Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-26

mentS showed that 1t arose out OF mo-
mentary irritation over a statement
friendly to the status of enforcement
given out by another dry Senator
Jones Of Washington.
Cleavage Is Shown.
Yet this incident proves and the fact
remains that there is cleavage among
dry Senators. Probably 10 to rs out of
the SO Senators would describe them
selves as dry and would vote dry on any
clear issue with all the dry argument
on one side and all the wet. on the
other. Nevertheless, within the dry
area there is cleavage among them
cleavage as to whether President Hoo
yer ought to be supported or criticized.
cleavage as to whether the report of
the Commission on Law Enforcement
ought to be supported or condemned,
cleavage as to whether the commissions
recommendation of legislation should
be adopted or rejected. This cleavage
among the dry Senators exists and
some of the dry Senators are men who
by temperament are rather more happy
in cleavage than in unity.
Most Unguessable Body.
The Senate has come to be a most
unguessable body. 1t is more and more
a room full of factions. The tendency
of little factions to ny on like chips
from other factions grows. Each split
is accompanied by an increase in the
disposition toward strong personal feel
ing that has been rather characteristic
OF the Senate lately, to which public
aIlusion is frequently made by Senators
themselves.
In such a trend toward disintegration
as respects party allegiance to Democ-
racy or RepublicaniSm and in such a
tendency to take personal positions, there
Is obvious peril to the drys. It will be a
wonder II they as a party can be more
immune to cleavage than the unhappy
Republicans and Democrats are.
The So-to-speak psychological set
back that the drys suffered about jan
uary l., and their recovery from it. Is
explained by phenomenon that has
become familiar. Whenever a wet
drive occurs. in Congress or elsewhere,
or whenever the drys suffer a setback
such as Senator BoraI1's statements
seem to be-on all such occasions the
nrSt newspapers recording the skirn1ish
to be read in Washington are the WASH
1ngton morning newspapers, together
with the morning newspapers of Bal
timore and New York City. These are
practically all strongly wet in sympathy
ana their appearance with large head
lines has perceptible effect on the
atmosphere Of Washington.
Western Dry Papers Arrive.
Then in the present case, as usually,
anywhere from one to five days later
the newspapers from the West pour in
to Representatives, Senators and others
representing that territory. Thereupon
the atmosphere of Washington goes
PACK TO what must fairly be described
as It's normal drynesS.
On the present occasion sentiment in
the West has been overwhelming In
giving confidence and support to the
commission on Law Enforcement and
In expressing, generally, strong appro-
baton for the dry cause on the tenth
anniversary of prohibition. This dis
position Of the West to encourage the
dry cause and cheer it on includes i'm
portant Democratic PAPERS in the West
Wnlcn supported Gov. Smith for the
presidency.
The net of it is that with the tenth
anniversary of prohibition Just past.
there Is certainly no disposition on the
part OF the drys to give up. There are
indisputable facts and figures which
show some ebbing of dry strength in A
number OF States. Taking the country
as whole, however, the drys are not
materially less strong or less confident
than they were 5 years ago, or 10
years ago.
Old Facts Could Be Studied.
One contribution that could be made
to enlightenment would be to study
Nryac
by drys and by vets on the occasion
when prohibition was adopted 10 years
ago, and to compare what was then
said with the facts as Of today.
In Congress in April, 1920. about
three months after prohibition went
into effect. Senator Morris Sheppard of
Texas made a speech and read letter
from Wayne Wheeler, then head of the
Anti-Saloon League-and at all times
while he lived the best informed and
ablest Of the dry leaders outside Of
Congress.
Before Senator Sheppard's speech
one OF the vets had said that 1t would
take S50,000,000 year" to enforce ma
tional prohibition. On this point SEN
ator Sheppard consulted Wayne Wheeler
and then read letter Wheeler wrote
Wheeler said that even If it should cost
S50,OOo,0o0 a year. that would not be
too much to pay for the benefits of
prohibition; but when he came down
to estimates on his own account, he
said, i think $4,000, 900 a year appro-
prlated to enforce this law would be
ample, and II the liquor dealers sud-
denly become law-abiding 1t can be re-
ouced when the need disappears"
Five Times Five Million.
We long ago passed the estimate of
100000 a year and now are thinking
In terms of flve times five millions a
year. Bishop Cannon the other day
talked In terms Of fifty or even hun
dred million.
In Wheeler's letter of April 8. 1920,
is proof or at least inference, that he
did not foresee the particular turn that
| violation of prohibition would take. He
| said, IF the liquor dealers suddenly be-
come law-abiding." The liquor dealers,
in the sense that Wheeler meant. be-
came reasonably law-abiding. Liquor
| dealers, in the sense of the distillers,
brewers and wholesale dealers of the
period preceding prohibition, have not
materially violated the law. The viola
tons have come from class that ap-
| parently Wheeler did not foresee-the
new type of illicit bootlegger.
There can be no doubt from Wheeler's
letter that II he were alive today he
would be obliged to confess some dis
appointment AT one point in his letter
Of April 8, 1920, he said, THE enforce
menD department has been handi-
capped thus far because of the attacks
upon the law as to its constitutionality
and construction. When these questions
| are settled better results will follow"
Those early lawsuits to determine the
constitutionality Of prohibition and to
construe the Volstead act were settled
quite soon; but better results did not
| follow. Hardly any one will argue that
the status Of enforcement Is materially
better today; that observance of the law