Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-01
New Jersey Wet Declares
Dry Law Intended to Curb
Liquor Drinking.
SENATE ALSO TAKES UP
MATTER OF PROHIBITION
Sheppard and Borah See New
Suggestion as Null.
fication.
BY G. GOULD LINCOLN.

The home brew solution" of the
prohibition enforcement problem, adj
vanced yesterday by Representative
Franklin Fort of New Jersey, held the
limelight in the House again today.
New Jersey answered New Jersey with
Representative Lehlbach denying the
statement of Mr.. Fort that the eight
zenith amendment was directed against
commercial trafic in liquor and not
against drinking per Sc.
Mr.. Lehlbach is a member of the wet
group in the House and in his address
to the House today attacked prohibition
and declared it could never be enforced
because too many of the people oppose
it.
Differing radically with his colleague,
Mr.. Fort, Mr.. Lehlbach asserted en-
phatically:
1.-THE eighteenth amendment and acts
for the enforcement thereof have for
their, intent and purpose the preven-
ton of the use of alcoholic stimulants
as beverages"
Hits HOme-brew Idea.
He characterized Mr.. Forts conten-
ton that this Is not the immediate aim
of prohibition as "Strikingly novel,"
While Mr.. Lehlbach discarded the sug-
gestion of Mr.. Fort that home brew
would solve the prohibition problem,
he made no reply to Mr.. Forts asser-
ton that economic pressure and the
demand for better deal for the women
and children had forced prohibition
into the national law, and that these
q nRS< ~
eighteenth amendment.
Nor did Mr.. Lehlbach present any
concrete plan for way out of the
present prohibition situation, although
his speech indicated that he believed
the way out was through the repeal of
prohibition.
Representative Beck Of Pennsylvania
gave notice he would speak on the
Wickersham report a week from today
and that he probably would discuss Mr..
Forts proposal also.
Attack by VETS and Drys.
Mr.. Forts proposal was foredoomed
to attack by both the extreme drys and
the extreme vets, and the speech of
Mr.. Lehlbach today was evidence Of the
fact. Among the drys Senator Shop
pard of Texas, co-author of the
eighteenth amendment, and Senator
Borah of Idaho scored the Fort sugges-
ton. Senator Sheppard said It amount
ed to clear "nullification.p
Mr.. Lehlbach told the House that
the eighteenth amendment was intend
ed to put an end to all drinking. He
said:
THE abolition Of drinking, repeat.
is the aim of prohibition. Yet all
effort is not against the drinking, but
against the sources Of its supply But
while the drinker remains such, sources
will always exist. You may break up
and scatter one source, but another
will spring up over night. Demand al
ways creates supply. No government.
not even under military law. can de-
prive its citizens of what they want
and feel they are rightfully entitled
to.
Declares Drinkers Criminal.
There is only one way honestly and
sincerely to try to enforce prohibition
Drop shamS and subterfuges and de-
clare the user of alchoholic beverages
the criminal and turn loose your en-
forcement forces against him.
In this way we will have a prompt
and certain showdown on prohibition
enforcement
"The Nationwide discussion" said
Mr.. Lehlbach lover almost two decades
turned on the morals Of drinking, the
economics of drinking. or on the right
of the individual to order his own life.
On the one hand. the welkin rings with
demand for expulsion from the Govern
ment service of any one who is not
personally dry and believes everybody
else should be so: on the other hand.
the land reverberates with denuciation
Of those who vote dry and who are
personally wet. While these enact
ments deal with the manufacture, sale,
transportation and possession of such
beverages, the object is to stop their
use.
This proposition is so manifest that
until yesterday no argument about 1t
has arisen. To deny it is to evade the
crux Of the controversy, to beg the
whole question.
Merely Agents for Real ViolatOrs.
Therefore, If the intent and pur-
pose of prohibition is to stop the drink
ing of alcoholic beverages, the persons
to drink them are essentially the ones
to disregard and defy the legislation ON
this subject. 1t is as absurd to suggest
that these persons make their own bev-
erageS at home as 1t Is to suggest that
they make their own clothing and raise
their own food at home. Those who
make, sell and transport liquor are
merely agents who enable the real vio-
latorS OF prohibition u do so. II there
were not large numbers of people dis
regarding the constitutional amend
ments and the statutes in support there
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