New Britain herald., 1930-01-16
Would Penalyzc Buyers
10th Inni Today

10th 1nni Today
 Washington, JaT -Na.ional prohibition todaT l it's ten.h anniversary in a citing of acrid disput"
 on Capitol Hu. lday of Americas most dis6 4w. ns friends were found occupied with plans for making it's enforcement vigorously effective and its enemies arming for mighty battle to com".
 Congressional committees were busy formulating legislation request = ed by President Hoover and recor.- mended by his law enforcement commission as a means of reducing dry law violations, while the subject o' debate in the house was a meas ure replcte with potential strife.
 This was the annual appropriation bill for the treasury department. Included in it were provisions for th4 financial upkcep Of the prohibition enforcement unit and the Coast Guard, both of which have been un- der attack in recent weeks by bo.n supporters and opponents of the pro. hibition statutes.
 Senate Works on Tariff
 The senate, 10 be sure. was plod- ding along with the tariff bill and rs time by agreement was devoted 10 that measure, but it's members. nevertheless. were kccnly alert to the developing phases of the prohi- DtiOn discussion.
 Of particular interest to many of these was a statement from Chair man George W. Wicl5crsham. of the law enforcement commission. with which he huttrcsscd the recommen- dations Of his group by a vigorous assertion of their cOnstitutionalit" Some mom 1ors of congress hal questioned the constitutional validity Of the commissions proposal th1t minor violations of the dry laws he tried before a United States com missioner, thus diverting many cas s from the ovcrtaXcd federal cour. s. They regarded il as possibly an iu. laSiOn Of the constitutional right of trial by jury.
 Among these was Senator NorrIs of Nebraska. chairman of the judi cary committee 10 which this phase Of the proposed legislation will be referred. Norris is a dry"
 A nominating committee Of the house "wets" meanwhile agreed to continue Eeproscntativ" J. Charl .s Iinthicum. democrat. Maryland, ,,a the leader of it's unofficial group, which numbers about 100. Earli"r ] Representative Beck. rcpublicaN Pennsylvania. declined 10 serve m 1his capacity. although he Gcclar" i himself -hcart"dly behind the movement which the wet group rep rcsonts
 Representative La Guardia. ropuo- l lican. New York, threatened to brina debate on the treasury supply bill 1 to halt with point Of ord f arguing that the Eighteenth Amen1- ment has never been properly raii, l fled and is therefore void He 4s. serted that while the necessary %( states had ratified the resolution 1 creating the amendment. only ter had ratified the amendment itself.
 Nothing to Point One of the authors Of tn" Eight crnth Amendment Senator She@ pard, democrat Texas, said of |. . Guardia $ arynment: "Thcrc is notu ing 10 it, senator Borah, a scv"r' critic of present enforcement con'lj. tions, expressed the sam" attitude.
 That part of President Hoover. proposal dealing with the tranSf"> of inc enforcement unit from tn. t'caSury to the justice d"partmen has been given oycr to the house eN pondirurc3 committee.
 Chairman Williamson has form | l2tod and introduced q bin to accolr pIish this purpose and expects to b gin hearings next Tuesday, The b'I may be reported by the end of thu week h." believes.
 The house judiciary and immiGr l lion committees are busy with eth" proposals of the president and th' commission.
 LcaGcrs Of the houSe hav" dccil cd to give the Williamson bill th ] gislatiya right of way as soon a it is reported,