Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-26
RYAN CITES HOOVER
AND ENFORCEMENT
BODY AT HEARING

Continued From First Page.)
experiment with sympathy and with a
mild degree Of hope in its eventual sue
cess"
He added that he thought the Vol
stead act in forbidding the sale and
manufacture and transportation of
liquors was morally valid, but that he
based his opinion upon the then exist
ing presumption that the law was con-
ducive to the common good.
During the last five years I have
gradually come to the conclusion that
my earlier attitude was mistaken" he
continued.
For three or four or possibly five
years from that date the prohibition
enactmentS were fairly well observed
outside the great cities" DR.. Ryan said.
During the last five years, however,
the trend has been in an opposite di-
rection. Instead of gradually gaining,
prohibition has rapidly lost ground dur
ing the second half of its first decade.
The momentum of reaction cannot be
arrested by any changes in the me-
chanics of enforcement"
DR.. Buffers statement asserted the
eighteenth amendment had violated the
Constitution, while Mr. Twins belief
said its author had been unable to see
any benefit under the prohibition law.
That this Ubiquitous amendment be
nullifled is my earnest prayer" the IT.
win statement said.
Later in the day the committee ex-
pected to reach, among other witnesses,
w. w. Atterbury, president of the Penn
sylvania Railroad and Republican ma
tlonal committeeman from Pennsyl-
vania, as we'll as Pierre S. dupont Of
Wilmington, Del, chairman of the board
Of E. I. du Pont de Nemours g. Co. and
leader in financial and industrial af-
fairs.
Offers News Story.
Chairman Graham of the committee
sought to introduce into the record a
statement from Senator Sheppard.
Democrat, OF Texas, one of the fathers
OF the dry amendment, along with q
resolution passed by a w. C. T. u.
organization in Texas, opposing the
hearings. The committee, however, de-
clined to permit 1t to be filed at this
time, deferring action until the advo-
Gates of the dry law are heard after
the vets conclude their side of the
picture.
With the remark, Now that we are
much perturbed about conditions in
Kansas. I'll ask the clerk of the COM
mittee to read a news item from Kan
SaS city" Chairman Graham handed
clipping to the clerk.
The. item went on to say that four
seventh grade school boys had set up
speakeasy with liquor found in a
cache in the basement of a building.
One OF the boys, it said, was Is years
old, and three of them were L. They
were to sell the liquor at a price to
be fixed by the buyer, because the
profit would have been 100 per cent
anyway.
Representative Kitchener, Republican
OF Michigan, objected to placing the
item In the records. He said he had
received hundreds OF clippings on the
prohibition question since the hearings
began two weeks ago, but that he did
not feel they contributed to the evil
dence unless substantiated by reliable
witnesses.
Denies Joy Charges.
A letter from Rev. Charles S. McFar-
land of New York, secretary to the Fed
eral Council OF Churches, denying the
charges made by Henry B. Joy Of De-
trott last week that that organization
had contributed to the election of Rep
resentatives Cramton and Hudson, Re
publican drys of Michigan, also was
read by the clerk, Mcfarland advised
Chairman Graham that his organization
had a policy which prevented partici-
patton in elections.
Representative La Guardia, Republi-
can, New York, objected to the insertion
of the letter in the Record until the
drys were heard.
After this the committee returned to
DR.. Gerry.
During 1920, he said, the number of
alcoholic cases reached its lowest ebb
in the history of the Psycophathic
Institution, which deals only with
insanity cases, but after that year, he
added, the number of cases for all ages
and both sexes increased.
whereas the number of alcoholic
patients in 1916 was 90, it increased,
the physician said, to more than LOO
during the several years after the
eighteenth amendment was enacted.
Buffers Statement.
While Gerty was testifying, a copy
Of DR.. Buffers statement was made
available to the press. The educator,
among other things, wrote that there
was mo difficulty in dealing with the
social problems which arise from
liquor and the liquor traffic, IL one
really wishes to deal with them intel
ligently."
THE Scandinavian peoples and the
Province of Quebec" he continued.
have shown how this can be done to
the aid and promotion of the cause of
temperance and the true protection of
civil and political liberty.
I'VE must get back to the Constitr-
ton OF the United States first, by TAX
ing the so-called eighteenth amend.
ment out of it, and then we can deal.
with the liquor problem as we were
helpfully, hopefully dealing with it
when this blow struck 10 years ago."