The New York herald., 1921-06-19
DRY LAW LOBBYISTS
ROW OYER BEER BILL
Supplemental Measure Dead
locked While Wheeler and
Dinwiddie Disagree.
FIGHT ON AMENDMENTS
Chemists and Manufacturers
of Alcohol Assert Businesses
Face Ruin.
Special Despatch TO THE New York HEaAtp
New York Herald Bureau,
WashingtOn, ID. c., June III.

Special Despatch TO THE New York HEaAtp
New York Herald Bureau,
Washington, ID. c., June IN.
The Volstead supplemental prohioition
bill. the main object of which is to
knock out the Palmer ruling that beer
may be prescribed as medicine, has be-
come deadlocked in the House Rules
Committee as the result of rows among
the prohibition lobbyists and ths dry
leaders in Congress
Wayne B. Wheeler, counsel of the
Anti-Saloon League, and Z. c. Dinwid-
die, former officer of the league, and
now with other reform organizations,
are in sharp disagreement over the
measure. and the two who pushed the
Volstead law through Congress said
rather unkind things about each other.
Due to the strong opposition from
chemists and industrial alcohol manu-
facturers to sections of the bill other
than that prohibiting prescription Of
beer as medicine. DR.. Dinwiddie sug-
gested that the bill be split and only
the provision against medicinal beer
rushed through Congress. But the en-
tire bill was originally the work of
Wheeler, and Dinwiddie's stand angered
him. He insisted that the entins meas
ure be rushed through with little oppor-
tunity for amendments on the ground
that the Palmer ruling soon will be put
into effect and the country flooded with
be,r. So after Mr.. Dinwiddie was trans
ferrcd Mr.. Wheeler issued this state
ment:
Opposition to the merits of the bill
before the Rules Committee which has
no power to changs It ana thus prevent
its consideration by the House, is SIM
ply an attempt to kill the bill. MI.
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 protecting
the liquor traffic."
Meanwhile similar dispute ha.
arisen among prohibition leaders of the
House. Representative Volstead (Minn. J
claims an emergency exists for the en-.
tire measure and refuses to separate the
beer provision into a separate bill
Chairman Campbell (Kan.) of the Rule.
committee says the other provisions are
too controversial to be passed withcu,
amendment, and there is no emergency
existing for them.
Representatives of the chemical and
industrial alcohol industries to-day tes.
titled before the committee that their
business is threatened with destruction
o.' tic iSsdit VI CERTAIN PROVISIONS OF tns
Dill. 1t was pointed out that industrial
slcohol is needed In many legitimate
businesses and that the legislation places
these manufacturers in the same class
as saloon keepers and bootleggers"
M c. Whitaker, former Columbia Uni.
versity professor and now vice presiden,
OF the United States Industrial Alcoho
Company, said: The Car was de-
tfroned and shot for less arbitrary use
Of autocratic power than 1t is proposed
to confer on the prohibition commission.
er>by the BILL
Other witnesses said industrial alcoho
is used extensively in the making of ar
tificial silk. guncotton. smokeless pow
der. poison gas and many other product,
and is necessary as a part of the nation.
military defence programme. Germany,
extensive use of industrial alcohol wa.
declared by Mr.. Whitaker to be one o.
the greatest assets in the war.