Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-17
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ton to the wet bloc at its meeting
Monday to appoint q subcommittee to
consider all measures to repeal the
prohibition laws, as 1t was impossible
to get the regular House committee to
give consideration to any bills propos-
ing change in the present prohibition
law.
THE greatest drawback" he said,
Ito the modification movement so far
has been the impossibility of airing the
! true conditions properly and the lack
of uniform plan.
minorities who put over prohibition lay
In their united support of one plan. The
same tactics must now be employed to
undo the harm that was done.
Says Dry Ranks Are Broken.
The ranks of the prohibiticnists are
broken. They cannot longer agree
among themselves about their future
program. They blame everything but
the unsoundness of the law itself for its
failure.
THE fanatics, in their frenzied Ges-
peration call for trial without jury, the
repeal OF the fourth amendment so as
to permit them to raid every mans
home without warrant, cause or reason.
They demand the notification of the
whole Constitution to enforce this one
section of the Constitution, II 1t really
be legitimate section at all.
1T is not merely methods that are at
fault, it is the nature and extent of the
law itself"
Prohibition Called Disease.
After the House session began, Rep
resentative Sirovich, Democrat, New
York, said on the floor that the United
States was suffering from disease at
first sporadic, then epidemic and ANAL
ly neutrality-suspicious.
vich, who is fellow of the American
College of Surgeons, were collision and
corruption which had resulted, he
charged, In governmental poisoning of
its citizens by poisoned denatured al
cohol"
Enumerating the three kinds of al
cohol as medicinal, beverage and indus
trial, the New Yorker said beverage, al
cohol was the medium which has salts
ned the gustatory. pleasures Of man.
kind for centuries"
Poison used by the Government in
denatured alcohol, he declared, included
carbolic acid, sulphuric acid and
bichloride Of mercury.
Asks New York Inquiry.
Sirovich proposed an investigation of
the prohibition administrator of New
York City and also to send congress
sional investigating committee there,
where prohibition agents sell the speak
under the law they are pledged to en-
force.
Sirovich said he would introduce res
Qlutions today, one calling for investi-
cation of the New York City prohibit
ton administrator and the other for a
congressional committee of seven to be
sent to New York to inquire into condi-
tons for themselves.
He assailed New York City'sF prohi-
bition agents, some of whom, he
charged, sell the speakeaSieS liquor in
violation of the law they are employed
to enforce.
The New Yorker recalled a recent
speech by Representative La Guardia,
Republican wet of New York, In which
the latter had said there was $4,000
speakeasies in New York. IT believe"
Sirovich said, that there are 100000"
Urges Modification Of Act.
Sirovich urged modification of the
Volstead act to permit the sale of light
wines and beer, but emphasized that
'as long as we have the prohibition
law 1t should he rigidly enforced in
every part of the country"
This may be q statute" he said,
but it is not a natural law. do not
believe the drinking Of beer or wine is
a violation of the law"
The New Yorker said that he had
never drunk alcoholic liquors and that
his father had not.
Referring to the estimate OF Bishop
Cannon. the Methodist dry leader that
$500 900 900 would be necessary to en-
force prohibition, Sirovich said he
would rather use that fund to pension
every old father and mother who had
served industry in peace and veterans
of war.
This statement was applauded by
members in both sides of the chamber.
The New Yorker said the dry law
could never be enforced by legislation,
but If prohibition was brought about
it would be through education.
He estimated that 100000 gallons
of industrial alcohol Of the l00,00o,000
gallons manufactured annually was
used for bootleg purposes.
Representative Ramseyer. Republic
an, Iowa, said he understood that co.
100000 gallons were consumed for in
lustrial purposes.
Urges Use Of Emetics.
Sirovich urged that Congress act to
require the use of emetics in denatured
alcohol rather than 'poisons" The en-
etics used in denatured alcohol in Ger
many. France and England, he ex-
planned, make 1t impossible to retain
industrial alcohol used as a beverage,
but they are not, he emphasized,
poisonous.
"All the men of this House." he de-
clared. dry and wet, can vote to elm
mate poisons"
Sirovich asserted that of 500 900
gallons of liquor confiscated in New
York City. "over 80 per cent" was found
by Government chemists to contain
poison.
Asked by Representative Davis,
Democrat, of Tennessee, to give the
figures on alcohol consumption, the
New Yorker said that In 1907 there
were 100000 gallons manufactured
for industrial purposes and $1,000, 900
for beverage purposes.
In 1928. he said, the amount of in
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