The Washington times., 1923-10-12

The Women's Law Enforcement
Committee, representing clubs and
organizations of ten million women
and the Citizens Conference in
Washington this week called by
the religious leaders of America.
u. The increasing number of con-
victions secured each year in cases
involving liquor law violation as
reported by the Department of
Justice. Last year there were 81
1858 convictions in the Federal
are now in the penitentiary."
Meanwhile. with Mr. Wheeler
thus encouraged, Mr.. Hinckley is
absolutely equally encouraged. His
little list Of encouragements for
vets is as follows:
Reasons Of Vets.
81. The refusal of the Pennsyl-
vania legislature to give Governor
Pinchot the appropriation he re:
quested for the enforcement of his
dry law, thus showing that while
legislatures may pass forms of
words In favor of prohibition they.
will not endure the intolerable and
impossible expense Of enforcing it.
"2. The repeal of the State dry law
in New York and the prospective
introduction of a. similar repeater
in Georgia.
''3. An increase Of fifty Congress-
men favoring modification of the
Volstead law in the Congress which
will assemble next December, IN
comparison with the Congress
which adjourned last March.
"a. The sure prospect. in Vermont
that the wet Democratic candidate
for the United States Senate will
enormously expand Vermont's DEM
ocratic vote in answer to the dry Re-
publican who won the Republican
primary.
"5. The constantly increasing liQ-
uor law trials and convictions. which
show increasing contempt for the
law and increasing impossibility OF
enforcing it.
"6. The sudden and rapid erganiz-
ing of enthusiastic Molly Pitcher
clubs Of women opposed 10 Vol
steadism in virtually every State
In which the Association Against
the Prohibition Amendment has
begun it's work.
1t thus appears that both sides
are happy, and that both sides are
confident, but that each side is
calling UP the last full assistance
OF all its women-folk reserves.
Both Sides See Crisis.
The fact is that each side real
ICES that the moment of greatest
crisis is @t hand.
Political Washington really deep
down in its heart has largely been
of the secret opinion that the pro-
hibition amendment would turn out
to resemble the negro suffrage
amendment. which for some years
was quite spectacularly enforced"
by federal enforcement statutes but
which now is enforced" by local
sentiment and habit or not at all.
The leaders of this citizenship
Conference" now assembling in
Washington know that such has
been the view Of much OF Wash
ington.
That 10 the reason precisely why
they have called this Conference.
They are not particularly elated
or particularly downcast by the
state of mind of the country at
large. They know historically, how
ever, that unless the Federal prohi-
bition enforcement statute is
presently more successful, 1t pres
emily will fade into the same dis
credit and into the same abandon
ment as the negro suffrage enforce
ment statutes Of fifty years ago.
They are far-sighted men and
they know and say that with them
and with their cause, federally con-
sidered, 1t is coming to be a matter
Of now or never.
Speaking perfectly plainly, they
are not here to impress the country.
They are here, with the help Of
Pinchot, to impress Coolidge.
Copyright, 1929. Washington Press
Service.)