Evening star., 1926-04-28
SENATE GETS NEW
LIQUOR MEASURE
House Passes Bill Sanction
ing Enforcement Reorgani-
zation, 1856 to a.
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
After serving rs a new vehicle fol
expression of wet and dry sentiment
in the House, the bill to give leSlSia'
tive sanction to the reorganization OF
the Treasury's enforcement agencies
has been added to the Senates list
If pending administration bills to make
prohibition more drastic.
The bill would raise the prohibition
unit and the customs service to the
status of bureaus. headed by com
missioners, appointed by the Treasury
Secretary. These bureaus, with the
Coast Guard, would be grouped under
direction of a single assistant secre-
tary charged with supervision of pro
hibitiOn enforcement. The measure
also carries an amendment to place ali
except the highest prohibition officials
under civil service regulations.
Passed by 1864 Vo.e.
Wet members of the House offered
little opposition to the proposal, and
ii was passed after a sharply restrict
ed debate by a vote OF 1876 to 1. BY
making enforcement more drastic
some of the vets held. it will make
the law more objectionab ble, and in
this way win supporters for modifca-
ton. a number of amendments, in,
Guiding one by Representative La
Guardia, ProgressiveSo Socialist. New
York, to legalize 2.75 per cent beer
We're thrown out or defeated.
Another La Guardia amendment,
which was rejected on q point of
order. was aimed at a condition dis
closed during the testimony at the re-
cent Senate hearing by f. c. Baird,
prohibition administrator. at Pitts
burgh, who told the committee that
his $4,000 salary as a railroad official
had continued after he took over tina t
office. He has subsequently been
placed in charge of reorganization of
the Philadelphia district enforcement
machinery.
Charges BAD Faith.
La Guardia charged the drys with
acting in bad faith when they rejected
this amendment. This brought a re
tort from Representative Cramton, Re
publican, Michigan, dry leader, that
he didn't care TO he "lectured" by
recent converts to prohibition or
those who are not converts at all"
and contended that the amendment
would prevent enforcement officials
from receivir~ such outside income as
dividends from investments.
Representative Hill, Republican,
Maryland, who holds similar rank
among the House vets that Cramton
enjoys among the drys, held that the
bill was merely a scheme to raise en-
forcement salaries. His view was
shared by Representative Garner of
Texas, ranking Democrat Of the ways
and means committee. who said that
while it would increase neither arrests
nor revenues. ''Wheeler (Wayne B.
Wheeler. general counsel of the Anti
Saloon League). Cramton and Andrews
the Treasurys prohibition chief are
for it; so we are for it, even myself" ="
Hill also voted for the bill.
New York will never submit to the
kind of prohibition" the drys want,
Representative Oliver, Democrat, Of
that State, asserted, adding that I'VE
are going to win our fight for tenn
peranCe.
Representative Lowrey, Democrat,
Mississippi, contended that the wet
States eventually would submit, ar
guing that Christianity has advanced
to a point where it will not again toll
crate the saloon. His father fought
fol states rights with the Confederate
Army, he recalled, but he felt that
Just as Christianity defeated human
slavery then, it would defeat the sa-
loon now.