Evening star., 1926-04-12
Continued from First page.l

the women complained about the boot
leggers and their traffic.
Col. Hamon replied that she had not
heard many such complaints, and
made q similar answer regarding home
brew.
She said that the admissions to the
Salvation Army homes for drunken.
ness had dropped from SO per cent in
preprohibitton days to per cent. The
total number of admissions to the
homes, she said, was about the same
now, but they are able to devote more
time to other kinds OF cases.
Denies Wages Cause.
"Do you realize" said Senator
Reed, that wages are higher, and
employment Is much better than they
were before the WARP" He suggested
that these conditions had been re-
sponsble for the better clothing of
the children, and better homes. but
Col. Hamon insisted that that was
not the only cause.
do you have many cases in New
York Of men who drink bootleg
dQuor?" said Senator Reed.
Not SO many" replied Col. Hamon.
DO you work among the men or
the women?" asked Senator Reed.
Among the women and children" )"
replied Col. Hamon.
Under a running fire of questions
from Senator Reed. Col. Hamon said
that she had heard there We're many
places IN New York where liquor
| could be bought.
Col. Hamon insisted, however, that
there has been some prohibition" in
New York.
Yet there are thousands OF places
where liquor can be bought" said
Senator Reed.
'If a man has money enough" re-
piled Col. Hamon.
"Tou think 1t Is necessary to close
up all these places?" asked Senator
Reed.
Yes" replied Col. Hamon. She said
that the people must be rightly in
formed, II the law IS to be enforced.
Mrs. Nell Burger OF Springfield, Mo,
representing the w. c. T. u, told the
committee that they were mobilizing
half million women to aid in the
law enforcement campaign, and to
teach in schools that alcohol Is a
poison.
"The workingmen may demand their
light wine and beer" she said, but
the wives and children, many Of whom
live in homes which they own for the
first time, will never join them" She
said that some OF the trouble about
prohibition enforcement arose from
the spirit Of youth and the conditions
following the war. Right here in
Washington, she said. during the Eas-
ter holidays several hundred high
school students were at one hotel. The
proprietor Of that hotel had told her
that there had been absolutely no
Il ~ {n1r ty,p nd
ing among the girls, and that no
TASKS had been found in their rooms.
I'VE ask no change In the Volstead
act except to strengthen it," she said.
She referred to a published report
that there had been no arrests made
for law violation in St. Louis for a
period of "a hours.
Startling" Says Reed.
THAT was SO startling that it be-
came O. matter Of news" suggested
Senator Reed. You don't know
whether the police went off duty, or
because of a moral wave sweeping
over the city?" he asked.
mo" replied Mrs. Burger, but /
hope that conditions are improving.
There must have been better auto
mobile driving during that "a hours,
said Senator Reed, then he continued
"You have read that there are many
places In st. Louis selling liquor?
You have read that they are selling
liquor right under the noses Of the
police?"
yes" replied Mrs. Burger. "The
Federal prohibition agents have not
been able to halt it. The present
force Is inadequate"
She said that there are 80 agents
now in st. Louis.
Would It take several hundred to
enforce the law?" asked Senator
Reed.
"It might" Mrs. Burger replied,
but under the State law the munich
pal and county officers should aid in
the enforcement"
Under further questioning by Sena-
tor Reed, Mrs. Burger admitted she
had heard there was a large business
done in hip TASKS these days.
Claims Dry Law Largest Asset.
Mrs. D. Z. Waid, representing the
Council Of Women's Home Missions,
insisted that the Volstead act was
the Largest asset" of the United
States, and demanded it's enforcement.
Senator Reed asked II she had ever
been in Porto Rico, and IL it were not
true that vast quantities of liquor are
sold there. Mrs. Waid said that she
had been in Porto Rico, and said that
liquor was brought in by congress
sional parties visiting the islands, and
in other ways.
This drew q burst Of laughter.
"Well, I have never been there,
said Senator Reed, "and IL any liquor
is taken in by congressional parties,
1t must have been by the dry element.
But do you seriously mean to say
that large quantities of liquor have
been carried into Porto Rico by Con-
gressmen?''
"No," was the reply.
They, why did you say it?'' asked
Senator Reed.
Mrs. Waid replied that personal par.
ties had set an example there and else
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