Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-01-16
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Washington, Jan Unconstitutional
prohibition becomes effective at md
night tonight
Prom 1901 a m, the manufacture,
sale or transportation Of Intoxicating
liquors within, the importation thereof
INTO or the expectation thereof from the
'nited States and all territory subject 70
the jurisdiction thereof for beverage pur
poses IS prohibited by the 18th amend
tneat to the Constitution. and the United
states becomes the first nation Of the
world to make such provision part of its
Dasic law Congress has defined an intox-
eating liquor as any beverage containing
,yne-hsh of one per cent, or more, OF
alcohol.
Actually, the advent of constitutional
wohibition will make little difference IN
he daily life of the people Of this country,
IA they have been living under tho nation
vide wartime ban on alcoholic drinks
tance last July. There have been eager
hopes entertained by tho thirsty, by dis
sillers and hv sacculat0rs holding large
quantities of whisky for higher prices,
,hat wartime prohibition woIld he lifted
before today IN accordance with tho rec
osnmendation Of President Wilson 10
Congress. but Congress refused 70 do SO
and the arid spell now about 20 begin
= =
fson. which prohIblti0nIsts declare VIII
continue in effect fer all time, inasmuch rs
would be revoked only in the same
manner in which it came into existence,
vilI permit no opportunity Tor the re
plenishment Of private cellars oT the un-
loading Of investment stocks. There are
.yro cases pending in the Supreme Court
however attacking constitutional pT, al-
iY.tlon. one bv tht state of Rhode Island,
the other on behalf OF the Retail Liquor
Dealers Association Of New Jersey.
MUCH LEFT ron MEDICINE.
Thousands OF gallons Of whisky re
man ID bonded warehouses with no
chance to be sold at prevailing high prices
The liquor can bc taken out only for
medicinal and >cicI tIhC uses with the
bureau Of internal revenue exGItlng
extreme pTeca utoGs to see that none o1
4 Is used Ia violation OF the .aw. During
he .s.St two mouths, many owners OF
.Jcohoiic LIQUORS, forCseclng no oppor-
llIn.ty for sale IN this country, have
Cndcavored to rlsh the surplus t. other
,.ouLtrics. Lack OF shipping space pre-
vented more than fraction beng ex-
ported. Cuba and the Bahamas have
received most Of what was seut abroad
There we're 20 000 00) gallons or hand
when wartime prohibition went nto
fleet. The amount exported IS not
1nown but Is probably less than 20, 0,0O0,-
t0J gallons.
Attacks on constitutional prohibition
begun IN several States. apparently are
not viewed WITH alarm by the reform
iorces After the Supreme Court upheld
The constitutional " OF wartime pro
lbltIou and the measures t. enforce it,
Nayne Z. Wheeler, general counsel OF
the Anti-Saio0u League Of America
announced that the only question ieft
un which the vets could make fight
vas whether prohibition was q proper
subject for constitutional ectlon and
whether the amendment had been adopt
ID legal IL. He contendcd there was no
doubt on the subject
New jersey officials who searched State
department records OF the ratification Of
the amendment. announced they had
.ound no variations II language which
would warrant attacking it.
Enforcement Of conot tutional pro-
aibition was lodged by Congress with
the bureau Of internal revenue, which for
wears has been in close touch with dis
tIliing and brewing interests IN the col
lection ot excise taxes and q tive IL
running dowC mooushiners Evidence
collected by the bureau viii be used in
pro o5eout.ons by tht department of justice.
ENFORCING PROHIBITION ~ o. s.
Comm ssioner Roper has established
"a entirely separate division in the
bureau oI interua. revenue for the en-
loroement of prohibition, headed by
ohn = Kramer Of Mansfield. Ohio a.
,r1hlDit.on commissioner for the United
state tie will have under him nine
federal supervisors III charge 0. as many
districts. director ii each State ard
mobile force which can be shifted from
place to pace Us conditions demand
Mr. Roper has mad plain, however,
that emf for3enent Of prohibition depends
Largely on local sentiment and has appeal
~ t. citizens Of the United States to
rive their cooperation to uphoIding the
iaw Of she country. Federal forces, he
sad, would be used to reinforce local
efforts and where any State officer failed
- MS duty, his constituents would be
informed