Proud White Waves (verse)
Ginsberg, Louis
250 THE COMMONWEAL July 3, 1929 This proposal, of course, was somewhat broader than the suggestion of "an organized, searching in- vestigation of fact and causes" for the purpose of "correcting"...
...They denounce the law, decry its advocates, embarrass those who would enforce it...
...It is a large-scale theory, to be sure, but its proponents are not lack- ing in plausibility...
...They point out that in his acceptance speech he declared : I do not favor the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment...
...Louis GINSBERO...
...Furthermore, it is suggested that if all Mr...
...This view is held by such men as Senator Jones of Washingtonmof "five and ten" law fame--who intro- duced a resolution proposing the creation of a com-mittee to investigate prohibition enforcement...
...Proud white waves interrogate not the sea, Lestmtoo much aware of the hour they are the heart of__ They cannot exult in their leashed, white liberty Nor feel the lavish power they are a part of...
...Senator Borah of Idaho, who shared honors with Mrs...
...Needless to say, this is the theory of the practical politicians who sang dry in the South and West, and wet in the East during the recent compaign...
...Thus does he demonstrate that to him the aim of the present Com- mission is to devise means of enforcing the present prohibition laws and not to consider the merits or demerits of the laws themselves...
...Hoover was merely trying to side-track the idea of a prohibition commission, he could have done so by appointing a commission composed of obscure per- sons who would have their brief day in the spotlight of publicity and then pass on their way...
...Possibly their preference may have some effect upon their judgment...
...I propose to do so to the extent of my own abilities, but the measure of success that the government shall attain will depend upon the moral support which you, as citizens, extend...
...Furthermore, in his inaugural address the President, while discussing the Eighteenth Amendment, said: I have been selected by you to execute and enforce the laws of the country...
...I stand for the efficient enforcement of the laws enacted thereunder...
...He could call together the officials charged with enforcement, ask them what machinery they need, and then ask Congress for the appropria- tions to provide the machinery...
...To put it bluntly, the theory of this third group is that the President really wants to find out whether or not prohibition is workable, whether or not there is any substantial trend of public opinion against the present law...
...This problem the President has assigned himself the task of solving if it is possible to do so...
...Thus calmly does the Senator ignore the very specific modification program advocated by Governor Smith during the last campaign...
...In what may be called the second group of theo- rizers are those who profess to believe that the Presi- dent is an ardent prohibitionist and that his sole idea in appointing the Commission was to seek ways and means of making the Volstead Act thoroughly effec- tive...
...So the alluring con...
...clusion is reached, in the minds of this last-named group, that Mr...
...The Senator said that he thought such a committee would meet the requirements which the President had in mind and, naively explained that he thought all mem- bers of the committee should be ardent prohibitionists...
...Hoover, having used the idea of a prohibition investigating commission for campaign purposes, now seeks to spread the work of the Commission over so much territory that its original objective will be for- gotten before it completes its duties...
...They offer no alternative...
...The calibre of the Commission he appointed rather discredits this idea...
...But there is still a third body of opinion as to the meaning of the President's new Commission...
...Thereby hangs the reason for much mystification in Washington at present...
...For instance, it is pointed out that if Mr...
...Proud White lgTaves The ocean heaps its thunder upon the sand, While combers, preening their bright disdain to the shore, Combers crested with languor, poise toward the land, Like proud white swans, arching over the roar...
...250 THE COMMONWEAL July 3, 1929 This proposal, of course, was somewhat broader than the suggestion of "an organized, searching in- vestigation of fact and causes" for the purpose of "correcting" the "grave abuses" in enforcement of the prohibition laws...
...Its theory has the merit, at least of being ambitious...
...Modification of the enforcement laws which would permit that which the constitution forbids is nullification...
...It is in this same article that the Senator takes the opponents of prohibition to task by saying: But the dissatisfied [with the prohibition law] present no program...
...But Senator Jones decided not to press his resolution after he had conferred with the then President-elect...
...Hoover has some deep-laid plan it mind which may result in rather startling consequences It should be mentioned that this view is held, for th, most part, by those who are not altogether satisfie~ with the present dry laws...
...There is one school of thought whose practitioners do not flatter the President's sincerity by holding that Mr...
...The assumption, of course, is that the answers he obtains to these questions will determine his recom- mendations to Congress, and, perhaps, his own atti-tude should he seek re~lection in 1932...
...Willebrandt in the Hoover oratorical campaign, apparently has the same view...
...They know what they would do in the President's place and assume he is doing likewise...
...Hoover wants to do is to make enforcement more effective under the present laws, he has no need for a national commission...
...Writing in Collier's of June 8, Senator Borah says: The real problem is: what effect shall we as a people, as a nation, give to the law because it is the law...
Vol. 10 • July 1929 • No. 9
