The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1923-05-10
u. s. To LIMIT
MEDICINE
LIQUOR
Meanwhile Government VIII
Sue to Set Aside judicial
Ruling.
Continued from Page 10

| (COnCln0eu from FdSC I''
emergencies have allowed few TO
| depart from the arbitrary allow
| ances established.
National dry leaders and officials
OF the Anti.Saloun League plan 10
| take an immediate appeal from the
decision in the hopes OF obta1ning
an early verdict from the supreme
Court. They looked upon the ue.
cision as blow at enforcement OF
the dry law.
Vets Are JublIatlt.
Wet leaders, jubilant over what
they termed defeat for. the pro.
| hibition forces. were ready TO aid
their opponents in getting the Is
sue before the highest court. Wet
| leaders declared the Supreme Court
| would uphold the New York Jurist s
| opinion
Wayne b. Wheeler. generalissir1o
OF the dry forces, was optimistic
that the Supreme Court would
overrule Knox's opinion.
"The decision is contrary to
scores of states said Wheeler.
MANY State laws prohibit the use
of whiskey altogether for medicinal
purposes and the courts repeatedly
have sustained these laws"
Senator Sterling tRep) of South
Dakota, the Senate's dry leader,
termed the decision "unwise," and
also predicted 1t would be over.
thrown by the Supreme Court.
Medicinal restrictions were i'm.
posed by the Voistead act to re.
strict the use of liquor to legitimi.
ate purpose said Sterling. IF elm.
mated, the use of prescriptions
would cloak wholesale violations
of the dry law
Wet leaders, however. viewed the
verdict with satisfaction. Senator
Broussard DEM OF Louisiana de.
clared it would lead to the lifetime
of all restrictions on the use OF
beer and wine for medicinal pur.
poses. These restrictions were i'm.
posed by the Willis-Campbell tanti.
beerD bill passed as an anti-climax
to the Volstead act.
Judge KnoX's decision has raised
new Issue of constitutionality, !"
said Broussard. When the Su.
preme Court hands down its ulti-
mate verdict. have mo doubt 1t
not only will uphold the Knox
opinion. but will remove the ban
on the use of beer and wine for
medical purposes as well"
Senator Edge tRep) of New Jer.
sev, leader of the Senate's wet
ranks. charged the Knox decision
with further lcomplicationg the pro.
hibition mess"
'It furnishes additional proof
that the Volstead act was hastily
authors even knew what was in
it," said Edge. Enforcement of
this obnoxious law now becomes
an even greater joke. predicted
this provision would be held I'M
constitutional by our courts, and 1
believe the Supreme Court will up
hold the New York Judge"
Disagree on Methods.
The Federal court decision deny
ing the right OF Congress to fix the
amount of liquor physician may
prescribe for his patient apparently
threw the prohibition enforcement
agencies into disagreement today
over methods OF procedure.
After the Prohibition Enforce
ment Bureau had announced there
would be no relaxation of medicinal
liquor regulations until the Supreme
Court had a chance to pass on the
question. 1t was announced that
Secretary OF the Treasury Mellon
would at once authorize liberaliza-
ton of the regulations unless Judge
Knox in New York granted 5tay
of execution.
Inasmuch as Secretary Mellon Is
the Cabinet officer responsible for
prohibition enforcement, and the
prohibition bureau merely one OF
the branches of the Treasury, 1t
appeared probable that existing
regulations will be altered shortly
to conform with Judge Knox's de-
cision. Present regulations limit
n physician to prescribing one pint
In ten days for a sick man. Under
the New York court decision,
physician will be permitted to use
his own judgement, and the new
regulations probably will be so
framed.