davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-01-13
MELLON DECISION
HITS HARRIS BILL
May Tell Senate Treasury
Cannot Use Extra
Dry Fund.

Secretary Mellon, it is understood,
will tell the Senate committee on ap-
preparations that the Treasury, which
has charge of prohibition enforcement,
cannot use the $25.000,000 proposed
for the dry unit in the Harris amend
ment to the deficiency bill. He notified
leaders of the Senate Of his purpose
yesterday and may send them a formal
note tomorrow.
The attitude Of Mr.. Mellon may kill
the Harris measure in the Senate,
where 1t is In a fair way for passage.
The Harris proposal, which would ap-
propriate $25,000,000 to be expended
between this time and June 80. 1880, for
an extraordinary effort at enforcement,
was sent to the Treasury for the con-
sheraton OF DR.. j. M. Doran, COM
missioner Of prohibition.
Would Hurt Budget.
Early yesterday, DR.. Doran reported
to Assistant Secretary Lowman. Later
conference was held in which Secre-
tary Mellon, Undersectary Mills, Mr..
Lowman and others took part. Mr..
Mellon took command and 1t was de-
cided that the enactment of the Harris
amendment would seriously interfere
with the budget. In the meantime the
Senate committee asked for an opinion
on the extra sum and got an oral
answer.
."I am sincere about this legislation"
declared Senator Harris. I'VE should
enforce the law If it takes a much
larger sum. The Democrats of the
Senate are for giving the Republicans
all they need to carry out the Volstead
act"
Senator Frances E. Warren, Wyo-
ming, chairman of the Senate committee
on appropriations. was one who opposed
the Harris amendment when it was
called up for instruction in the commit
tee Friday. His position was that 1t
would upset the budget and theraten
Treasury deficit. without materially
improving the prohibition situation.
Ten years ago. when the Volstead act
was being enacted. Senator Warren
warned his colleagues that 1t would cost
$55.000.000 a year to enforce it. He
We: criticized for this declaration, but
the Harris amendment would run the
enforcement sum to about $4,000. 900.
Republican dry leaders in the House
heard about the Mellon decision yes
terday and declared 1t would help to
stop it should the Senate send 1t there.
Cramton Charges Politics.
NEWS Oh Tie 1IedSuIy dtbituUC Chulc
as a great relief to members who were
in doubt as to what to do about the
extra SIS 100000.
Representative Cramton Of Michi-
gan, one of the prohibition leaders in
the House, declared politics is respon-
sible for the effort to increase the APP
preparation for prohibition enforce
ment.
There are many Democrats in Con-
gress." he said. who got in wrong
during the election and evidently they
are trying to set themselves right now
by asking for large appropriations. for
are vets who always are anxious to
embrace an opportunity to embarrass
prohibition enforcement. and in this
case are doing 1t by endeavoring to
make the cost of prohibition enforce
ment prohibitive."