Evening star., 1926-03-14
PROHIBITION FIGHT
STILL HAS CENTER
OF CAPITAL STAGE
Bitterness Indicates Clashes
to Continue Unabated
This Week.
MELLON SERVES AS MARK
FOR DRY C0UNTER-ATTACK
Assailed by Senator Mcclellan as
More Interested in Liquor Than
ANY One Else in Republic"
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

By q. GOULD LINCOLN.
Wet" and dry" forces, with
attack and counter attack. continued
TO hold the limelight in the National
Capital yesterday.
For the "drys" Senator McKellar
Of Tennessee delivered an address in
the Senate in which he challenged
Secretary Mellon, whom he dubbed
"the man more interested in liquors
than perhaps any other man in this
republic" and declared that the $50
called better classes" were the real
violators of the prohibition law.
Senator Edwards of New Jersey.
who in Ibis views is as wet" rs
Senator Mcclellan is dry" countered
with statement in which he charged
that Congress is "pussyfooting" with
the liquor question and enforcement OF
the prohibition laws. The New Jer-
sey Senator demanded:
What one of the 531 members of
Congress does not know that prohi
bition as now enforced is an insult
and a disgrace to American"
The ~ordy warfare which in recent
weeks has developed in and outside
of Congress over the prohibition
question. i'll volume not hitherto
reached since the Volstead act came
into force. promises to continue un-
abated this week.
Senator Bruce of Maryland,
wet gave notice formally at the
conclusion of Senator Mckellar S
speech that tomorrow he would make
reply. In the House members on
both sides of the question are waiting
to renew the debate.
The Senate judiciary subcommittee,
headed by Senator Means of Colo
RADIO, to which the half dozen repeal
and modification bills and resolutions
have been referred. probably viii hold
| it's first meeting during the week.
| Senator Means said last night he
| would consult with the other mem
| bers of the subcommittee tomorrow
| and determine when they should get
! together.
"Drys" at White House.
While the "wets" and 'drys" i'll
! Congress were aSSailing one another
a subcommittee Of the national exec
| utive committee of the Anti-Saloon
League called on the President at the
| White House and discussed with him
| proposals for strengthening the en-
forcement of the prohibition law
| They urged upon the President that
| he pay no attention to the newspaper
| polls which are being conducted In
various cities Of the country on the
| prohibition question and which have
shown a preponderance of sentiment
o. L., -xR
the dry laws. In the party were DR..
| Arthur G.. Barton of Kansas, chair
man of the committee, and William
NJ. Forgranve of Boston and DIR. A. H.
| Briggs of San Francisco.
| If the bitterness and feeling which
| has been shown in the discussions in
| both chambers is any criterion, pro
| hibition Is becoming more and more
of an issue. On the other hand. there
| Is no denying the fact that the "drys"
are in tremendous majority In Senate
and House. and the clamor of the
''wets' is declared by their opponents
to be out of all proportion to the size
| of the anti-prohibition group. Never
theless, the attacks Of the antis con
tinue to get under the skin" Of the
prohibitionists.
Quoting from the polls so far taken
by the newspapers on prohibition. SEN
ator McKellar said that they repre-
sented so far but one-two-hundreth
part Of the people Of the United
States
Predicts DRY" Congress.
There were many contests In the
last congressional elections between
wet and dry candidates." continued
| Senator McKellar. "Is the Senate or
| the House any less dry now than 1t
was in the last Congress? ] predict
that it will be found after the next
elections that the Senate and House
are just as dry as they are now. Pub
lie sentiment is reflected in the mem
bership Of Congress. All this talk of
prohibition repeal Is idle"
The Tennessee Senator was heckled
by Senators Boussard of Louisiana
and Bruce Of Maryland. both "wets."
but declined to admit that prohibition
had failed to cut down drunkenness
and crime despite the efforts Of his
opponents to corner him with facts"
At one point Senator Mcclellan called
attention to the fact that Maryland
has no enforcement law.
1T never will have" Senator Bruce
asserted emphatically.
"Oh, l doubt that" was the reply
of Senator Mckellar. who added that
he did not believe that any State In
which law abiding citizens lived would
long defy the Constitution.
Hits at Mellon.
prohibition at a disadvantage.
was a subtitle in Senator McKellar's
address, and under it the Tennessee
Senator. said:
"In 1920 the law went into effect
land in 1921. just as 1t was being put
into effect, by a strange freak of for
tune--if it may be SO called-the en-
forcement of these laws was put into
the hands of a man more interested In
liquors, more interested in beers. than
perhaps any other man in the Repub-
lie. 1t was put into the hands OF a
man who was the half-owner of one of
the biggest distilleries in this land.
1t was put in the hands of a man
whose many banks had money in
vested in or loans made to innumera-
BILE distilleries and breweries, and the
enforcement laws have been in the
hands of that man ever since. That
man Is the Secretary OF the Treas.
ury."
Senator McKellar insisted that Sec
retary Mellon was disqualified by his
liquor interests from holding office,
notwithstanding the fact that upon
being appointed Secretary he had
transferred his liquors to trustee.
''He still owned the liquors and
was the beneficiary of the trust"