Omaha daily bee., 1921-06-20
Dry Forces
Split Over
Emergency
Wayne B. Wheeler and E. C
Dinwiddie Disagree on
Need of Haste in Pass
ing Enforcement Bill.
Charge Power OF Gar

Chicago Tribune Omaha Bee Leased Wire
Washington, June l9.-Prohihitior
forces. which have fought side by
side for years to make the country
dry, split wide open before the
house rules committee over the ques-
ton of tightening up the law for the
enforcement of the 18th amendment.
The rules committee had before il
demand for a special rule to rush
through the Volstead supplementary
prohibition bill as an emergency
measure. E. c. Dinwiddie, former
chairman of the legislative commit
tee Of the anti-saloon league, told the
committee he saw no necessity for
such haste. except insofar as the
bill related to prohibiting doctors
from prescribing beer as medicine.
Mr.. Dinwiddie's testimony aroused
the ire OF his old colleague, Wayne
B. Wheeler, general counsel for the
Anti-Saloon league.
Opposition to the merits Of the
bill is simply an attempt to kill it,"
Mr.. Wheeler said. "Mr. Dinwiddie
has not been with the Anti-Saloon
league for more than year and in
assuming to protect certain phases
OF the trade. he is unwittingly protect
ing the illegal traffic. In opposing
this bill, Mr.. Dinwiddie is in new
company"
Wants Bill Divided.
The new Nolstead bill, broadly
speaking, is divided into two parts.
One part would prohibit the prescrip-
ton of beer as medicine and the other
part tightens up the restrictions OF
the use OF alcohol ior industrial pur-
poses. Mr.. Dinwiddie argued for the
division of these parts into two sep
arate parts.
'It would be wiser to pass that
which is emergency legislation ,and
then to take up the other features
said Dinwiddie. There is going to
be other prohibition features pro-
posed and demand for the transfer
OF enforcement to the Department of
Justice. There is plenty of authority
under the law now to regulate use
OF industrial alcohol.
II do not feel that am betraying
any confidence when | say that there
arc other matters III connection with
prohibition enforcement to come be-
fore the senate. There appears to
be no. question OF the necessity OF
" YfieT leytlation TO meet the emer-
sTo,:ncy Ed to stop the flood Ct.
hn.say.' witch il is said can shortly
be Expected" !.
DirMadie stated that he believed
that Attorney General Palmer's beer
ruling was a proper one, touuded
entirely upon the law and that no
sinister motives could be ascribed to
the fact that it was handed down or
the eve OF his departure from office.
The ruling. he explained, had been
asked only 10 days before that.
He reaffirmed the belief that the
nations industries requiring alcohol
were entitled to the fullest consider
alton and added:
II don't believe we want to do
ANYTHING foolish something that
viii not be complete in its scope.
DR.. NJ. c. Whitaker. vice presi-
cent OF the United States Industrial
Alcohol company. said that prohi-
bitionists were seeking to give the
deral prohibition commissioner
more power than the car had over
Russa.
Car Was Shot.
The czar was shot for exercis-
irs less power than you propose to
give the commissions, under the
BILL he said. There is no excuse
for imposing this arbitrary power
en- single industry. The only
boozcfghters We have in our plants
are the government employees"
w. L. Grouse of the National
Perfume and Wholesale Druggists
association declared:
Liquor addicts will drink any
thing including varnish, furniture
polish. shellat, flavoring extracts and
wood alcohol. The chief excuse OF
Wayne B. Wheeler and his suppor-
ters is that certain alcoholic pro-
ducts are used as beverages. We can
not stop everybody from drinking.
/ Some will drink anything that does
not kill them outright. The prohibi-
ton commissioner has invited every
form of fraud by the indiscriminatc
issue of permits numbering between
10000 and 10000"