The Washington times., 1929-04-30
HOOVER SLOW
IN FINDING
DRY JURY
hHH hN#

President Hoover is encountering
monumental difficulties in his ef-
forts to find an impartial jury to
investigate the breakdown of law
enforcement. He resents its being
called "a prohibition investigation, !"
yet, in the final analysis, the pro-
posed investigation comes down to
just about that.
The White House admits the job
is proving a tough one. The admis-
sion is pretty much superfluous, for
the bare fact that Mr.. Hoover has
been working on this problem Tor
nearly five months-without yet
being ready to announce the per-
sonneI-constitutes in itself eloquent
testimony to the troubles he is
having.
Neutrals Are Scarce
It didn't take him nearly that
long to select his Cabinet.
The chief difficulty apparently is
that the men the President wants
on. this commission either won't
serve or are ineligible to serve,
while those who are trying to get
on it-mostly professional prohibi-
tionists-are the type he doesn't t
want.
Mr.. Hoover has offered places to
several prominent men who have de-
clined to serve because of personal
convictions that prohibition is the
root and branch of present.day law.
lessness. Others who have seemed
desirable appointees have been
found Ineligible because of their
previously expressed opinions con-
corning prohibition.
Mr. Hoover is desirous of finding
eminent "neutrals," but. apparently
they are scarce.
Justice Harlon Fiske Stone of the
United States Supreme Court and
Attorney General Mitchell are two
of the Presidents most frequent con-
sultants in his difficulties. Both are
rated as sincere drys. although
neither is fanatically so. Chief JUS
tice Taft also has been consulted.
Some Eligibles.
OF the great number of names that
have been under consideration at
one time or another, there are only a
few who are considered probable"
appointees. One of these is Robert
NJ. Hutchins. youthful dean OF the
Yale Law School and recently elected
to the presidency of the University
of Chicago. Another is Richard
Washburn Child. ex-ambassador to
Italy, who has been writing voluIni-
nously about lawlessness since his
retirement. Newton D.. Baker, Sec
retary of War in the Wilson admin
istration. Is another. There has
been some discussion, too, of George
Wharton Pepper, former Senator
from. Pennsylvania one of the most
prominent laymen in the Episcopal
Church.
More Trouble Due.
The action of the House in ap'
plauding a Washington policeman
who shot and killed a youth in an
automobile suspected of containing
liquor has proved a match to re-
kindle the fires of debate in the
House. Efforts to expunge the wore
applause from the record proved un'
/ availingly yesterday but Representa-
tive LaGuardia R.) of New York
announced he will speak for three
quarters of an hour on it tomorrow
and this means another field day OF
wet-and.dry debate.
More fuel to the fire has been
added by the letter Senator Copeland
CD of New York wrote to DIR. Clar
ence True Wilson, secretary of the
Methodist Board of Temperance, Pro
hibition and Public Morals. taking
him to task for the Methodists erect
ing a building hard by the Capitol
and for the church's lobbying activi
ties in behalf of more stringent pro
hibition legislation.