Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-20
Politics at Large

senate DIV vote VI % u 10 pdSScQ
the Jones bill fixing maximum penalties
for violations of the Volstead act at
$4,000 fines and Imprisonment for five
years. These penalties are much more
drastic than the present law provides.
1t Is expected that the bill will be
rushed through the House so that 1t
may become law before the close OF the
Congress and a weapon in the hands
of the new administration. The Stalker
bill. similar to the Jones measure. has
been favorably reported to the House.
The vote on the Jones bill showed Is
Democrats and 5 Republicans voting
against the measure and % Democrats
and SO Republicans voting for 1t.
Among the Republicans who voted for
the bill was Senator Edge of New Jer-
sey, one of the "wets." and Senator
Moses of New Hampshire, who has been
regarded as anything but dry. The
bill. however, was in effect an admins
tration measure, bearing the approval
of the Department of Justice through
the fundamentally of Mrs. Mabel
Walker Willebrandt, Assistant Attorney
General in charge of prohibition. On
| the whole. it showed the representatives
| in the Senate of both the major politi-
| cal parties overwhelmingly in favor OF
the bill and the effort to bring about
| enforcement OF the dry laws.
~ 4
This matter of prohibition enforce
ment looms larger as the weeks so by.
| 1t threatens even to overshadow the
| questions of farm relief and tariff re-
| vision. In all probability the new adj
| ministration and the new Congress
within the next few months will be
able to dispose of farm relief and
| tariff revision in measure satisfac-
| torily. except 10 the Democratic politi-
| cal leaders. But prohibition enforce
ment is horse of another color. II
| Senator Jim Reed sent cold shivers
| down the spines of some of the men,
| bers of Congress who vote dry, but
continue to enjoy their toddy in some
! form or other, when he declared dur
| ing the Senate debate on the Jones
! bill that there was a long list of them,
| he quieted their fears on Monday when
| he said that he would never make
public their names-that he has never
sunk so low as to become prohibit
| ton informant" 1t is no secret to
| washington or to the rest of the
country that many officials, in Con-
gress and out, wink at the prohibition
| law and continue to drink. Will the
new administration be able to dry up"
l
or three wears ago group of Govern
ment officials undertook to set the
| fashion in Washington against drink
| ing cocktails. highballs or any other
| form of alcoholic beverages. While they
| have stuck to their guns personally
| they have not had any great amount
| of success so far in their effort to
change the fashion.
| X y X X
Senator Hefiin Of Alabama. ardent
dry Democrat from the South, is one Of
the greatest raconteurs in the upper
house. Replying to some of the stric-
lures of Senator Reed Of Missouri
against the prohibition law, Senator
| Hefiin said:
"Oh, Mr.. President, the Senator from
Missouri told us about how many dis
tilleries were operating. A good many
of them are no doubt operating. and
they will be operating perhaps as long as
time lasts; as long as some fellow yearns
for fermented juice in his innards'
there will be somebody to make 1t.
"Oh. yes. there was an old Negro in
my State who was being tried for run
| ming a still. The Judge said, Come
| around Old Uncle Joshua walked
around. The judge said. What is your
name?' He said. My name is Joshua
All said the judge, you are the man
| that made the sun stand STILL the
| old Negro said, No. sab; am the
man that made the moonshine.
| X KS y
One of the questions which is agitat-
| ing the wiseacres at the Capitol just
now is whether sufficient pressure will
| be exerted upon Senator William E.
| Borah of Idaho to bring him into the
| Hoover cabinet as Attorney General.
| The report is that what is needed for
the Office of Attorney General is an
outstanding man with a strong leaning
| for law enforcement and personal be-
lief in principle of the present pro-
| hibition laws. Senator Borah, 1t Is
understood. desires to. remain in the
Senate When his name was brought
| forward as q possible appointee for the
Office Of Secretary Of State Senator
Borah let it be known that the Senate
was the place in which he desired 10
| serve Now, 1t Is indicated. the Idaho
| Senator still desires to continue In the
| Senate, notwithstanding his interest
| in the matter of law enforcement and
in the matter of prohibition. Senator
! Borah's selection as Attorney General
would be eminently satisfactory to the
drys it is said, and doubtless there will
be efforts made to prevail upon him
to take the job. Here and there 1t Is
pointed out that appointment to head
the Department of Justice might well
be a stepping stone to the Supreme
bench in the case of Senator Borah,
provided the Idaho Senator should de-
sire to end his career as a justice Of
the Supreme Court.
| X y n
President-elect Hoover is still keeping
| his own counsel with regard to the Sc
! lection of his cabinet. It Is to be ex-
pected that he will desire to present to
the country an array OF able and tried
men as his official family. Whatever
may be said of the completed makeup
of the Harding cabinet. it will be re-
membered that the late President Hard
| ing offered to the country Hughes as
head of the State Department. a Mel
| Weeks as Secretary of the War ODE
! partment andy no means the least
a Hoover as Secretary Of Commerce.
President Coolidge, too. has found able
material for his cabinet. II reports be
/ true. Mr.. Hoover Is to retain Secretary
! Mellon as head of the Treasury Depart
ment. Henry l.. Stimson OF New York
has been repeatedly referred to as the
coming Secretary of State. In the opin-
| ION OF many OF the Republlcan leaders
! here Mr.. Stimson will make an able
head of the State Department if he is
, appointed to that post. But these same
leaders agree that Mr. Stimson is not
particularly widely known to the coun-
| try at large. If he becomes Secretary
of State. however. with the problems
that our foreign relations present, Mr..
Stimson Is likely to become very widely
known.
n %Lx
While the Republicans are still talk
ing about the organization of National
Republican Club in Washington. and
have at odd times been considering it
for the last thirty years. it Is said. the
women of the Democratic party not only