Mr. Durant and Mr. Hearst Will the Republican Party be put | out of Power if it enforces the Law and upholds the | Constitution of the United States? €€ VD4 NO = W. C. DURANT Donor of $25,000 prize for the best plan to make the 18th Amendment effective. €€ » YQS =~ W. R. HEARST Donor of $25,000 prize for the best plan to repeal the 18th Amendment. TELEGRAM to W. C. DURANT: New York, N. Y. Jan. 1, 1929 We do not have to make the American people law-abiding. We only have to keep them law- abiding. And the best way to keep them law-abiding is not to make laws which very large and repu- table elements of the community consider un- wise, unjust, un-American and in violation of their fundamental rights as free citizens. 1 do not believe that prohibition ever will be or ever can be enforced, and I DO believe that, if a violent effort is made to enforce it during the next four years by the Republican Adminis- tration, the next President of the United States will be a Democrat. Smith’s candidacy proves nothing except that the people did not want SMITH. Nor would the personal liberty issue have won in this campaign with any candidate. But after four more years of snooping, spy- ing, keyhole-peeping and interference with fundamental rights and liberties by fanatics and professional busybodies, the country will be ripe for a revolution against un-American conditions of this oppressive and offensive kind. The opposition to prohibition is not merely by people who want to get drunk. Prohibition is opposed by such temperance influences as the Church Temperance Society of the Episcopal Church and the Hearst news- papers—I modestly put the Church Temper- ance Society of the Episcopal Church first. The reason for this opposition is that prohibition is a failure as a temperance measure. The more we try to enforce it, the greater failure it becomes as a temperance measure, because the only thing we can absolutely pre- vent traffic in is bulky drinkables like wines and beers; and these contain the least amount of al- cohol, and are consequently the least harmful. It never has been possible and never will be possible to prevent traffic in compact and con- centrated alcoholic drinks: and even if the traf- fic could be interfered with, every man could make these in his own cellar if he should want to. Furthermore, we must not make the mistake of thinking that the country is divided into two classes—drys, who want to make the country bone-dry, and wets, who want to make the country souse-wet. There is an enormous middle class, which probably is a majority class, who believe in temperance and believe in personal liberty, and realize that temperance can be secured without prohibition, and never can be secured with prohibition. These people do not want to be ruled by the liguor interests, nor, on the other hand, by the bone-dry fanatics. Sooner or later they are going to assert them- selves, and, personally, I think it will be sooner. Prohibition has been repudiated by every country which has ever tried it, primarily be- cause it did not accomplish the thing it was supposed to accomplish, and, secondarily, be- cause it became such an unpopular measure that no government could stand up under it, not even firmly entrenched monarchical gov- ernments. Therefore, I think that in offering a prize on how best to enforce prohibition, Mr. Durant is really offering a prize on how best to put the Republican Party out of power. And I think Mr. Pinchot has actually won the prize, because his plan, being the most un- American and the most obnoxious, will make the Republican Party more unpopular, than any other plan which has been proposed. Eighteenth Amendment. 1 consider the Eighteenth Amendment not only the most flagrant violation of the basic American principle of personal liberty that has ever been imposed on the American public, but the most complete failure as a temperance measure that has ever been conceived and put inte impractical operation. Therefore, I would like to offer, and hereby do offer, a prize of twenty-five thousand dollars for the best plan to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment and substitute in place of prohibi- tion a more liberal and more American meas- ure, which will secure for the public more genu- ine temperance, with less offensive interference with the fundamental rights and personal liber- ties of the citizen. W. R. Hearst TELEGRAM to W. R. HEARST: San Simeon, California Jan. 2, 1929 First, let me congratulate you upoen your prize offer of $25,000 for the best plan to repeal the Eighteenth Amendment. Neither you nor any other giant publisher ever performed a more notable service than this contribution of yours to the question: Are the American people ready to give up and admit the failure of this, the greatest experiment ever undertaken by a free people? Your prize contest furnishes the rallying point for those who are ready to admit defeat and want the Eighteenth Amendment repealev. My contest furnishes a rallying point for those who are not ready to admit defeat but want an honest attempt made to enforce the law. * You say that in offering a prize on how best to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment “Mr. Durant is really offering a prize on how best to put the Republican Party out of power.” 1t will be news to the Republican Party to learn that it will be put out of power by enforc- ing the highest law of the land, the Constitu- tion. The Republican Party, as a matter of fact, has just won an unprecedented political victory on a platform whose chief issue was enforce- ment of the Eighteenth Amendment. A The principal appeal of the Democratic can- didate was his promise to use his high office to urge a relaxation of the liquor laws. Against that appeal millions of votes were amassed by men and women determined to suffer no con- cession to the liquor traffic. You say that you believe that there is “an enormous middle class, which probably is a ma- jority class, who believe in temperance and be- lieve in personal liberty and Tealize that tem- perance can be secured without prohibition, and never can be secured with prohibition.” In a disgraceful situation such as now con- “fronts this great country of ours we have the right to ask of every intelligent citizen an answer to the following: “Are you for the hootlegger, the speakeasy and law defiance: or are you for the Government, the Constitution and law observance?” With respect to the CLASS.” It seems to me that the sentiment of the peo- ple on this question is expressed by the voting of representatives they send to Congress, where the liquor laws must be modified if at all. Each succeeding Congress is drier than the last. Out of ninety-six members of the Senate, eighty are dry. Of the 435 members of the House, 329 are dry. Among the cities in the last election which turned from the frank liquor appeal of the Democratic candidate and gave their votes to Herbert Hoover, were Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Buffalo and Cincinnati. leggers, hijackers, political corruptionists and murder gangs now rampant. I believe that great good will come out of the public interest and public discussion stimulat- ed by your prize offer. In the strict sense of the word the only possible “plan to repeal the - Eighteenth Amendment” is already in exis- tence, embedded in the Constitution of the United States. 1t is highly important to know what the peo- ple think. My contest brought out part of the answer. I am sure yours will bring more of it. It is a striking fact that the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by all but two states. No amendment to the Constitution ever had such a large vote in Congress, was ratified by so many state legislatures, or was ratified in so short a time. We have every reason to think that the American peopie meant: business against the liquor evil and that they mean busi- ness still. For the necessary changes in the enforce- ment laws we need facts, as President-elect Hoover says. Therefore, I have suggested a Congressional Committee to find out what is the matter with the working of our enforce- ment laws. I have offered to that Committee the abundant material in our files, contributed by the 23,000-0dd contestants who wrote what they thought should be done. No doubt your contest will contribute a similar mine of ma- terial. 1 hope that your great influence will be used to secure a Congressional investigation. T am no fanatical dry. I am for law enforce- ment. If we can’t enforce this law I will be with you for its repeal. But first I want an honest effort to induce the decent people to observe it and force the criminal class to obey it. W. C. Durant