Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-03
EDWARDS DEMANDS
DRY LAW REPEAL
Urges Calling of State Con-
ventionS Prior to i'resI-
DENTAL Election.

trial alcohol unfit for beverage PUT
poses featured a wet" speech deliver
ed in the Senate today by Senator
Edwards of New Jersey. Democrat.
Senator Edwards proposed that the
eighteenth amendment Ice repealed
through the means of State conveu-
lions, as provided I'm the Constitution.
and that these conventions be held
prior TO 1928 election of President and
Vice President. The election Of dele
gates to the conventions. If Senator
Edwards plan be adopted. would
amount to "A national referendum on
the liquor question. He asked that his
resolution be referred to the judiciary
committee.
While Senator Edwards was deliver
Ing his speech another attack on the
use Of poison in alcohol was in prog
resS in the House. where Representa-
tive Celler Democrat, Of New York
launched a heated debate 10y declaring
that members of the House and Sen
ate drink to excess" and called upon
his colleagues to- keep poison dena
turants out of industrial alcohol Z"
protect those who APE their betters.
The same topic formed the basis
for an extended conference this morn
ing between Secretary of the Treasury
Mellon, Gen. Lincoln G.. Andrews. IN
charge Of prohibition enforcement.
and DR.. ]. NJ. Doran, chief chemist
Of the prohibition unit.
Reads Death Data.
Tackling the poisoning Of industrial
alcohol with Government approval, To-
make it unfit to be used as beverage,
Senator Edwards read to the Senate
statistics from Is large cities in this
country showing many deaths from
oil
season.
He characterized the Government
action in permitting the poisoning of
alcohol as Uncle Sans alliance with
the morticians," and attacked Wayne
3. Wheeler, general counsel of the
Anti-SalOon League, because he had
favored the poisoning of the alcohol.
The New Jersey Senator offered
resolution calling upon the Secretary
of the Treasury to furnish to the
Senate all available information and
correspondence with Mr.. Wheeler
bearing upon the poisoning of in
dustriaI alcohol. II am just as sure
that Wheeler is back of this alcohol
poisoning campaign as L ann thar
prohibition is a failure" said Senator
Edwards.
This Nation" said Senator Ed
wards, has been wallowing In a.
trough of prohibition corruption for
nearly eight years" He insisted that
the country has been aroused against
prohibition and that q different situa-
ton now presents itself.
Calls Law Failure.
when l came to this body" he
continued, at was not an unusuaf
sight to see DR.. Wayne Il. Wheeler,
legislative representative OF the Anti
r. sxa ma hn1nFs
gallery with thumbs down on every
Representative whom he thought
might have the temerity and the au-
dacity to vote his own will and not
the will of the Anti-Saloon League
That day has passed! When the Con
gress of the United States wishes 10
consult DIR. Wheeler in the future he
will be sent for and asked his opinion.
But sentiment against the prohibition
rottennesS which now honeycombs
the Nation has become so intense
from q normal crystallization that
Anti.Saloon League representatives
fear to continue to use coercive meas
ures, at least on the Congress of the
United States.
II cannot too strongly impress upon
the Senate the dire need for urgent
and speedy action in the matter OF
prohibition reform. Volsteadism has
failed, the eighteenth amendment is
unavoidable, and / now plead with
every Senator in the chamber to take
this matter seriously and work To
the end that something may be done
to clarity the foul atmosphere of
liquor debauchery.
During the holiday season just
passed our cheerful Christmas spirit
was severely shocked by news dis
patches from every section Of the
country announcing scores of deaths
from poison rum. Here are the figures
from representative American cities
in which legalized murder is looked
upon with favor by this so-called
paternalistic Government of ours:
New York. 1870; Philadelphia, 800;
Boston, AS; Chicago. 32S; st. Louis.
Sc; Columbus, s; San Antonio (since
June ~, 3; Omaha, Nebr., 10; Harris
burg, Pa. s; Detroit, 121; New Or
leans, none; Los Angeles, 80; Mime
apolis, IS; Seattle. %; Pittsburgh. 1870.
THE youth OF our Nation is being
driven and cajoled into a life of crime
because of the sinful operation of
prohibition" he continued.
Sees Threat to Youths.
mot so very Ions ago an official
of one of our leading hotels in the
NdIiOndI (dDfIdi IOttl me tIldL lie naQ
been forced to eject from a suite OF
rooms some half dozen young semi.
nary girls who had been induIging
In a bringing carousal for two days
and two nights in the company OF
young boys, who had to be assisted
into taxicabs in order to be conveyed
to their homes. If the Senate of the
United States is ready and willing IL
countenance any such decentralization
of our youth as this. L. for one, must
dissent. and dissent with all the vigor
and earnestnesS that l can command
And the hotel incident that have
just related is probably typical OF
many throughout the country.
II have warned this body before
and | warn 1t again, that unless more
practical common sense is exercised in
combating this prohibition evil, many
who now occupy seats in this cham
Der with a restful feeling OF perpetual
ease will find themselves cast into
outer darkness along with my good
friends Senators Butler. Pepper,
Weller, Williams, Lenroot and WadS-
worth. And let me say here that
nothing in the long range of political
uncertainties and eventualities defeat
ed these gentlemen in the last cleo
ton more than their vacillating atti-
tudes and their do-nothing policies In
regard to prohibition. There are rep
resentatives now sitting in both
Houses of Congress who tremble with
fear and trepidatiOn every time Vol
l.. Il