Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-21
PRESIDENT FAvORS
DRY AID BY STATES
Not to Hesitate Over "Modi-
fication" in improving
Law Enforcement.
nv DAVID LAWRENCE.

n ANYBODY thinks President Hoover
as soing to hesitate over the WoIo
modification" in bringing ABOUT mo .e
.atisfactory situation with respect 70
the Volstead act, he Is doomed 10 oS-
The Wickersham incident has brought
out more clearly than anything eise
that the mention OF the Woro Hlou ~
cation" creates nervous alarm IN tne
csrcn of the drys, even though It may
carry with it an implication OF Strength
enins the prohibition of Intoxicating
LIQUORS for sale or distribution.
So much atmosphere has been DullU
mn around the word modification as
meaning an increase in alcononc con.
tent that the drys look uncom1ortapiy
an any movement which takes "nodl-
Ncation" as its slogan. The letter from
George w. Wickersham, chairman OF
the Presidents law enforcement COM
mission would have created no 1urore
~ AZ had not been for the Sensitiveness
of drvs on the question together with
the corresponding emphasis the wetS
have placed on the weakness OF tne
present structure and the need for some
change in existing laws.
Sought U. s. Court Relief.
What Mr.. Wickersham proposed was
something which President Hoover
would instantly approve II the SCaCes
were to come forward with proposal
to do their share of law enforcement.
Anv suggestion which would place on
the States the burden OF police wo.S
meets with favor here, but u woulo
only be acceptable If all the STATES &C
cepted the responsibility. 1t Is as
surned that in suggesting modificatlcn
of the Volstead act to permit the states
to do the greater share OF detection
and prosecution of violations. Mr.
Wickersham had In mind that the
FEDERAL courts would be relieved OF
much of the existing congestlon II.
however. the States did not fulnIl tneH
promises and the state laws were M
the remedy would lie in simple re,
enactment by Congress OF the original
Volsteed law or its equivalent.
Nv no stretch of the imagination 40
distrlterested persons here believe tnat
Mr.. Wickersham meant to mint at a
change in the law which would oe-
veIop the possibility of permitting hgnt
wines and beer-the synonym IoI
modification" In the minds OF mos
understands act in responsible quar-
ters is that he wished to focus the at
tention of the governors on the oolga.
tion Of the States to aid enforcement
and II he could in some way persuaoe
states which have no enforcement ACT
tn assume their share OF the Duroen ~
would be something which the oryS
thus far have not been able to accom-
nlish And the President would STAND
BY such a step. 49,.
Judging by the sentiment In the wet
states where enforcement acts have
been discarded. it Is not likely that ior
tbe nresent they would accept the
Wickersham plan any more tnan tne
irnpiied obligation conveyed IN the term
"concurrent jurisdiction" so the WICK
ersham letter becomes an ACADEMIC ar
11lment and will not affect the atCituoe
If the national administration, eltner
tovSrd him or the work he Is to do on
the enforcement Commission.
Wet States Want Trade.
The vets are, nevertheless, hopeful
that the recommendations OF Inc com-
mission will reveal such weakness III
the present system OF prohloitlon en-
forcement that public opinion WILL per-
NIT a REORGANIZATION Of the whole
what the wet States want is trade
whereby local option can be set up once
more. Allowing dry States to stay dry.
How this coud be accomplished IN the
face of the explicit language OF the
eighteenth amendment is difficult 10
see, unless the courts and Congress at
tempted through some loophole to get
around the issue-and loopholes are not
usually discovered unless public opinion
almost demands them.
The battle is still with public opinion
and that's why the Wickersham letter
finds both sides tense and eager to reap
any advantage possible from the am
biguous phrasing of the communication
and at the same time adamant about
yielding one inch of their respective
(copyrisht 1929