Evening star., 1925-11-14
SUPPORT Of DRY
LAW TO CONTINUE
Strong Sentiment in Con-
gress Revealed for More
Efficient Enforcement.
BY WILL L. KENNEDY.

~
amended, much less repealed. by the
incoming Congress. but there Is a
strong probability that something may
be done to get more efficient prOhlbl-
ton enforcement. This is the general
tone OF many interviews with mem
bers of Congress, irrespective OF local
itv. party afflliation or personal habits.
OF course. there are going 10 ne
many bills and resolutions introduced
on both sides of the wet" and dry
problem. but they are not going to
get very far in the legislative merry
Go-rOund. There Is Il quite general
feeling that prohibitions enforcement
must be completely cut away from po-
litical patronage, that there must be
a selective draft of men OF character
who at heart desire to enforce the law
and that better salaries must be paid
for this arduouS, dangerous work
AS an illuStrat ton OF the wide range
of legislative prOposalS-there is a
Joint resolution calling for n national
prohibition referendum. which is TO be
introduced in the House by Represent
ative Emanuel Celler. Democrat, of
New York This. in effect. he eX-
plains, provides for n universal de-
cision by the voters of the country on
election day, 1926. as to whether they
want a liberalization OF prohibition to
permit light wines and beer. The
resolution would authorize the Presi-
dent. with his cabinet, to lay down
rules and regulations for the proposed
referendum.
Acts Without Precedent.
AT no one given time have the
voters Of the Nationl collectively had
an opportunity to express themselves
on the subject" Representative Celler
points out. What objection can
there be-" he asks Ito such decided
ly democratic method TO determine the
will of the people, except lack of pre-
cedent? The ghost of lack of prece-
dent has often appeared in our his
tory" Representative Celler argues,
when heroic remedies for serious ills
have been suggested. and just as often
been laid. There was no precedent
for the Emancipation Proclamation
by President Lincoln. President Tyler
could find no legal excuse in forcing
Congress to approve the annexation
of Texas. We poured blood into Eu-
rope to stop the war. There were
moral, but no legal bases for our ac-
tion. The PRONUNCIATION of the Mon
roe doctrine was as bold as 1T was un-
preCedented The setting up of the
election returning boards in the IA
NOUS Tilden-Hayes contest had no
warrant in the Constitution.
Without a clear-Cut mandate from
the people" says Representative Gel
Her Congress will not change the
Nolstead act, even if the country ear
nesely desired the change. The Anti
saloon League and certain forces have
100 many Congressman by the throat.
Most of them would vote wet If
freed from political duress and coer-
sion. Most of them are like the lean
H. r,f DiI.a hD tFn n
clination. but dare not fall"
Need of Plebiscite.
. Referring to recent surveys, Repre-
sentative Celler says: There have
been a number of polls by periodicals
and by radio. All Of the recent ones
show large sections of the country to
be dripping wet. and the rest very
damp. But such polls are not official
and are too limited. We need u gen
eral showing of hands 1t is charged
that the country is divided into two
ella sses-those who still have a little.
and those who have a little still. Let
us have plebiScite TO find out"
Flat-tooted declaration that there
should be no modification of the Vol
stead act, mot at present" is made by
Senator Woodbridge y. Ferris, Dem
oCrat Of Michigan. Il DO not believe
that the next Congress Will make any
effort at modification of the Vol
stead act" ne says. Senator Ferris
Is one of these who believes. however.
that we are going to have an i'm
provement of prohibition enforcement,
and his advice on this is by taking
prohibition enforcement out Of politics
and handling the problem in scien-
titic way, or perhaps. it would be bet
ter for me TO say. in buStness-like
way
Similar firm conviction is expressed
by Senator Arthur Capper, Republican.
of Kansas, as follows: II am unalter-
ably opposed To any modification of
the Nolstead act In spite of the fact
that the prohibitory law is violated
and in spite of the wall of wet SYM
pathiZerS for modification of the
eighteenth amendment on the grounds
that il depriveS the people of per
sonal liberty" | believe sentiment
for prohibition is vastly stronger to-
day than it was when prohibition was
written into the basic law of the Ma
zion in response to an overwhelming
demand from the people.
Evidence of Success.
The yell that arises from the boot
leggers and those who support them
is to my mind. evidence enough that
The law is being enforced. If il We're
as easy to eVade the law as those who
disapproVe of It claim to belieVe-if
conditions were satisfactory to them
there would be no demand for its
repeal or modification. That the law
is violated. not even its most ardent
defenders will deny. But no one who
wants TO be fair will claim that sub
Stantial progress in the enforcement
of the law is not being made. In 1923.
~ .o2l alleged violators of the pro-
hibitory laws We're brought to trial
and 81 .06T of these trials brought con
Nictions. Fines collected amounted
% Si336 .021. These figures prove
that the forces of law and deCency are
making determined stand against
the bootleg rebels. l do not happen
10 have at hand the figures for 1924
but ! am sure they are equally as
formidable as those of the previous
year.
president Coolidge should have
the highest Commendation of the
people" Senator Capper declares. "for
the effort his administration is put
ting forth in the enforcement of the
prohibitory law. 1t is to he hoped
that the reorganization of the prohi-
bition unit until now IN progress will
make the enforcement of the law still
more effective.
THE vets who claim to favor
modification. but who really want
the law wiped out. bolster a bad cause