Volstead Act

Here is the speech of an American politician discussing the repeal of the  Volstead Act. Was he for ending prohibition or not?

“I’ll take a stand on any issue at any time, regardless of how fraught  with controversy it may be. You have asked me how I feel about whisky; well,  Brother, here’s how I stand.

“If by whisky, you mean the Devil’s brew, the Poison scourge, the bloody  monster that defies innocence, dethrones reason, creates misery and poverty,  yea, literally takes the bread out of the mouths of babes; if you mean the Evil  Drink that topples men and women from pinnacles of righteous, gracious living  into the bottomless pit of despair, degradation, shame, helplessness and  hopelessness – then certainly I am against it with all my power.

“But if by whisky, you mean the oil of conversation, the philosophic  wine and ale that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song  in their hearts, laughter on their lips and the warm glow of contentment in  their eyes; if you mean that sterling drink that puts the spring in an old  man’s steps on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink, the sale of which  pours into our treasury untold millions of dollars which are used to provide  tender care for our little crippled children, our pitifully aged and infirm and  to build our highways, hospitals and schools — then, Brother, I am for it. This  is my stand.”