Evening star., 1926-03-30
HOUSE PASSESDRY
CIVIL SERVICE BILL
Approves Measure to Put All
Employees of Prohibition
Unit Under System.

Out Of the funine controversy over
prohibition in Congress and out. ca me
one niece Of definite action yesterta, ;,
when the House passed without !
record vote the bill fathered ny me
Treasury and favored by both Wei
and drys to place ali except tht
highest officers ~ the prohibition
service under civil service.
At the same time Assistant Secrn
tarv Andrews took another ster il
rounding out his enforcement staff
by filing two new posts. n. keith
Weeks was appointed to have super
vision Of permits for withdrawal of
wine. and Thomas stone IN have
supervision over brewery permits
Despite support If the civil service
bill by leaders in both the wei ano
dry camps. its passage was opposed
by Representative BlantOn. Democrat
of Texas. who supplemented his re.
marks by reading n letter from 3
minister, accusing another minister
Of going on drunken spree.
Prepare for Hearings.
AS wet and dry leaders continued
today 70 marshal their forces for the
modification hearings To begin before
the Senate committee Monday. lesie-
latiVe Representatives Of FIVE orga nizc,-
tions holding The dry viewpoinr We're
called 10 meet during the day as a
joint committee to arrange for presen.
taflon If their arguments.
This committee comprises Canon
William Sheafe Chase Of the Interna.
t.onal Reform Federation Edwin {.
Dinwlddie Of the National Temperance
Bureau, Wavne s. Wheeler genera
counsel Of the Anti Saloon League
Of EA
Methodist hoard Of temperan nee. pro-
hthition and public morals. and Mrs.
Ellis 4. lost of the National Wom
ans Christian Temperance Union.
The Joint legislative committee.
made mp nf representatives of or
ganlzations favoring modifica ton Of
the law, already has selected w Fl
Stayton. head Of fhe Associa tlon
Against the Prohibition Amendment
as its chief spokesman. and other
Witnesses, including Assistant Secre- =
tary Andrews. will he summoned at
the request Of Senators interested.
Wheeler Praises Passage.
The action of the House yesterday
In passing the Cramton hill 10 pla ce
all except the highest enforcement
officials under civil service regula :
tions drew the following statement
today from Wayne r. Wheeler:
The passage of the civil service
bill for prohibition agents with only
two wet ohiectors is q great victory
! believe the Senate will do as well.
II will he big step forward in elimi.
mating politics from prohibition en-
forcement"
Another batch of petitions and leg
islative proposals. including the me.
nf ho h,NI I~Ir
p Nationwide prohibition rofere ndum
were loosed during the day on both
Senate and House. Senator Rorah
a dry, introduced an amendment to
make more specific a pending refer.
endum proposal. Chairman Graha m
of the House Judiciary committee
which has heen urged both bv the
administration and the Anti-Saloon
League TO provide more judicial ma
chinery to handle prohibition ca ses
presented bill to create 1o new FED
eral judges, scattered over most of the
country.
Planning for Hearings.
The summons issued to A SSista nj
Secretary Andrews hy the Senate pro
hihition investigators was authorized
At the request Of Senator Edge, Re
publican, New Jersey His New Ier
S5A COlieIEue. senator E4NWHf0S, q
Democrat. said he expected 10 call In
Hudson Maxim. the inventor. Still
another wet Senator Prure, Demo
crat. Maryland. asked that steps be
taken to have a high Official OF the
Canadian government advise the com
mittee of the prohibition situation in
Canada
Despite it's Endorsement hv the Anti
Saloon League. the civil service bill
was opposed hN Mr. Rianton as "a
trap. laid hv the wet members o;
Congress to diecredit present prohihi.
tion employees.
The bill was defended hv its author
Representative Cramton Republican
Michigan, dry. 40 a means of re-
demption from the present system
under which many positions in the
prohibition unit are under political
control" and by Representative Hill
Republican. Maryland. wet on the
theory that something should be
done to remedy the present situation.