Evening star., 1926-06-01
WHEELER UPHOLDS
PAYF0R DRY TALKS
Members of Congress En-
titled to Compensation, Says
Anti-SaIoon Chief.
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Defending the propriety of paying
members of Congress for speeches
favoring prohibition, Wayne B.
Wheeler. general counsel of the Anti
Raloon League. IN a. statement pub
lished today said his organization
never had paid a Senator or Repre-
sentative for introducing or cham
pioning a bill.
His statement was issued in reply
to one made public by Representative
Tinkham, Republican, Massachusetts,
announcing that he intended to intro
duce a resolution today providing for
an investigation by a special House
committee to ascertain whether Rep
reSentative Cramton, Republican,
Michigan, or other members had re
ceived money or fees from the Anti
Saloon League or any other organi-
zation interested in legislation pend
ing before Congress.
Defends Fec for Speech.
Holding that a member of Congress
'who has ability enough so that the
people want to hear him should not
be estopned from this service simply
because he is a public official" Wheel
er asserted that when a Congress-
man makes a speech for prohibition
his expenses and sometimes an hon
orarium are paid by the organization
that arranged for 1t.
Mr. Tinkhams charge that "the
head of the leagues professional lobby
3 has admitted that S2,500,0 900 was
spent i'll ono year and 100000 in a
single congressional election" brought
from Wheeler the statement that
"Tinkham's hallucinations about the
league spending So 100000 in politics
in a year is nonsense" That was the
total spent for all purposes iE the
Neight Of the campaign for ra;ifica-
gIon." he went on, 'and most of 1t
MAS. spent for educational work" Th-,
h-ets. he countered, lin Pennsylvania
alone raised over S1,000,000 a year to
control and corrupt the politics of
the State in the saloon days"
Denying that the league controls
Federal judiciary appointments. he
declared Eve protest against those
applicants who have bad records on
law enforcement" and are usually
: strongly backed by the vets" With
. respect to the Representatives charge
. that details of the leagues expendi-
lures have never been published, "aS
required by the Federal corrupt prac-
tices act" he said his organization
for years was the only one that did
file reports Of its political activities
and that the wet group back Of Mr..
Tinkham" had done so "only in re-
cent years when we drove them to it. -
Backs Borah's Stand
Wheeler also took occasion to in
dorse the speech by Senator Borah,
Republican. Idaho, before the Presby-
terian Assembly at baltimore, in
which h" opOpsed referendums on pro-
hibition. The Anti-Saloon League of
New York meanwhile has decided to
ask the Senator to campaign for the
drys in that State in their effort to
defeat Senator Wadsworth. Republi-
can, seeking reelection. New York is
the first State to provide for q pro-
hibition referendum in November.
Passive resistance or non-co-opera-
tive boycott" of this referendum is
being advised by the United Commit
tee for Prohibition Enforcement. head
ed by Clinton D. Howard of Roches-
ter, New York. If the drys take part.
he said, "the moral effect of wet
victory will he disastrous" whereas a
unanimous wet victory would mean
nothing. He also urged the placing
of an Independent ticket headed by
William 3. Wilson. Democrat, in the
field against Representative Ware, Re
publican, for the Pennsylvania sena-
torial election.