Omaha daily bee., 1919-10-29
Prohibition Enforcement Law
Provides Machinery for Pre-
venting Sale Of Beverages Of
Over so Per Cent Alcohol.
PRESIDENTS VETO
NOW INEFFECTIVE
Vote Is 65 to 20, or 8 More
Than Necessary Two.Thirds
Majority - Officials Make
Move to Punish VioIators. =

Washington, Oct. 28.-The SEN
ate passed the prohibition enforce
ment act over the presidents veto
today and made Immediately effec-
tive machinery for preventing sale
of beverages containing more than
one-half of one per. cent alcohol.
The vote was 65 TO 20, or eight
more than the necessary two-thirds
majority. While there was a
wrangle over taking up the measure
in place of the peace treaty, which
had the right of way, there never
was doubt as to how the senate
stood. 1t Was overwhelmingly
dry" like the house, which re-
passed the bill within three hours
after the president had vetoed it.
Before congress at $40 o'clock
finally clinched enactment of the
enforcement law, despite president
ial objection to linking wartime
and constitutional prohibition acts,
there came from the White House
the announcement that the wartime
law-whch was put into effect after
the cessation of hostilities. would be
annulled the moment the senate for
mally ratified the German peace
treaty.
1t was the most definite of all
official or semi-official statements
bearing on the wartime act, Pro-
hibition leaders were plainly dis
turbed by the news, for they had
counted firmly upon the country
reaching the effective date Of con-
stitutional Prohibition, January 10,
1920, without re-opcning OF saloons.
Clamor Set Up.
Despite the c1amor set up by wet
and dry forces over the White
House announcement, senate lead
ers said they would proceed with
consideration of the treaty as here
tofore. Senator's who have taken
an active part in the prohibition
campaign branded as unfair and abb
surd, reports that they would delay
the treaty simply to keep the liquor
traffic from getting foothold in
the comparatively short period re-
naming before the country will go
dry for good.
Formal denial was issued from
the headquarters of the Anti-Saloon
league that its officers would take
part in any movement calculated to
delay the treaty. League officers
stuck to the opinion that it would
be necessary to ratify the Austrian
treaty before lifting the wartime
prohibition ban, which was said to-
have been the ruling of Attorney
General Palmer, and they declared
their position was not altered by
the fact that President Wilson was
prepared to cut through legal doubt
and wipe out law, the necessity
for which he believes to have.
passed.
Can Break Up Traffic Now.
With today's action by the senate,
the department Of justice is ready
to deal with any offenders against
the drastic provisions of the new
act. At best, heretofore prosecutions
were more or less haphazard, and
necessarily SO, it was said, because
of the loosely drawn language OF the
act, but the new law gives ample
means of breaking up the traffic.
So drastic is the enforcement act
that a man, for instance, may be hned
or put in Jail for displaying. pic,
ture of a brewery or keg. but his
right to store liquor in his own
home for his own use stood up
against all attacks i'll committee and
both houses of congress.
Warning went tonight to dealers
selling 2A per cent beer, without
apparent risk heretofore, that the
new law fixed u of | per cent as
the legal limit of alcohol content.
Ask Aid in Enforcing.
Law-abiding citizens, churches,
civic organizations and welfare So
c;eties were summoned tonight by
Commissioner Roper to aid the
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