The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1919-06-06
Police Unadvised of Hardison
Decision
Search of Incoming Automobiles
Continues
Local Police Do Not Support
Hardison
WASHINGTON WAKING UP
National A. S. L. Soon to Meet in
Capital
No Serious Unrest Caused by
Prohibition
David Lawrence, Noted Newspa-
per Correspondent, After Ma
tion-Wide Investigation, Says
People Have Good Word for
Prohibition


instructions to stop arrests of vio-
iators or suspected violators of the
Reed bone dry law as it applies to the
District of Columbia as a result of an
opinion by Judge Harrison of the dis
trict police court that persons may
bring in liquor to Washington in their
privately owned automobiles. In other
words. following the opinion OF. the
police court judge which caused a
small-sized sensation in Washington,
instructions which went out to the
police were: Watch the district line
This meant of course that attempts
70 run the blockade would be handled
just as they were before the police
court action. On the other hand,
Judge Harrison, despite his ruling in
the case referred to, insists that the
District is dry, and that he did not
mean to hold the bars against bring
ing in liquor for ones personal use
were entirely let down. He simply
wanted to protect the privately owned
automobile from search and seizure,
it seems.
No other authorities here could be
G found to agree with Judge Hardison's
Interpretation of this law to the extent
to which he went In fact, dry work.
ers and police heads are not showing
any alarm over the prospects for the
District going back into the wet COL
umn. The opinion of Judge Hardison
will go to the higher courts for action
there.
Official and civil Washington is
waking UP to the fact that the national
capissl will be in the lmelight soon
when the annual convention of the
Anti-Saloon League OF America meets
IN convention here. The great world
wide conference on Prohibition which
Is to follow gives added interest, and
the further fact that the Presidents
recommendation as to repeating the
wine and beer provisions of the war
time Prohibition act has Congress
aroused, all tend to indicate lively
times when anti-liquor folk from
many nations foregather in the Dis
trict of Columbia.
Just when Representative SABBATH of
Illinois, on the opening day of Con-
gress, was introducing his bill to re-
peal the wartime Prohibition act,
Representative A. W. Barley of the
First Kentucky district was introduc-
ing one providing for the enforcement
of wartime Prohibition. Comment on
that part of the Presidents message
recommending the partial repeal of
the wartime dry measure from a
number of senator's and representa-
tives was as follows:
Senator Sheppard of Texas: IT am
not in favor of it. We have yielded
as much as could be expected and l
feel we have given every possible con-
cession we could give and be consis-
tent with the principle involved"
Senator Jones of Washington: T
will resist the recommendation to the
utmost of my power. What we plan
to do is to put through law that will
enforce the provision. We never got
any assistance from the President in
the past in this matter and he shall
not tell us what to do now"
Senator Sherman of Illinois: ri am
against the recommendation. am
dry. Let il alone. If that's all the
President wants he had better stay in
Paris, where he can get it."
Senator Reed of Missouri: ~ have
always said that Congress had no
power to pass the wartime Prohibit
ton act. The constitution of the
United States did not go out of bust
ness because we were at war"
Senator King of Utah: II favor the
Presidents recommendation. do
not believe there is any power in Con-
gress to pass such legislation as the
wartime Prohibition act. Congress
has no power to interdict the power
Of the states in such matters"
Representative Volstead, Minneso-
tn, chairman House Judiciary Com
mittee: Il am for enforcing the pres
emit law"
Representative Randall, California:
II am astounded, but Congress will
not repeal wartime Prohibition. The
President has been in Paris so long
that neither the Democratic nor the
Republican party is going to risk
burning its fingers by touching the
Prohibition question again"
Representative Little, Kansas,
chairman Committee on Alcoholic
Liquor Traffic: ITO repeal wartime
Prohibition novv is life giving n half