The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-01
VETS IN
ATTACK
ON Law
Liquor Interests in Legal Bat
tie Against Eighteenth
Amendment and Vol
stead Act.
TWO STATES APPEALING
Every Effort Being Made to Bring
Question Before Supreme Court
Before Summer
Recess.
TWO STATES APPEALING
LBy Herbert w. Walker. United Press
Staff CorreSnondent

IBy Herbert W. Walker. United Press
Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, March 1.-Spurred
on by what they believe is a reaction
against prohibition in various parts
of the country, the liquor interests
and the states desiring to remain
wet were today ready for concerted
legal attack in the supreme court
against every important part OF the
eighteenth amendment and the Vol
stead law enforcing it.
Every effort will be made to ex.
pedite the proceedings in order tha'
the main points of contention may be
determined before the annual sum
mer recess OF the court in June. Only
three cases are now directly before
the court One is the original bill
of complaint of the state of Rhode
Island challenging the validity OF
both the amendment and the Vol
stead. law and directing that it can
not be enforced in Rhode Island be-
cause the state did not ratify the
amendment.
Charles E. Hughes is expected to
ask the court today to be allowed to
file brief for several dry states at
tacking the position taken by Rhode
Island. AS political sidelight, Elihu
Root, ranking with Hughes as y
prominent republican, will appear in
one case for the wet forces.
.Arugment of the Rhode Island case
probably will be set for next Monday,
and with it an appeal by George
Dempsey, Massachusetts liquor
dealer who insists the Volstead law
in passing it disregarded the fact
that the amendment gives to the
states concurrent power to enforce
prohibition.
The third case is brought by Ohio
dry forces, who seek to nave tne
court declare that legislative ratifl'
cations of the amendment cannot De
withdrawn even if the people decided
against national prohibition by a ref.
erendum. This has been advanced
for argument next week.
Fight by the Drys.
WASHINGTON, March Twenty
one prohibition states, represented
by Charles E. Hughes, today an
to the supreme court their
intention of fighting the efforts OF
Rhode I$sland to have the eighteenth
amendment and the Volstead law en-
forcement declared invalid.
AS the court met, Hughes asked
permission to file brief for the dry
states, amici curiae, which backs the
contentious of the federal govern
ment that the Rhode Island suit
should be dismissed. Rhode Island,
it is understood will oppose the
action on the grounds that it must
be filed by the attorney generals
office of the several states and not
Hughes
The states represented are Della
ware, North Carolina Kentucky.
Indiana, Alabama, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming.
Utah, Arizona, Maine. Arkansas,
Michigan, Florida, Oregon, Kansas,
West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska and
Montana
The wet forces sought to advance
an appeal from a Kentucky federal
court decision holding constitutional
prohibition valid. The suit was
brought by the Kentucky Distilling
and Warehouse company.
In Favor Of Brewers.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, March l.
Federal Judge F. A. Geiger today rul-
ed in favor of the Manitowoe~ Pro
ducts company in its motion for an in
junction restraining federal prohibi-
ton officials from interfering with its
manufacture of 2.5 per cent beer un-
der the Mulberger state law. This
means that Wisconsin breweries can
manufacture 2.5 per cent beer unless
the federal supreme court oyerrules
Judge Geirgers decision.
Judge Geoger ruled that the plain
tiff had good cause of action in equity.
and gave the government officials
CONTINUED on page 2.)