Evening star., 1926-03-11
Group of Five. to Be Named.
to Report on Need for
Public Hearings.
SIX MEASURES LISTED
FOR EARLY ATTENTION
All Call for Modification or Repeal
of Prohibition Law-Real
Issue Untouched.

The Senate Judiciary committee to-
day authorized Chairman Cummins
to appoint subcommittee to consider
the various proposals for modification
or repeal of the prohibition laws.
Authority to hold public hearings
on any of these measures was with
held from the subcommittee. how
ever.
The subcommittee was to report
back to the full committee whether il
believes public hearings We're war
ranted, whether in it's opinion any Of
the bills should be reported favorably
or whether they should be reported
adversely.
The resolution providing for the
appointment of the subcommittee was
offered by Senator Means of Colorado.
Senator Cummins said that he would
appoint probably a subcommittee of
five members, announcing the per
sonnel either today or tomorrow.
Action Not Decisive.
The action of the committee today
was not decisive. The main question
as TO whether public hearings shall he
granted or not, as demanded by the
"wets," has not been settled. The
membership of the judiciary com
mittee. however, is overwhelmingly
dry. If the subcommittee determines
that it is to the best interests not
to hold public hearings on the pro-
posals to repeal or modify the law, II
is doubted that hearings will be held
The subcommittee will have before
il for consideration five bills and one
joint resolution. The joint resolution,
introduced by Senator Bruce OF Mary
land, proposes a constitutional amend
ment placing the manufacture. sale
and transportation of alcoholic bev-
erages in the hands Of the Govern-
ment. with the Government TO act as
distributor. 1t provides, however. that
the Government shall sell no liquor
in States or counties or municipalities
which vote dry.
Three of the bills are introduced by
Senator Edge of New Jersey. One OF
the Edge bills proposes to amend the
Volstead act SO that the definition OF in
toxicating beverages shall be changed.
The Volstead act at present provides
that beverages containing more than
one-half of 1 per cent of alcohol by
volume shall be held to be intoxicat'
ing. The Edge bill provides that In
stead of this definition beverages must
be Intoxicating in fact" to come un-
der the ban. The second Edge bill
would authorize the manufacture and
sale of 2.75 per cent beer. and the
third bill would repeal the restrictions
placed upon physicians by the pres
ent law in prescribing liquor as medi
cine.
Edwards Bills Listed.
Senator Edwards of New Jersey is
the author of two bills, one to repeal
outright the Volstead act and the
other to amend the Volstead act so
as to permit per cent beer.
The committee settled as a side IS
sue the controversy which arose over
the authority of the chairman to ap
point a subcommittee. At the last
meeting of the committee Senator
Cummins announced 1t had been his
purpose to appoint a subcommittee to
consider the modification and repeal
bills. His right to appoint subcom
mitee was then challenged by Sena-
tor Walsh of Montana.
A resolution drafted by Senator
Culnmins authorizing the chairman to
appoint subcommittee and those sub
committees to hold hearings unless
otherwise directed by the full com
mittee was adopted by the full
committee today after considerable
discussion. Senator Cummins and
other members of the commit
tee insisted that the right of the
chairman to appoint a subcommittee
had been recognized about four years
in the judiciary committee.
The drys continued to assert that
the anti prohibitioners are seeking
merely to make the judiciary COM
mittee vehicle for publicity and
advertising of the wet cause. The
fn f1lr hn
matter to the floor of the Senate to
discuss the prohibition issue there
daily if they were denied the right
of public hearings on their bills.
The subcommittee, when it is or
ganized, may call the authors of the
various bills before it before taking
action on them.