Mr. Coolidge

Hot from their conference at West Baden, the Governors entrained, sped to Washington. There they were joined by several others who had not been at the Conference of Governors. Notable among these additions to the Governors' party were Messrs. Ritchie of Maryland and Smith of New York, ardent Wets.

In all, 34 Governors sat down at lunch in the White House. Afterwards they spent the afternoon in private conclave. The President made a speech urging State cooeperation in preventing immigrant and liquor smuggling and in enforcing prohibition. In a following discussion Governors Ritchie and Smith were the only ones who voiced dissent from the President's remarks. They objected to the Volstead Act as an invasion of state rights, as unenforcible and as contrary to public opinion. Before departing the Governors adopted a platform suggested by the President: 1) to cooerdinate Federal and local enforcement agencies; 2) to call on the press to support enforcement; 3) to call conventions of local enforcement agencies to formulate definite programs with Federal aid; 4) to call upon prosecuting attorneys of the states for full assistance; 5) to adopt any possible means to increase the respect of the people for the law; 6) to have full cooeperation with Federal authorities in these activities.

Afterwards few of the Governors cared to express opinions on their conference with Mr. Coolidge. Two Wets did, however:

Governor Silzer of New Jersey: "The mountain labored and brought forth a mouse."

Governor Ritchie of Maryland: "This conference failed and all other similar conferences will fail as long as they refuse to face the basic question, whether or not prohibition enforcement should not be turned back to the States themselves."