The Washington times., 1930-02-26
DIR. RYAN RAPS
HOOVER DRY
MORALITY
Ccontinusd from Page ~

said, is but per cent effective.
Father Ryan denounced q
statement by DR.. Clarence True
Wilson, secretary Of the Methodist
Board Of Temperance and Morals.
advocating the right TO- search
homes and declaring that people
who violate the prohibition
| amendment are not entitled to
the protection Of other sections
Of the Constitution.
Father Ryan said Attorney Gen
eral Mitchell went beyond his
province in announcing that he
would discharge officials who
drink.
He denounced the Wickersham
commissions "juryless trial" bills
as an invasion Of liberties guar
anteed under the Constitution.
Prohibition sears everything 1t
touches" he said,
TT corruptS enforcement agents
and twists the reason Of the
higher officials"
Tory Feudalism
Tories who urge prohibition to
make workers more effective
want to sacrifice liberty to the
creation of a feudal state Of
mechanical efficiency" he said.
Father Ryan suggested State
control of the liquor traffic, with
power lodged in the dry States to
keep prohibition. He also urged
legalizing Of ATS beer.
If these efforts fail, Congress
should repeal the Volstead act
and thus leave 1t to the States to
decide whether they will have
prohibition.
If this were done, there Is no
doubt that the Supreme Court
would find means of saying that
the States could have their own
State systems Of liquor control"
Wilton j. Lambert earlier today
described prohibition enforcement
in the National Capital as farcical,
and declared anyone could get a
drink who wanted one. Drinking
among young people has enor-
mously increased, he said.
Hip FlaskS for Girls
Conditions are vastly worse
than they were before prohibi-
ton" said Lambert.
There seems to be no diff
ficulty whatever in getting liquor
If you are willing to pay for 1t"
The home brew industry is very
extensive in the National Capital,
he said. The poorer class, he said,
gets a very poor grade Of liquor.
II have watched the effects on
young people" he said. II have
found young girls of Is Of a class
that were averSe to liquor before
prohibition who now insist that
their escorts have hip TASKS
Courts COngested
The great congestion in the
courts of the District of Columbia
is due to prohibition, Lambert
said.
I don't believe they will ever
satisfy the demand for more
judges in the District Of Columbia
if prohibition continues" he said.
Doesn't that mean they are
enforcing the prohibition Law
creating more cases than can be
handled?" asked Representative
Bachmann (RO of West Virginia
1T shows an increase in the
number Of cases." said Lambert,
but he refused to admit that it
was a true indicator of enforce
ment.
Lambert refused to give an
opinion as to whether there is
widespread drinking among Gov
ernment employees.
Repeal Of the Eighteenth
Amendment is necessary before
the American people can really
tackle the liquor problem intelli-
gently, DR.. Nicholas Murray But
Ter, president Of Columbia Univer-
Sity, declared in a letter to the
House Judiciary Committee.
DR.. Butler characterized the
prohibition amendment as IAN i'm
pertinent invasion" Of the basic
Constitution.
Backed by Physician
Additional force was given DR..
Buffers plea by the first witness
before the committee today, DR..
Francis j. Ge 'ty, head Of the
Cook County Gill; Psychopathic
Hospital, who declared that "the
question Of alcoholism (under
prohibitionO is on that challenges
the attention cf the medical world
today.
Prior to prohibition, DR.. Gerty
asserted, there was a marked
decrease in alcoholism between
1917 and 1919, but from 1920 to
1922 all forms Of alcoholism in
creased.
The average number Of alco-
holic patients admitted to the
hospital before prohibition was
AL and in 10 years Of prohibition
1t rose to 98S.
Excluding 1920, the first year
of prohibition. the cases of alco-
holism make up about one-fifth
Of all patients he said.
Du POnt to Testify