In his speech from 1932 to accept the Republican nomination, Herbert Hoover touches on some issues which really wouldn’t be out of place if mentioned today: immigration, tariffs, a strong military. The speech also offers some reasoning to end Prohibition. Here is a pertinent part:
We must recognize the difficulties which have developed in making the 18th amendment effective and that grave abuses have grown up. In order to secure the enforcement of the amendment under our dual form of government, the constitutional provision called for concurrent action on one hand by the State and local authorities and on the other by the Federal Government. Its enforcement requires, therefore, independent but coincident action of both agencies. An increasing number of States and municipalities are proving themselves unwilling to engage in that enforcement. Due to these forces there is in large sections increasing illegal traffic in liquor. But worse than this there has been in those areas a spread of disrespect not only for this law but for all laws, grave dangers of practical nullification of the Constitution, an increase in subsidized crime and violence. I cannot consent to a continuation of that regime.
It’s interesting in that it illustrates 1) the need for cooperation between federal and local governments in the implementation of particular laws, and 2) that disrespect for particular laws breeds disrespect for laws in general.
Speed limits on highways are not laws which are followed with much certainty, although I can imagine that most people would agree that they are “good” laws to have. Do you think that the same kind of disrespect for traffic laws breeds disrespect for other laws in the same way Hoover was discussing? Or is there a difference between disrespect for the 18th Amendment and disrespect for traffic laws?
