Evening star., 1926-04-04
BOTH SIDES EAGER
FOR LIQUOR BATTLE
Confidence Features Start of
Senate Hearing to Test
Prohibition. y
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

Another battle OF the century,
an attack on prohibition-is about to
be fought in the arena If the United
States Senate. Tomorrow hearings
scheduled 10 last two weeks will he
gin before Il subcommittee OF the
Senate Judiciary cOmmittee. Vets
and dryS alike are confident that the
hearings VII amount to a thorough
going Investigation of the entire
liquor problem.
The inquiry was forced by the wet
element IN ne Senate. represented by
Senator Bruce Democrat. of Mary
lana, ana Senator Edge, Republican,
of New jersey. Vets believe that
the hearings will unquestionablN re-
veal TIE "unenforceability of the
N-olstead act and will pave the way
to a reupening of the whole drlnk
issue on political lines. The dry de.
fense viii he mainly i'm the hands OF
the Anti saloon League of America !
with its general counsel. wayne ~
Wheeler. in charge. ProhloltloliS.S
view thc impending onslaught Wth'
out alarm. They are convinced thaI
tbe NJ, waves will roll in vain
apains, the Gibraltar of NolsteadiSm'
Vets Engage Counsel.
Tbe senate subcommittee before
which vets and drys will contehu loi
the fortnight beginning faSteI MN
49,, consists of Senator Means. ke-
ruhlican OF Colorado. chairman. sen
etors Goff West Virginia. ana f1ai
reid (Okla homal, kepublcahS, dni
Senators Reed Missouri ana MdlSh
(NontanaD. Democrats. senator hi uce
of Maryland will open proceedings !"i
The vets. These proceedings. Whlch
timonv. will be conducted by the AS
sociation Against the Prohibition
Amendment. with its militant leader.
Cant. William n. S,.yton, as com
ma mander-in-chief. The association mas
engaged Julian Goldman OF Boston,
leader of the Massachusetts bar, 10
conduct the hearings exactly as II
they were being held in a court OF
law.
Senator Bruce's opening statement
will be divided into two major parts.
One part will be devoted TO advocacy
of his proposed amendment 10 the
eighteenth amendment. The Bruce
plan contemplates the introduction Of
the Quebec system" whereby the
Federal Government would regulate
the sale of intoxicating liquor and
give individual States the right, under
local option laws. to say whether or
not they wanted liquor under any cir
cumsta noes.
Canadians to Testify.
The other part of the Bruce wet
argument will consist of a compre
hensive allegation that prohibition
cannot be enforced in the United
States: that it mas created wide
spread vice and corruption: that il
has broken down all along the line.
from both legal and a moral
standpoint, and that there is ma
tion-wide demand for modification
of the existing laws,
In support of Senator BruCe's
plea for the Quebec system" il is
proposed to bring Canadian wit
nesses from Montreal and Winni-
peg. and also To introduce American
witnesses who will testify Is to the
working Of the Quebec system"
This writer had opportunity on
the eve of the prohibition battle To
consult two Senators who will he in
the forefront Of ii. One. Senator
Bruce. as before stated. will be the
principal wet protagonist. The
other Senator Wesley A. Jones. Re
publican OF Washington, who is one
of the principal pillars of the dry
cause in the United States Congress.
QOeS not now pldn 10 TAKE an dC-
tive part in the senatorial hearings
But he will observe them very re-
ligiously from the side lines and
will wade into the fray if and when
necessary.
Wide Scope Is Seen.
Beyond the shadow of a doubt. +"
said Senator Bruce. we are on the
threshold Of prohibition agitation
that will ramify into the forthcoming
congressional elections and into the
presidential campaign OF 1928. 1t
cannot he denied by any one with an
accurate knowledge of developments
that We are at this moment in the
grip of the most pronounced move
ment for modifica ton since |he adop-
ton OF the Eighteenth Amendment. 1t
IS silly for. the drys to pooh-pooh the
400-odd newspaper polls throughout
the country, with their overwhelming
evidence Of dissatisfaction with the
NoIstead act. They are far from
meaningless. They do not stand
alone. Evidence of modification sen
timent can be found in countless other
directions and in no less impressive
magnitude
What do you expect these hearings
TO accomplish was asked
We expect them 10 educate and