Image provided by: University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries, Lincoln, NE
About The commoner. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-1923 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1920)
'T'"S1 The Commoner JIABCBil920 Mr. Bryan's Fight for Prohibition AS THE WETS WOULD HAVE IT $$ m ' . ' ' S ft! 1 appreciate the World's frankness in laying Moro Its readers its financial obligations to ?. ijauor traffic. They can now decide whether the World's servile worship of the Hum God is tlncero devotion or duo to money in hand paid. As it has qualified itself to ask questions I eiadly take advantage of the apaice offered to answer its questions, that Its constituency may be able to judge whether my fight against the Soon is inspired by mercenary motives or is a matter of principle. I was drawn into the fight In 1910 when county option was the issue in Nebraska and when the breweries controlled enough state senators to prevent the submission of the initiative and referendum and were se cretly planning to control tfie Democratic nominations for the next legislature. My first speech was made at Omaha then so terror bed by the manufacturers of, and dealers in, intoxicants that, though I had carried the state twice for the Presidency, I could not find a prominent Democrat to introduce me or to eren sit upon the platform with me. I paid the rental of the hall and my speech was an elaboration of the declaration that the Demo cratic party should not die of delirium tre mens. In justice to Nebraska I add that with in seven years the state adopted a prohibition amendment by a majority of twenty-nine thou sand and that in 1919 the legislature, elected on that issue, ratified the national amendment with hut one dissenting vote. In order to make the fight against the saloons In 1910 I was compelled to give up the sena torship and that fall felt it tay duty to oppose the Democratic candidate for Governor, a per sonal and political friend, because he took the Tret a'de Until the fall of 1914 I never expected na tional prohibition to be a prominent issuein my life timet butduring the trip that I made through the West that year with a. view to aid ing in the election of a Democratic congress, I was convinced that the prohibition issue was ripe for settlement After that election I sup ported prohibition whenever It became an issue and urged the Democratic party to take the dry side in the states but did not favor its being' embodied in the national platform of 1916. Between Jan. 1st. 1915 and Jan. 16, 1919 I spoke for prohib'tlon in many states, among which I recall Alabama, California. Colorado, Illinois. Indiana, Iowa. Florida, Kentucky, Loui siana, Nevada, New York, Montana, Maryland, Massachusetts. Mictiiean, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas and Wyo ming. During this period of 9 years (1910 to '19) i spoke under the auspices of the various nation al and state organizations supporting prohibi tion, Including the Woman's Christian Temper ance Union. The Anti-Saloon League, and the National Dry Federation I had the hopor of wins President of the last named organization. lmllng is Perioa of nine years I received no compensation whatever and nearly always pad Enwnttravelms exP0nses, and I never derived wore satisfaction from any money that I ever !22 ?i My refusaL however, to accept com S2 i yfns not aue to any thought that com J5i,on was improper God forbid that the Zv.nl8 of V,CQ only and not its opponents W J)8,worthy of toelr hire but because I In? ie e X was attacking and was not will cism lr ve my efrts discredited by the crlti coulrt wno' d&fos others by themselves, rtghteou conceIve of unpurchased services in a of Aifq?c the iRht had been won at the election const,h,f,and proftlbition became a part of the liticai i n ' he controversy ceased to be a po tent t f, and became a matter, of law enforce vltati'nn en felt at llherty to consider an in- extended by the anti-saloon league to assist if , v";:uou y me anti-saioon league to enforcfil V camPaign for fdnds to support favor ?!? ,amI to carry ' its Propaganda in LoSii Ji Proliition. Sympathizing with tribute SI i n Its PUrPose and ySt unable to con !t desir5 Tg0 amount of time to its work as ausnicp?o accePted its offer to speak under its year ian?f BDeut nearly four months of last agiie ?In,g with representatives of the ould L?B tbIs Period I used time that andrecfif32i ,!rw8e been devoted to lecturing to sneeir, 1 aT1!ttle more than one-half as much At thesftl J usually receive for my lectures. 0 meetings I discussed' the work accom- Drawn by Samuel L. Nash, Jr. (aged 14 years), Chandler, Henderson county, Texas, from u euiiuiiiu suggestion iiiuuo m me ueoruary issue oi Tne Uommoner. ir - plished in behalf of prohibition and the tasks before us these tasks Including the holding of the ground already taken, the enforcement of prohibition by nation and the several states, the advocacy of total abstinence and the spread ot world prohibition. At these meetings it was usual for officials of the League to take up a voluntary collection for their work. Last fall the League inquired whether I could speak for them this year. I declined to .promise more than a few days, giving as my reason my desire to reserve this year for political work. I have spoken for the League on eight days since Jan uary 1st and will spend not to exceed eight days more speaking under Its auspices, the remaining meetings to be held in Florida during the pres ent month I have no engagements with the League beyond those above mentioned, am not and never have been an official of the League and have had no pecuniary connection with it other than above stated. If the World's concluding questions were askel by one who could distinguish between courtesy and insult I might think the editor in tended to be offensive rather than seok Infor mation, but nothing better could be expected ofvtne who Insists that the Democratic candl datOtffor President shall be pledged in advance to violate the constitution whch he must take an oath to support and thus become the official head of the law breakersof the country. How ever, that the World may not be able to mis represent a refusal to answer, I -beg to assure it that on all political questions I speak, not as the paid or unpa'd representative of any organ ization, but only for myself and for those who accept me as their spokesman. On prohibition I deem it a pleasure as well as a duty to defend the record of the Democratic party which voted three-fourths of Its senators and two-thirds of its congressmen for the submission of the pro-, hibition amendment, and gave to the ratifica tion of that amenment the vote of every state that it controlled Providence permittintr, I shall be at San Francisco next June, whether a delegate or not, and when the World makes its descent upon, or rather ascent to. the conven tion, foaming like a mug of beer and raging like strong drink, the mouthpiece of the most cor rupt band of free hooters that ever defied the conscience of the nation, I shall be one of an invincible throng of Democrats who will bury King Alcohol and his 'wicked crime-creating business so deep that even Edwards' brazen trumpet cannot call them back to Iife secret influences an unfair advantage In the making of nominations. The abuse of confidence led to the primary. Reactionaries may be in control of the Republican party, but the Demo cratic party should not turn back to the methods that strengthened the political boss. PERSONAL LIBERT!" Governor Edwards la harking back to the old Personal Liberty argument. He should know that the automobile has overthrown that argu ment. A man does not have to be run over moro than twice by a drunken chauffeur; to get a clear understading of a personal liberty that furnishes excuses for the creating of criminals and the de struction of life. Personal liberty ends where the rights of others begin. A man who thinks more of intoxicating liquor than he does of the welfare of society ought to abandon society and live alone then he can do as ho pleases. Anxious Reader: No, Mr. Bryan is not asking for the Incorporation of a "Single Standard of Morality" plank In the next Democratic plat form. He presented the matter to the Nebras ka Constitutional convention because the con vention had to endorsa. by implication, one standard or the other. But he is glad he brought the matter to the public's attention because it has given a number of unfriendly editors a chance to publish a moral photograph of them selves in the discussion of the subject ENGLAND'S DRINK BILL On another page will be found England's drink bill. Nearly 400,000,000 pounds, or $2, 000,000,000 connting five dollars to the pound, as It is when the pound is at par. Two blll'ons only represents the money which will bo ex pended if the increase continues until next month it does not include the enormous cost to England in the impairment of productive power. Great Britain will soon find It neces sary to follow the example of the United States. Mr McAdoo's suggestion that the party send uninstructed delegates to the national conven tion is unfortunate. The old plan of sending instructed delegations resulted In giving the NOW FOR THE BURGLARS If the burglars, pickpockets, horse thlovos and fire-bugs put up a candidate for president in the Republican party,' Governor Edwards will have a rival for the vote of the lawless element of tho country. If not, he can hope to hawa a monopoly of the support of that part of tho electorate. THE 1,000 I'ER CENT AMERICANS In view of McAdoo's statement about last year's profits, would it be Improper to speak ot the coal operators as 1,000 per cent Americans? The Liberator (N. Y.), ' 1 i. 1 V 1 ra isJ 'Iff :i t v! J r, i j '4 mm V lift . SI U ' 'd rvl t j 'f.StiLiii itfla-. f -iJ. "