Evening star., 1926-04-25

hihition law, clears mn his former
statement before the Senate subcom-
mittee. a statement so generally mis-
understood. II is quite true that eX-
! empting beer from the prohibition law
, would faclitste prohibition enforce
ment for the simple reason that there
would be no prohibition left to enforce.
We have confidence that the con
structiVe program of legislation and
adminst "a ton proposed by Gen. An
drews will he productive of immense
improvement in prohibition enforce
ment. We are assured of Gen. An.
drews' conviction that this is true.
lie will have the hearty cooperation
of the board of temperance, prohibi-
ton and public morals Of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church in advocating
the enactment of needed legislation
and in conscientious enforcement OF
existing laws
Says Kick" Is Wanted.
In his closinS argument, Mr..
Wheeler repeated several times that
the only thing that the vets have
made il clear they want is nquor
with a kick in it" lie also referred
to the liquor traffic" AS standing
for modification of the Nolstead act
or its repeal.
skin of Mr. Goldman. counsel for the
vets. who interrupted Mr.. Wheeler to
cali his attention to the fact that ne,
Mr. Goldman, was not representing the
LIQUOR traffic at the hearing. Mr..
Wheeler said ne had not heen refer
ring 10 Mr.. Goldman or his immediate
group.
Blu, when Mr. Goldman hegSn his
argument he again referred 10 the
charge made by Mr. Wheeler that the
only thing the VETS wanted was
liquor with kick in ii. He said
Mr.. Wheeler has said that all the
vets want is booze with a kick III Mt.
He has no more right to characterize
me as a person seeking booze with
kick in il than ! have to cal him a
hypocrite and a fake, and l DO 'ict do
that"
Says No Plan Is Offered.
My sympathy goes ont To this
committee when ii comes to consider
this matter" said Mr.. Wheeler, when
he began his argument. THE vets
have no agreement as to what they
want. They have presented no con
structive plan"
Mr.. Wheeler took up one hv one The
various bills for modification and re
peal and for a referendum thai have
been submitted by the vets. He said:
The repeal of the eighteenth
amendment was urged ny Senator
Bruce and possibly one or two others,
without a suggestion about the pos
sibility of success in this hopeless
task, although they urged the substi-
tuition of the discredited Government
control system with it's debauchery of
youth and womanhood, its accompani
ment of segregated and supervised
prostitution, its dumping legaliZed
liquor by the case into the home, its
corruption of politics and its compe
tition with bootleggers. who flourish
under a system which provides them
the legal screen denied by prohibition.
Beer with 275 per cent alcohol is
advocated by United States District
Attorney Buckner and representatives
Of the American Federation Of Labor,
although Senator Edge. who intro
duced that meaSur indicated that ne
would not press it because Of doubt
Az to its validity. Beer, 'non-intoXI-
eating in fact replaced 2.15 per cent
| beer in the Senator's plea. although
no evidence was presented showing
that any one. either wet or dry.
wanted or would willingly drink such
a beverage even if legalzed.
Referendum Plan Dropped.
while Senator Bruce and other
witnesses asked for a law that would
deliver LIQUOR to the homes and sub
stitute the family hearth for the OLD
time saloon. other witnesses for the
vets blamed the prohibition law be
cause there are homes where Illicit
LIQUOR is made and used today
1.-The vets were equally divided on
the popuIar attitude toward the law.
Judge Talley asserted that lures
would not convict, while District Al
torney Buckner argued that they
would il his pet plan for cases was
adopted.
a few States and a few wet CEN
ters where the law is violated were
cited TO support the plea that Con-
eress repeal the law or effect com
nromise with the lawbreakers. VINO
might thus be induced TO become law
abiding.
"The proposed referendum on pro-
hibition seemed forgotten even oH us
friends after the candid admission OF
Senator Edge that Congress lacked
power to force referendum on lhe
States.
Wet answered wet on Senator
Edpes hills to remove the limitation
on medicinal LIQUOR prescriptions. Ihe
story of evasions of the law by doctors
and druggists in New York and the
large amount Of whisky being pre-
scribed there. as reiateo py MI
Ruckner. furnished the retutatlon 10
Nr. Edges argument. With halt OF
the liolor prescriptions of the natlon
issued in New York and Chicago ny
a little over half of the doctors In
those States. the plea for unlimited
prescriptions lacked force.
Calls Figures Absurd.
rrhe vets overbalanced themselves
when. through Mr.. Buckner. they
claimed that 60, ,O00, 600 gallons of in
dustrial alcohol was being diverted.
1'be testimony of DR.. Doran, the
treasury official having charge of
these matters, showed that only 81
Ooo 900 gallons of this alcohol was
produced, that legitimate INDUSTRY
could account tor all OF it but ABOUT
Il. 900 900 gallons. which would ne an
over liberal estimate of possible dlVef'
sions.
"The inference that there are
72N O0n stills. with a daily capacity
Of 40 gallons, drawn by a member OF
the committee from a prohibition
officers testimony. reduces to an
absurdity the claims of the wet group,
since this would mean daily supply
of over two quarts of moonshine
LIQUOR for every man. woman and
child in the country, besides the
, hooZe made from the imaginary
10 0OO NOO gallons Of diverted indus
trial alcohol. most Of which never was
diverted AT all.
only 1854 stills, and not the
17o 600 charged hN the leader Of the
vets and by a member Of the com
mittee. were seized last year, accord
ing to the Internal Revenue Commits.
sioner's report. Only 1850 still worms
the part of the apparatus that does
the business--were seized. Instead of
multiplying by 10. these critics of the
law should have divided by 10 TO get
the truth as is the case with many