Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-23
No HOPE FOR BEER,
WHEELER ASSERTS
py Leader Confident Foes Of
Prohibition Are Doomed to
Another Defeat
NO CHANCE FOR COMEBACK
Bv a StaF Correspondent

washington, Aug. 23.-While Con
,ress Yesterday was trying to reach an
ssreement on the beer bill, Wayne Il.
Wheeler, general counsel for the Anti
saloon League, sat in a big, quiet room
allied with battered Office furniture and
iono shelves of law books, a room whose
,rIndows looked out upon the Capitol
~ronnds. Asked what chance beer had
- come back, he smiled and replied:
GAbout as much chance rs there Is
n repeating the Eighteenth Amend
ment.'
Then Mr.. Wheeler leaned back and
laughed. His laugh is infectious. He Is
moi of legal aspect. neither does he look
i;ke a Sunday school superintendent.
Even less does he resemble the carl
soh,red reformer or blue law advocate.
Mr. Wheeler was told several mil
Hans NJ Americans were hoping against
hone home for lifting of the lid. Would the
co,ntry ever get back to a beer and light
,s;ne basis? What was the outlook for
,,reol beer"? In this crisis in the lives
40 alcoholically thirsty Americans, what
.nnd he offer to relieve their suffering
and anxiety. This was his answer:
"Nothing-not chance
"Not q Chance for Beer
II Is the drys' answer, for Mr..
Wheeler. as general counsel fol. the most
rowerful prohibition organization in the
world. and who has had his way with
Congress down to the presnt moment,
sreaks as their acknowledged leader.
.'There isn't a chance for beer" he
| .sseyerated. "They may as well forget
tIar 10 about a q fpnph phQnpa
| % having beer back as there Is in re =
realing the Eighteenth Amendment, and
I say that because you can't enforce
the Eighteenth Amendment with a beer
sYemntion in the enforcement act. The
ouesfion is. then, whether we shall en-
force the law or nullify it. And the
answer to that is that it will be in
forced.
an every State where we have had
referendum vote on beer amendment,
ve have doubled our dry majority. This
APPLIES to States like Michigan, Ohio,
Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Ari-
zona and others. There is no question
where people stand. They realize. as
we do. that beer is just camOuflage
| issue to defeat the enforcement of prohi-
bition."
"Looking into the future, what do
YOU see?" he was asked.
"a dry country" was the prompt
reply. "No amendment to the Federal
Constitution has ever been repealed,
once ratified, and the Eighteenth
Amendment never will be. The only
question is whether it will be enforced. -
"But there are good many Ameri-
cans who don't agree with you?" he
was reminded. "They think the Vol =
stead act, at least, will be modified. and
that beer will come back to stay
"Let 'em think it, he smiled. "We
don't care"
Dry Majority in Congress Sure
This naturally implied an implicit
confidence in the dry control of Con-
gress. He was asked about that angle
Of the question.
"The dry majority in Congress will
grow stronger rather than weaker"
was the reply, because our people be =
lieve in law and order. and you can
not enforce national prohibition with :
out having an adequate> law enforce
ment code to do it. And this dry ma =
jority is a majority against beer as
well as q majority against liquor.
"Why then, all the agitation for a