Anti-Saloon

Brewers, distillers, winemakers, millions of moderate and immoderate U. S. drinkers might, 34 years ago last week, have grinned pityingly or sneered had they seen a newspaper item obscurely printed in the press of the period. Most of them probably did not see the item, for the newspapers of 1893 gave it no large headlines, no prominent position. It related that 14 ministers, college professors and tradesmen of Oberlin, Ohio, assembled in the library of Oberlin College, had founded a society to be known as the Anti-Saloon League.

Last week five of the 14 original Anti-Saloon leaguers held reunion at Oberlin. They are: Dr. Howard Hyde Russell, associate general superintendent of the League; Asariah D. Myroot, in 1893 and at present librarian of Oberlin College; J. T. Henderson, president of Oberlin College; Andrew C. Comings, bookseller; Rev. Henry Tenney of Webster Grove, Mo. They adopted resolutions giving thanks for the 18th Amendment and the Volstead Act, called upon the U. S. people to demand stricter enforcement of them, to resist any attempt at their repeal or nullification. This time their proceedings aroused few smiles or sneers.

Of the 14 Anti-Saloon League founders, the Rev. Howard Hyde Russell may be isolated as "the Founder." Last week indeed he dedicated a monument commemorating a temperance speech made by Abraham Lincoln in 1846. The monument's inscription contains, in large capitals, the name of Abraham Lincoln, in slightly larger capitals the name of Howard Hyde Russell, described as "Founder of the Anti-Saloon League."

Founder Russell was born at Stillwater, Minn., in 1855. He was first general superintendent of the League, started branches in 36 states, traveled 50,000 miles a year for eight years. In 1915 he auto-mobiled from Manhattan to San Francisco on what was termed a "water wagon" tour. A male quartet accompanied him on this trip. He is one of the founders of the World League against Alcoholism.

Undoubtedly Founder Russell and the other surviving founders of the Anti-Saloon League had good cause for congratulating one another. In their 1893 charter they had stated both the aim which the organization later realized and the policy which made its success possible. Said the Charter:

"The object of the League is the extermination of the beverage liquor traffic, for the accomplishing of which the alliance of all who are in harmony with this object are invited. The League pledges itself to avoid affiliation with any political party as such and to maintain an attitude of strict neutrality on all questions of public policy not directly and immediately concerned with the traffic in strong drink."

It was this policy of being neither Republican nor Democratic but of converting both Republicans and Democrats to its views that distinguished the Anti-Saloon League from that unfortunate political organization the Prohibition Party.

Obscure in its foundation, the Anti-Saloon League today is one of the nation's most powerful organizations. Wets have termed it the Fourth Branch of the Government (legislative, judicial and executive being the other three); have roared against its "invisible power." While its founders were meeting in Oberlin, its present General Counsel, Wayne B. Wheeler, was announcing a funding-program of $300,000 a year for the next two years. Denying that this money ($600,000 in all) was to be used against Wet presidential candidates, Mr. Wheeler said that only the "moderate sum" of $50,000 would be used politically, the remainder ($550,000) to be spent in "all the work" of the League.

Commentators recalled that last July, Mr. Wheeler had testified before a Senate committee (Chairman, Senator James A. Reed of Missouri) investigating Pennsylvania campaign expenditures (TIME, July 5, 1926). He admitted that for "a few years" just before the passage of the 18th Amendment the League had spent about $2,500,000 a year. From 1921-25, inclusive, the national body of the League (exclusive of .state branches) had spent $2,583,320.66 on prohibition enforcement.