Evening star., 1926-04-26
DRY
UP TO CONGRESS
Andrews Urges Legislation
to Strengthen LaW-Five
Bills introduced.
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
responsibility for improvement In
prohibition enforcement conditions
now rests with Congress in the opin-
ion of Assistant Secretary Andrews,
in charge of enforcement.
Coincident with his statement.
Chairman Cummins of the Senate
judiciary committee, introduced five
bills drawn by the enforcement chief
designed to tighten the prohibition
laws.
Mr.. Andrews in refectins today On
the hearings conducted hy the SEN
ate investigating )nmittee said that
| more than plug along" it must be
more than plug along, it must be
by the legislative aid he has re-
quested.
Reviewing activities of his forces
in the last year. he called attention
to those developments which he be-
lieved had considerably improved con-
ditionS.
Gives His Recommendations.
Reorganization of the prohibition
unit and policy so as to permit con-
centration against the liquor traffic
and place responsibility for local EN-.
forcement on local officials.
Transfer of alcohol control from
internal revenue to prohibition unit.
Coordination of the Coast Guards
collectors of customs and prohibition
unit to reduce smuggling, resulting
in practical elimination of Rum
Row"
Trea sury orders for annual review
n Of
mental wines and limiting the use of
whisky in the manufacture of patent
medicines.
Organization of the special alcohol
and brewery squads.
Negotiation of treaties with Mexico
and Cuba covering smuggling and ex.
tradition
The Assistant Secretary said the
policy of concentration is having "a
wholesome effect In the restoration of
respect for Federal law and Federal
law enforcement"
The tumult and the shouting of the
Senate prohibition hearing have
ceased. but the echoes continue to
rumble through the capital and else
where.
Both sides apparently were salts
ged with their showing during the
three weeks of testimony. The drys
were confident that some of the bills
they favored to put more teeth in the
Volstead Act would be recommended
to the Senate The vets were con.
tident that they had placed their
case against prohibition before the
country; they would be as greatly
astonished as the drys themselves, if
the committee should make a favor
able report on any of their liberaliza-
ton bills.
The shower of statements that was
to be expected after the conclusion of
the hearing, began Saturday and con-
tinued yesterday. Representative La.
Guardia, Progressive-Sociali New
York, offered a suggestion which he
predicted would force the prohibition
lists to admit that the prohibition
law cannot be enforced, and must be
modified"
La Guardia's Proposal.
His proposal was that Wayne b.
Wheeler, general counsel of the Anti
Saloon League, be made prohibition
director with a staff approved by lex
treme dry advocates" and authority
to do anything they desire to enforce
this law between now and January
or February.
not take the stand as he had planned,
because of the "wets" plan to use
up the drys' time by my cross-exam-
ination. AS it was. he said, "a large
part of the dryS' time was consumed
by filibuSter cross oSS-eXamination."
James MacGuire, chief assistant to
Julian Goldman of Boston, counsel for
the vets, had expressed disappoint-
| ment that Mr.. Wheeler did not sub
ject himself to crosse examination by
| Senator Reed" the Missouri Demo
crat, whose questioning of dry wit
nesses added many a colorful passage
to the long record of testimony.
Senator Reed, said Mr.. MacGuire.
wanted to question the Anti-Saloon
! League counsel about reports that his
organization is attempting to collect
a million dollars to be used in electing
dry members Of Congress.
Report Denied by Wheeler.
The million dollar fund charge was
denied by Mr.. Wheeler, who countered
with a statement saying he had let
/ ters and literature showing that the
i vets "ask for 100000 for this identi
cal purpose in addition to the 100000
which they claim they have regular
! w." The leagues legislative commit
! tee, he added, has sent out an ap
peal for $4,000 to offset this" feel
| ing that I'VE can make one dollar sc
about as far as twelve of theirs.
| United States Attorney Buckner OF
| New York. whose estimates of the
cost of enforcing prohibition in that
State drew fire from the drys, for.
warded to the committee detailed
memoranda to support his figures
On the basis of these, he calculated
that, with trial by jury eliminated, the
cost would be $20,021, ,750, or, with
Jury trial continued, it would be $40,
| O76,125.
Defends His Estimates.
He also defended his estimates that
a bootleg business of more than $3,
| 600 900 900 a year was based on di
version of industrial alcohol alone
Taking the amount of denatured al
cohol produced in the fiscal year end
| ing June 80, 1925. and subtracting
! from it the output of a prewar year
multiplied by the normal rate of in
crease established in that period, he
showed a difference of 60.000,0o0 gal
| Ions. which he held was not reason
ably required by industry.