Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1920-12-16
ACTION OF
GRAND JURY

"Probably no one will regret the
action of the members of the grand
jury in seeking the repeal of the Vol
stead act more than the jurymen
themselves when they have time to
think over their action" says a state
ment issued by the Wisconsin Anti
Saloon League today after an in
formal conference of resident men,
bers of the headquarters committee,
local pastors and others with attor-
neys.
"The federal grand jury was called
to enforce law. They indicted under
that law. Their petition makes it
hard to convict under that law. Yet
the fact that jury whose sympathies
were against the law, as evidenced by
their resolution, did indict under that
law, indicates that violations must
have been plain and fragrant.
Suppose Congress needed their pc
tition and legalized beer. The U. S.
Supreme Court, upholding the Vol
stead act in the Rupert Brewing Co.
case January Is this year, pointed
out the universal experience of dry
states which have permitted the sale
of beer; that it became the recog-
nized means under cover of which
every form of int0xicants was sold.
Therefore a beer saloon would be
the same old saloon We are conf
dent these jurymen do not want that.
'The report of the Overman Com
mittee of the U. S. Senate says: For
many years a working agreement eX-
listed between the brewing and dis
tilling interests of the country by the
terms of which the brewing interests
contributed two-thirds and the dis
tilling interests one-third of the po-
litical expenditures made by the joint
interests; that they contributed enor-
NOUS sums of money to political cam
paigns in violation Of the federal
statutes and the statutes Of several of
the states We cannot promote law
observance by rewarding the chief of
tenders, the jurymen will agree.
''The title of the above committees
report is signifcant-'Brewing and
Liquor Interests and Bloshevik
Propaganda Milwaukee famous for
beer, logically became infamous for
Bergerism. The liquor Headquarters
was here. 1t obeyed no authority; de-
fled all authority. Naturally those
who hated authority gathered here
from all quarters of the globe. Social
lists ruled our city, ruled our county.
were gaining our legislature. Then
came prohibition and the Volstead
act. They lost our city, lost our
county, have almost disappeared from
the state legislature. The Congress
which expelled Berger will never leg
alize the wet nurse of Bergerism.
These jurymen would be the last to
suggest it.
"The remedy for the 'deplorable
conditions which the grand jurymen
pointed out is not a legal declaration
sanctifying the violations. AS well
try to purify polecat by spraying it
with rosewater. The remedy is Off
GERS who fearlessly ferrit and persist
emily prosecute offenders, coupled
with judges whose sentences are Sc
we're enough to arouse terror instead
of litter in the heart of every vio-
lator.
''Thirty-seven states have placed
themselves in accord with the federal
Constitution by writing the Volstead
law into their own state law Eleven
refused. Wisconsin was one of the
eleven. That refusal was done to the
fact that the loyal majority was pas