Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
By WILLIAM HARD.


The crucial outcome Of the recent
senatorial criticisms of Federal prohi-
bltion enforcement seems to have es-
capped the notice of a large part OF
the country, but it is becoming In
creasingly apparent every day here in
Washington.
A sort Of wedge has been driven
into the prohibition movement. There
mas thus emerged from it a sort OF
left wing" This "left wing" is COM
posed Of prohibltionists for whom the
regular prohibition leaders are too
tame and tepid. The leaders preferred
by this left wing" Of peculiarly ardent
prohlblt1ontStS are such men as Sen
ator Borah, Senator Brookhart, Sena-
tor Norris and Senator Harris
These Senators have started of on
a campaign which is wholly obnoxious
to almost all prohibition leaders OF
the regular stripe. The latter, pre-
siding over our established prohibition
organizations, have the policy of being
as sympathetic as possible toward any
earnest efforts that may be put forward
by the Federal Government to enforce
the eighteenth amendment and the
Volstead and Jones laws. They have
always feared that drastic and de-
structive attacks upon the Federal
agencies would encourage the VETS
IN their principal argument. which Is
that the prohibition amendment and
statutes are uncomfortable"
X &&&
Now various Senators come forward
to say, more or less, and in general
vague terms, exactly in the manner OF
the VETS" that after 10 years of eff
fort the prohibition enforcement activ-
tiles Of the Federal Government are in
effect just no good at all from top to
bottom. They thus have earned the
applause OF a large number of home
keeping "drys," who have taken no
part in the public tolls and tribulations
OF trying to organize the Bureau of
Prohibition and the Department Of JUS
tice for enforcement purposes and whO
know simply but surely that they still
see a lot of their neighbors drinking
and that in their opinion the Federal
Government ought long ago to have
stopped them from doing so.
While in this way the cruSading
Senators have captured q considerable
following for themselves, they have
been quite unable to carry along with
suffered painful and grievous expert
ences in trying to make Federal prohi-
billion enforcement into being at least
as good as 1t h iloW. These gentlemen,
having long dealt with the Prohibition
Bureau and the Department OF JUS
tice, are impressed with the difficulties
that have had to be overcome and
they regard themselves, through their
participation in the solution Of these
difficulties, as having become virtually
an integral part on their own account
Of the enforcement that exists.
They, accordingly, have, almost to q
man. rallied to the administration
and to President Hoover in support
against the recent senatorial attacks
There are three prohibition organiza-
tons Of insistent political interest u
Washington. One is the Anti-Salooll
League, one is the Methodist Board
of Temperance, Prohibition and Public
Morals and one Is the Citizens Com
mittee OF One Thousand for Law En-
forcement."
Fred B. Smith, the actual as well
as the nominal chairman and manager
OF the Citizens Committee of One
Thousand" has In the present emery
ency said:
ANY sweeping criticism of depart
ment OF public service is always wrong
There are men in the Prohibition Blu.
reau OF the utmost integrity and ability
There are some who ought to be weedec
out, and the department is In the proc
esS OF doing so. 1t seems to us thai
the important thing now for all friend:
Of law enforcement is to back the ad.
| ministration to the limit"
Bishop William F. Mcdowell. presi-
| dent of the Methodist Board of Tenn.
perance, Prohibition and Public Morals
met the senatorial criticisms by remark.
ing:
ut is imperative that friends of thu
cause should not cripple our long pro.
hibition campaign by criticisms of petty
| features Of enforcement. Prohibition
has made more advancement within
the last eight months than during TIT
whole preceding time since the enact.
ment Of the Volstead law. We shoulc
all work together constructively anC
positively for the success Of prohibit
ton"
AS for the Rev. F. Scott MacBride
general superintendent of the Anti-Sa
loon League, his policy has not varied
by culver from the one set forth II
a recent resolution, which he helped
to draft for the national conference
of organizations supporting the eight.
zenith amendment" comprising some g.
such organizations, and which was dull
adopted, as follows:
1.-THE President has presented certain
legislative proposals for the reorganiza.
ton of prohibition enforcement. WI
| favor the enactment of all Legislation
necessary to make his program effective
We hereby declare our confidence in thu
President and pledge to him our UNI
wavering support"
\ X X
The situation then becomes this:
] At one end of the prohibition spec
trum, which might be called the deel
and dark infra-red end, are the vocifer
Gus VETS" like the spokesman of tn
Association Against the Prohibition
! Amendment. who continuously send +,
all the newspaper bureaus in Washing
ton their tireless alleged proofs of thei
proposition that prohibition has no
been, Is not now. and never can be, en-
forced. In the middle Of the spectrum