Evening star., 1926-04-14
BEER WOULD HELP
DRY
ANDREWS ADMITS
Many Would Drink 1t Instead
/ of Bootleg, He Tells Sen
ate Committee.
KETTLE AND TOWEL WILL
MAKE STILL, SAYS REED
Prohibition Chief, in Shadow of
] Distilling Plant, Agrees They
Seem to Be Increasing.

Seem to Be Increasing.
Recalling Gen. Lincoln G. Andrews,
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury,
sn charge of prohibition enforcement,
TO the stand as their last principal
witness and receiving from him the
admission that the return of beer for
home consumption with a low alco-
holic content would 'be helpful to
enforcing the present act, the VETS
today practically rested their case
.With the Senate judiciary subcommit.
tee inquiring into proposals for modi-
3ication of the Volstead law.
While Gen. Andrews, under bar
rage of questions from Julian Cod
man. representing the wet sentiment,
and Senator Jim" Reed of Missouri,
the avowed wet member of the COM
mittee, contributed much toward the
cause of the modificationists by ad-
EMISSIONS of widespread disregard and
disrespect for the law, the Missouri
Senator carried away the honors of
the day with his illuminating and elo-
quent observation that any man who
possessed a tea kettle, a bath towel
and quart of corn meal could make
enough alcohol on which to get dead
drunk
Demonstrates Oregon Still"
The Senator also brought to the at
tentiOn of the entire committee room
an Oregon STILL" which he said was
described to him by a marine. After
showing the ease with which alcohol
could be made ''in camp" Senator
Reed told Gen. Andrews he hoped he
would use it if he ever got back into
the service, but not while Smelly
Butler is around"
Under questioning Gen. Andrews
thought great many people would
be glad to get beer of low alcoholic
content in place of whisky they now
are buying from the bootlegger Gen.
Andrews was seated between the COM
,nittee and 20-gallon still completely
equipped. which had been sub
poenaed." The still still possessed an
AROMA that many witnesses in the
room declared to be not unpleasant.
Calls Saloons Disastrous
Gen. Andrews thought that II beer
and light wines were sold in public
places corresponding TO saloons, op-
portunity would be given irresponsible
people to sell hard liquor from those
places, and this change lin the law
''would be disastrous"
The foregoing statement was made
10 Senator Harreld Of Oklahoma, the
only other member Of the committee
present today, and an ardent dry.
Let me get you straight" said Sen
Htor Reed. Your opinion is this, that
IN view of the bad hard liquor now
being consumed, If good, healthy beer
were manufactured, beer non-intoxi
eating in fact, and distributed by the
Government under regulations and
not allowed to be sold in saloons, pub
aic places or drunk on the premises,
that the people would take to that and
1t would aid YOU in suppressing the IL
Iicit still?"
"I do believe it would be helpful"
replied the witness.
Now, if saloons were opened and
beer and wine were permitted to be
sold, they would be used as a cover
by certain proprietors to slip Illicit
whisky"
II think 1t would be disastrous,
said Gen. Andrews.
Reed and Harreld Tilt.
AS the committee was evenly bal
anced on the subject today-one wet
shd one dry-several occasions arose
when Senator Reed and Senator Har
reid disagreed markedly on prohibi
,ion. Senator Harreld thought the
vi n Sill III d private ISSi-
dence should be made a felony" and
Senator Reed, in view of his col
leagues other outspoken suggestions
for prohibition, suggested that I'VE
tear up the Constitution and the Mag
ma Charta."
Mr.. Goldman opened the question
ing of the witness. Il understand that
one of the large problems of your de-
partment concerns Illicit stills and
tel lnYia hn hnf
rect?"
Yes" answered Gen. Andrews,
land it is becoming more So
Mr.. Goldman read records of the
Internal Revenue Department, relat-
ing to still seizures in the last five
years. In 1921, the records showed
s5,933 stills. including distilleries,
stills, still worms and fermenters were
seized; in 1922. III, ,155; in 1928, 15S, 1872;
in 1924, 159, ,166, and in 1925, IL, ,537.
Stills Apparently Increasing.
There seems to be a continuous
mounting up" remarked Mr.. Goldman.
"Is it a fair inference that the num-
ber Of stills is actually increasing?"
"I don't know whether 1t is that or
better activity on the part of the
agents. It's fair inference, I'll grant
you that"
Mr.. Goldman thought the large fig
ures should have been reuuced an
nually, instead of having showed an
increase.
81 agree that it means a great many
people are distilling," said Gen. An
drews.
These figures show only small
part of the stills you can apprehend?
There must be a great many you
don't know anything about"
There must be some" said the
witness. II am depending very
largely on local enforcement for the
capture of stills"
Fair Percentage" Captured.
The witness thought "a fair per-
centage" of stills We're captured He
referred to Large commercial stills"
which he explained were used by
persons to make liquor for the liquor
traffic.
I'm quantities or four or five gall
Ion lots?" asked Senator Reed. Gen
eral, want to be frank with you
and know you want to be with u.s.
"I certainly do said Gen. An
drews.
Does the fair percentage include
everybody who may. make little in
his homer"
my. agents have very little con-
tact with the smaller classes. Mat
Continued on Page 2. Column A.