Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-12-20

Ter and the Anti-Saloon League as the
backbone of a vicious system which
Is destroying the soul and conscience
of America" Mr.. Wheeler can rise
in his place, said Mr.. Gallivan. land
say with one of Lord Castlereagh's
devoted disciples-'Thank God | have
a country to buy and sell
Charging that he had been threat
ened with defeat in the next election
IL he made the speech. Mr.. Gallivan
detied Mr.. Wheeler and his organiza-
ton to muster his forces and come
into the South Boston and RoNbury
district against him.
Cites Columbus Case.
Mr. Gallivan also cited a recent case
in Columbus, Ohio, where Il Federal
agent gained the confidence OF a
youth of 10, who worked for deli
catessen store. and week later per
suaded the boy to buy pint or
whisky and then arrested him. A
United States commissioner dis
charged the boy.
Yet" said MIR Sullivan. Il have
Just learned that this agent is still on
the pay roll. They sent this agent
that figured principally in the Wash
ington hotel to Alaska when they
learned that our committee had the
matter under investigation.
There were other contributions to
the concentrated fire of oratory for
moditica ton of the prohibition law.
Opening debate Representative
Ware. Republican. Pennsylvania. de-
Clared expenditure of millions had
shown the Solstead act TO be "unen-
forCea BILE" and demonstrated that the
American people don't want TO be
bone dry"
A dry rally came late in the day
when Representative Hudson. Repub-
lican. Michigan, took the floor for a
few minutes TO explain the incident
involving the trapping of employees of
the Mayflower Hotel by prohibition
agent.
Explains Hotel Incident.
Replying TO references made to the
motel incident. Representative Hudson
said the prohibition unit had been in
formed from several sources; many of
these anonymous. that liquor was be-.
ing served at banquets in the hotel.
One report told of an alleged repre-
sentative of the hotel purchasing
$40 900 worth OF liquor in Montreal.
Acting on these tips, Mr.. Hudson
said, Edward o. Birgfeld, a prohibit
ton agent went to the hotel. at the
direction of the unit, and registered
under the name OF Theodore Burton.
out described himself as a steel cor
poration agent from California; As
to charges that the agent posed as a
we'll known congressman, the Michi-
gan representative decla red that Brig
field had denied he knew there was a
member Of the House by the name Of
Burton.
Reads From Record.
Reading from the official record of
testimony of prohibition enforcement
officials, and interpolating his own re-
marks which rocked the House with
laughter. Mr. Gallivan spoke, in part.
as follows:
Il am in accord with my associates,
excepting on one paragraph of the
bill, and that has to do with a graphic
story of the luxurious adventures of
two prohibition agents who lived at
one of Washington : most fashionable
hotels to catch persons suspected or
violating the provision of the dry law.
One of these, posing as a Congress
man who was supposed to be able and
willing to entertain his guests with
all good things obtainable, took up his
domicile at the Mayfiower Hotel and
mingled freely with the great and
more great assembled there. He, 1t
appears, was on the trail of illicit
liquor.
In this bill you will find that we
are asked to appropriate millions Tor
the enforcement of prohibition.
Il have reserved my right as
member of the whole committee to
vote against one paragraph in the
bill that has to do with the request
of the department for $25O,00o to pur-
chase evidence. In other words, TO
solicit and entrap poor devils who
violate the Folstead commandment,
Thou shalt not drink Laughtero
Yes; and to entrap them into violat-
ing the law.
Purchase of Evidence
an the report OF our hearings you
will find the whole story of this pro-
hibition agent who lived at that Won
derful hotel here in Washington and
who spent a thousand dollars of the
peoples money before he was able
to entrap anybody, and then he
shared a man with whom he had be-
come intimately acquainted, an en-
ploye of the hotel, whom later on he
persuaded to stage q banquet for II
persons, at $3.50 a plate. We have
here in the record of the hearings
vouchers that this prohibition agent
returned TO his department in order
| to be renunerated, and l am going to
! try to read a few of them, 10 the
House to show just how these agents
are going throughout the country in
ducing people to violate the law and
spend, almost without limit. the
| money that Congress appropriated in
other years, and is now asked TO in
crease in this bill.
The man whom l have in mind
registered at the hotel about the goth
of May under the name of as promi-
nent q member of Congress as there
is in either branch.
THE name appears in the hearings.
At the time this agent registered
this particular congressman was in
Geneva; he was a member of the
United States commission to arrange
for the settlement OF our foreign debt.
and he was busily at work. Over there
he received copies of certain Washing
ton papers and a short note now and
then congratulating him upon the
wonderful banquet that he had given
at that hotel; he also had letters from
friends regretting that they were not
present to participate with him in the
enjoyment of such . feast. OF course,
he wondered what happened here in
Washington while he was in Geneva.
Hard to Get Vouchers.
LAS l said, we have here vouchers,
and, God knows. we had hard work
in getting the prohibition department
to come through with them when they
were called for. They pleated that if
those vouchers were printed in the
record of our hearings it would in
terfere with the trial of the two
minor employees of the hotel whom
the agents eventually arrested. May
now say to you that these men We're
tried this week by judge and jury in
the City Of Washington and both of
those defendants were discharged by
a Jury; they were found not guilty.