Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-02
The Harris Amendment.

The latest foot ball of politics Is the
Harris amendment to the deficiency
bill, providing an additional S24,000,000
for prohibition enforcement. It was
offered in the Senate by the senior
Senator from Georgia, an ardent dry,
in all good faith. But it was i'm
mediately recognized as a vehicle on
which dry Democrats in Congress,
nearly all of whom in the late cam
paign supported Gov. Smith, the wet
Democratic nominee for President,
might ride back into the prohibition
camp.
The opposition of the administration
to the proposed increase in funds for
prohibition enforcement naturally gave
added zest to the demand of the
Democrats for the adoption Of the
amendment. The Republicans had won
an election, taking the dry side. Here
was an opportunity to show the country
that the @. o. P. was not so dry after
all, and for dry Democrats to prove
their devotion to the cause of prohibit
ton.
Secretary Mellon has charge Of pro-
hibition enforcement, which comes
under his department. He frowned
upon the Harris amendment. He de-
clared that the additional appropria-
ton of $24,O0o,Oo was unnecessary and
could not be properly expended If it
were made. In the meantime, Bishop
James Cannon and j. Scott Mcbride,
dry leaders, the latter general super
tntendent of the Anti-Saloon League,
ranged themselves on the side of the
Harris amendment. In a measure, the
administration was dared" to break
with the drys.
The upshot Of the matter was that
the amendment was adopted in the
Senate. Some of the dry Republicans
aligned themselves with the Democrats.
Furthermore, there is group on the
Republican side of the Senate chamber
which delights in embarrassing the
administration. But the Republicans
of the House took different course.
By a vote of 24o to 14l, the House
disagreed to the Senate amendments,
including the Harris amendment, and
sent the bill to conference. The wet
Democrats from New York and other
Northern States, having no desire to
leap on the water wagon or to have
their party made dry again, voted with
the Republicans.
This Is not the first time that Demo-
cratic. strategy has sought to out
Mellon Mellon. During the considera-
ton of the latest tax reduction bill, it
was the Democratic leadership which
sought to lop hundreds of millions
more from the tax bill Of the people,
beyond the point in reduction to which
the Republican administration was
ready to go. In the main the admins
tration resisted the demand and stuck
to It's tax plan, despite the popularity
Of the plan for greater tax reduction
Unless there is a shift in its present
attitude there will be no lessening in
its opposition to this demand for
greater expenditures for the enforce
ment of the dry laws.
The Harris amendment, however, may
be regarded as the forerunner Of an
increasing movement for better enforce
nent Of prohibition. This question OF
enforcement promises to be one of the
most important which the Hoover ad-
ministration will have to face. Sooner
or later, and probably sooner, the
country will demand a change from
conditions that have Instrumentation
under which the dry laws have been
and are, violated with alarming fire.
quency.