The Washington herald., 1919-07-06
HOUSE TO DECIDE
TOMORROW ON
8 !. TX. O." FOR Beer
War Time Enforcement Bill
sc cProbably Could Be
- Passed IN a Week.
nCITE NEW YORK CASE
Vets Base Hope m Supreme
ee' Court Decision Against
State Law.
CITE NEW YORK CASE
Prohibition enforcement legislation

Prohibition enforcement legislation
will be the an-absorbing topic on
Capitol Hill until the President pre-
sents the peace treaty to the Senate
Thursday.
Congress VIII deal beer and
s'wines a speedy Knockout blow de-
pends largely on the action Of the
= House Judiciary Committee tomorrow.
Should n separate enforcement bill
for war time prohibition be reported
out. as many drys are urging. II would
= mean that the sale of beer and wines
could be stopped within a short tina.
providing the President does not veto
Z the bill. Leaders say this bill could
be passed in a week.
: Should the judiciary Committee
stand by its combined bill for both
wartime and constitutional prohi-
..bition previously reported out. it
.,is probable no prohibition legisla-
,tion could be in force before Au-
sgust 1. because of the long debate
expected on the drastic provisions
of the constitutional enforcement
action.
SENATE Hearings to Continue.
> The Senate Judiciary Committee
expects to continue its hearings on
prohibition legislation, providing
a quorum Of the committee has
returned after the recess.
Whatever bill the House COM
mittee decides on will be made the
snrst order of business on the moor
ssafter the reconvening Tuesday. and
nothing will be allowed to inter
-fere with the passage of some en-
forcement legislation in the lower
house. Republican Leader Mondeli
said yesterday.
ASwets- Rely on New York Decision.
When the whole prohibition issue,
Involving both the constitutional
amendment and the acts of Con-
gress. come up before the United
states Supreme Court the opponents
of national prohibition viii oase
their attack largely on the text OF
q decision of the New York State
Court of Appeals In 1855, in the
( wynehamer case
- In this case the justices of the
New York court declared void. and
unconstitutional a prohibition law
! passed by the New York State legts-
iaure- which, according to the op-
ponents of prohibition. was very
stmIIar in its provisions to the
eighteenth amendment to the constl-
! tuition, which goes into enect jan
Gary IS.
1T is recognized that the Supreme
z Court when il convenes in October
will have on its hands series OF
! cases bearing on prohibition, and that
a. will have to decide the issue.
, Refore il will come all the test cases
on low grade beer; the Rhode lslano
I. case. which legalizes per cent peer
Z In the face of national prohibition; the
iOhio case, where an election on the
vet or dry issue has been directed
and the California case OF the grape
xrowers' raising the question OF con-
hsca ton of property.
Five Held 1t Illegal
{. The Association Opposed to National
Prohibition says that II is certain that
fhe wyneharner case will be cited In
Z the arguments against prohibition be-
: fore the Supreme Court In this case
each Justice rendered a separate opin-
ion. Five Of the six justices took the
: ground that the dry law was uncon-
stitutionaL
According to a review OF inc case
the Justices ruled with practical unan-
unity that a distinction ought to have
been made between alcoholic bever-
ages which were already In posses
sion of persons when the law took
effect and those which might be manu-
r. ctured after that date