The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-20
PROHIBITION IS
TERMED FLOP
BY noted MEN
Law FIagrantIy, Openly
Violated in Big Cities,
House Group Told.
REPEAL is ADVOCATED
Law Already NuIlified, Is
Assertion of Former
Missouri Senator.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 2O.-Fla-
grant violations of the prohibition
law is permitted and even condoned
by officials in st. Louis, Chicago,
Cleveland and New York, the house
judiciary committee was told today
by attorneys from the four cities.
each of whom advocated repeal of
the eighteenth amendment as the
only cure for this condition.
The witnesses at the committees
hearing on bills to modify or re-
peal the dry law included former
senator, George H. Williams Of st.
Louis: a former assistant secretary
of war, Benedict CroWell Of Cleve-
land; Ralph M. Shaw of Chicago,
and Frederick r. Coudert Of New
York.
Questions from dry southern
members of the committee were an
swered by several of the witnesses
with charges that the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments giving
Negroes the right to vote, never
have been enforced. Prohibition, the
witnesses said, will be nullified just
as effectively until it is repealed.
st. Louis SoIidIy Opposed
w. w. Atterbury, president OF
the Pennsylvania railroad, who had
been expected to testify at the out
set of todays hearings, failed to
appear.
Williams, who represented Mis-
souri, in the senate from 1925 to
1927, told the committee that pub
lie sentiment in st. Louis is so
solidly against prohibition that
state prosecutors run for office on
reinforcement platforms and
federal grand juries refuse to indict
liquor law offenders. Only reStora-
ton of state option would be APP
proved by the people there, he said.
The former senator declared he
has only contempt for the hypo-
critics in congress who vote dry and
live wet" saying he knows several
of them.
Public sympathy in st. Louis, he
continued, is with the bootlegger.
The last federal grand jury con-
vened there WIS dismissed by the
judge when it's foreman announced
his jury had refused to indict in
any liquor cases.
Notification Is Here
II never represented a brewery,
a saloon or a distillery," Williams
told the committee. Il am not rum
ming for public Office. Therefore,
my interest in this question is the
interest of an independent Ameri-
can citizen"
AS a juvenile court judge in st.
Louis, Williams said, he made an
study of social conditions
in the prohibition era.
Asked by Representative Summers
Dem., Tex whether he advocated
of the eighteenth
Williams replied
Il hesitate to advocate its nulllf1-
cation" Williams said Fortunately.
that is not necessary. Notification
already is an accomplished fact. The
prohibition amendment is as COM
pletely nullified as you in the south
have nullif1ed the fourteenth and
amendments"
Shaw said the underworld Of
Chicago is becoming so powerful and
SO wealthy on prohibition spoils that
1t has set up a super government,"
able to debauch public officials. Un-
der questioning, he said he had no
evidence to show corruption OF the
courts, but believed some judges may
have been influenced by underworld
Cleveland Stopping Wet"
Crowell said arrests for drunken
ness have increased constantly in
despite the fact that no
man is arrested unless he is too far
gone TO make his way home or has
no friends to lead him. The people
Of Cleveland, he said, are over
in favor of repeal.
Prohibition is a fad which has
been impressed upon the Constitu-
ton in the name Of temperance and
Coudert, New York
lawyer, said. 1T must go to prevent
a humiliating notification"
Coudert told the committee he al
ways has drunk wine and intends to
continue drinking it, as a healthy
custom.
Il don't believe the eighteenth
represents a law" Cou-
1ert said. "A real low expresses the
life and customs of a people.
I'VE have a law against fishing on
My friends and 1 have no
lime to fish at any other time We
therefore, fish on Sunday and don't
ourselves criminals. The
,wo cases are parallel"
Coudert said there undoubtedly
are some sincere drys in the rural
sections. He has seen them, he
aid. going to and coming from
church.
But most of them have nice clear
lpplejack in the cellar" he added.
If you know them well enough,
you can get some and it makes a
splendid cocktail"