New Britain herald., 1926-04-05

| N'SilHBluH, APTI FP-lEoHlDl" ton has had no effect, on tho whole. except that Of blightng human hap piness, dchasing human morals and ldscrediting human laws, Senator Bruce, democrat, Maryland, declar. ed today in opening the case for tho vets at public hearings before a sen ate judiciary sub b-committee
 Appearing in support of his con. stitutional amendment to permit government manufacture and sale of liquors in those states or sub-divi- sions which were wet before the ratl- tlcation of the eighteenth amendment, senator Bruce brought a scathing indictment against the Volstead act.
 Plays Narrow Mindedness
 "The Nolstead act" he said, 'has placed human happiness in more than one vital particular under the irritating and harassng domination of sour, corrosive and narrow minded ruritanism, which does not reSitate 10 avoW its ernitY even 10 such innocent recrcations as smok- ing and dancing,
 'lt has for the first time brought the church deeply into politics
 ''It has established settled com merce between the worthier and the unworthiest members of the com mnnity
 'It has created an underworld al- most as thoroughly organized as the respectable world above it.
 Disregard Of the Law
 ''It Is responsible for the unpre- cedented phenomenon of thousands and thousands of reputable men and women, including ministers of the law itself, living in habitual disrc- gard of constitution and law.
 Tt has tended 10 bring all laws, 1 including itself, into more or less 1 disrespect.
 Home Brcwcrics Flourish
 Tt has transferred distilling and brewing operatiors from the distil- lery and brewery 10 the home.
 Tt has displaced the temperate, i refreshing glass of beer with the fiery pocket flask,
 Tt has fostered deceit, pcrhJy espionage and tyranny, in some of their meanest and most hateful as- poets,
 Tt has lowered the prestige Of the federal government"
 Federal Service Corrupted,
 Asserting that worst of all Is the extent to which the federal service has been defled by corruption hatch d by t." he presented figures es 10 the number of men dismissed from the federal cnforcement unit for cor ruption: pointed 10 convictions of state and municipal police, and de clared that even the coast guard, that nursing mother of brave and devoted men" had failed 10 escape 'the contam,Nation of prohibition"
 Two Car Loads
 Last year it took two Pullman cars 10 transfer 10 Atlanta the con victed policemen and prohibition agents corralled in single roundup in Ohio" the senator added,
 Tn May, 1925, q special grand jury in Morris Country, \, J., "as re- ported in tho press as returning at one time oS indictments against county officers and others for viola tons of the Nolstead act"
 Violations Increasing
 Senator Blucc marshalled officiai statistics 10 show the increasing number of violations of the prohi- h''io9 laws rlch yc' |. These show cd that arrests by federal officers lad mounted from 3f,115 in 1921 to C@,747 in 1925. while reports from police chiefs in 1@ cities recorded in almost every instance steadily mounting number of persons arrest cl for drunkenness from year 10 year.
 p,sagreeing with those who con- tend that thn federal government nol not sought 10 enforce the law effectively, he declared that never in the history of free institutions has any govtrnmcnt more p"rtinaci- ously sought to carry out 3 policy. obnox'oYs 10 powerful popular sen 'imon'. thun has the federal govern mont in its relations 10 the Nolstead pct"
 Amcn,lm9nt Asked,
 A demand that congress a' leaa' amond tAo Eolsteal act so as to per mi. ths sale Of htvtragns non-intoNi- eating in fact, was made by Jull'n Gotham.
 "Thn time has come when con "-css must consider. if it is 70 do i'' duty 70 tho people" NIT, Coim1r said, "in wAa. way it can hest get out ot the terrible mess into whicl this i,l-consllcred legislation Aa' plunged us. All over he country th' cry for relief is heard and some con. crete plan + dtmanle!,
 "I, is impossible to lay before "on- srnss any one bill, which while clear lv within the provision Of the con s'itution, will hc q panatta for thf evils that th" Nolst'ad act ms caused. Win tlc Noisteal law as