New-York tribune., 1919-06-28
Lid Goes On
July Despite
Delay of Bill
Wartime Prohibition Put
Up to Department of
Justice, but Enforcement
Is Expected To Be Lax
Dual Measure Approved
Legislation, However, Is Un-
likely To Be Brought
Before House Until July E
Ne.p York Tribune
Wnah;nrfon Purp01l

Ne.p York Tribune
| Washington RuredN
WASHINGTON, June 27.-The Judi
ciary Committee of the House to-day
voted II to 2 to combine enforcement
legislation to back up war time and
constitutional prohibition, after having
refused to report separate enforcement
bills. The dual measure was reported
out of committee late this afternoon
Its consideration in the House is not
believed likely before the end of the
Fourth of July recess.
A canvass of the Rules Committee
showed that a majority of its members
will not favor the granting of special
rule to give prohibition enforcement
legislation the right of way in the
House before July 6. Prohibition lead
ers indicated they would attempt to
get the legislation up early next week,
but none was hopeful.
| Meanwhile, wartime prohibition will
go into effect at midnight June 80 and
the Department of Justice is preparing
to attempt it's enforcement with all the
means at its command. There will be
no special machinery, nor special ap-
propriations with which to work, but it
will be incumbent upon all United
States officials charged with the en-
forcement of law to arrest violators of
the wartime prohibition act, just as
they would arrest violators of any other
Federal law. There is no pretense that
the law can be absolutely enforced un-
til the enforcement legislation is passed
and special funds are provided
Up Week After Fourth
"I don't see how it will be possible
to consider prohibition enforcement
legislation until the week after the
Fourth of July" Majority Leader
Mondell said, because of pressing ap-
preparation legislation. / shall op-
pose any effort to get rule for earli-
er consideration. it would be impos-
sible to pass the legislation before
July /, and l, therefore, favor giving
the entire bill careful consideration
and taking plenty Of time to it. Per-
sonally | favored a separate bill for
wartime prohibition enforcement. If
such bill had been reported a spe-
cial rule for it's immediate considera-
tlon would have been granted. The
effect of the combined bills, however.
is so farreaching that l will not give
my consent to hasty consideration"
A final effort to separate the war
time and constitutional prohibition en-
forcement legislation into two bills
was made in the Judiciary Committee
just before the omnibus measure was
reported. 1t was defeated by vote
of 10 to 6.
Ready to Limit Debate
Prohibitionists of the House would
make no prediction to-day as to how
be debated in the House before it is
finally approved. They indicated, how
ever, that if tilibustering tactics were
adopted by the vets they would go
before the Rules Committee and ask
special rule to limit debate.
The majority report on the bill re-
ported to-day will be filed in the House
by Chairman Volstead of the judiciary
Committee tomorrow. The minority
report of the "wets" on the committee
Will be submitted on Monday. 1t was
indicated to-day that the "wets" will
contend in their report that wartime
prohibition cannot be enforced, since
the original act was not signed by the
PRESIDENT until two weeks after the
signing of the armistice.
An attempt will be made by anti
prohibitionists on the floor to amend
the definitions of Intoxicating liquors
IN both the wartime and constitutional
prohibition enforce ment sections of the
bill to permit the manufacture and
sale of beer containing 2% per cent of
alcohol. This effort is not likely to
carry. The bill reported to-day bans
all beverage liquids containing more
than one-half Of l per cent of alcohol
by volume.
Amendment Is Adopted
One amendment to the bill was
adopted by the committee to-day just
before the bill was reported 1t was a
technical amendment to permit the
manufacture of beverages containing
more than one-half of l per cent Of
alcohol if the surplus alcohol is after
ward extracted.
The text of this amendment, offered
by Representative Steele, Republican
of Pennsylvania, follows:
"a manufacturer of any beverage
containing less than one-half of 1
per cent of alcohol by volume may
on making application and giving
such bonds as the commissioner may
prescribe, be given a permit to de-
velop in the manufacture thereof a
liquid containing more than one-half
of l per cent Of alcohol by volume,
but before any such liquid is with
drawn from the factory or otherwise
disposed of the alcoholic contents
thereof shall under such rules and
regulations as the commissioner pre-
scribes be reduced below such one
half of l per cent of alcohol. The
alcohol removed from such liquids,
II evaporated and not condensed and
saved, shall pay no tax; if saved, it
snail be subject to the same law as
other alcoholic liquors"
See Long Delay in Action
The "drys" believed that develop
ments OF the European situation make
certain that the Presidents proclama-
tson announcing the termination Of de-
mobilization will be long delayed. They
sand the provisions of the original act
continuing it in effect during the
present war" undoubtedly would be
construed to mean the war with Aus
ira as well as the war with Germany,
and the war with Austria could not be
considered closed, they believed, until
treaty OF peace had been signed by
the Austrian plcnipotentiaries. The
spreading unrest in all parts. Of Europe,
they said, would nccessitate the main
tanning Of force in Europe so largo
that the President could not logically
! proclaim the termination Of demob-