Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-06

prospered under Il years Of prohibition
During this time" it added, "it ha'
been clearly demonstrated that prom
bition has brought lasting benefit to tnt
citizens of our State, 1t has increased
the economic well-bcing Of our people
has increased savings, has decreased
poverty, and has made North Dakota
safe place to rear our children, where
the Communicating influence OF strong
dring has been greatly curbed.
North Dakota, being almost wholly
an agricultural State, we feel the gen
eral depression in agriculture which y
In nowise aggravated by prohlpitlon.
the statement continued, adding thai
notwithstanding this general depres'
sion, the wealth of North Dakota has
increased materially during the years o.
national prohibition"
Figures were presented to show tina,
North Dakota agricultural products nae
increased from $206, 1854 900 in 1921 Il
1898. 1853, 200 in 1929.
BurtneSs said that the people Of hi'
State felt that the good brought bJ
prohibition should be continued" Blew.
EFT had said that the lack Of demand
for barley and. rye had resulted in
surplus Of wheat after prohibition.
Surplus Due to Propaganda.
Representative La Guardia, Republi-
can, New York, asked BurtneSS whether
this was not true and Burtnees replied
that the wheat surplus had largely de-
veloped as result Of propaganda put
out by the Government to bring about
an increase in wheat acreage.
BurtneSs said q lot Of barley crop
was consumed by "near-beer," adding
ANY one who says we had no wheat
surplus before prohibition does not
know the facts. We always had .
surplus"
Questioned by La 0uardia II corn
creased Burtness said that I'VE must
admit the fact that q lot of corn sugar
is being used for the Illicit distillatior
Of liquor"
my friends In Iowa." the North Da-
kotan added, ARE greatly interested in
| having corn sugar used in jams and
1ellies. 1t does, Of course, go into IL
icit liquor"
"You don't mean that the tremendous
increase in corn sugar is due to in
| creased consumption of Jam in this
Burtness replied he was willing ia
| face the fact Of Illicit use Of corn
products, but insisted there had been q
large increase in legitimate consumption
Of this product.
The North Dakotan disagreed with
La Guardia'S statement that real beer
II permitted, would increase incomes by
using up more grain from the farms.
The witness argued the money spent
for beer would take much of the grain
producers income.
Holds Many Lives Saved.
Mr.. Callahan was next to testify
He asserted that prohibition had saved
more lives than America lost in the
World War. He presented in support
of his claim statistics from the Census
Bureau.
The witness also denied that prohi-
bition was identified only with protest.
antiSm. AS secretary OF the Association
of Catholics Favoring Prohibition, he
said he could state that this was un-
true.
Taking the average losses Of life be-
fore and after prohibition from alcohol,
cirrhoSis of the liver and Bright's dis
ease and granting that so per cent OF
cases of the last were caused by drink
ing, he argued that 140,S0 lives had
been saved by the dry laws.
Deaths from alcohol had been re.
duced, he said, from 81 to as pei
100000 of population, deaths from
cirrhosis Of the liver from 12.3 TO IL
per 100000 Of population and deatG
from Bright'S disease from 1858 10 Oil
per 1000 Of population.
He arrived at his final figures, n
said, by basing his calculations on 4
total population of 100 ,OOO, 900. tn,
estimate of so per cent Of cases d
Bright's disease being due to liquor, HI
took from the Senate prohibition In
yestigataion of several years ago.
Callahan then denied that prohibition
was identified only with Professionalism
Once, he said, the charge was made, and
is still heard occasionally, that PRO
hibition was Professionalism and pur-
posely planned to interfere with Cath
Ole services by ultimately making II
impossible to offer up the sacramento
Of the mass"
He declared that nothing could have
been further from the truth" and that
such q charge was clearly IAN Instance
of using religious prejudice for material
purposes"
Society Woman Testifles.
Miss Ruth @. K. strawbridge, q 10.
ciety woman Of Philadelphia, testified
that she had conducted . poll Of the
social register and had found an over
whelming majority Of the women ir
1
The witness, o familiar figure in thu
society Of Americas third city, present.
ed responses to q letter she had sent tC
society matronS asking them to show
their sportsmanship and cooperate ir
enforcement Of prohibition by abiding
by the law.
Instead of finding an Overwhelming
majority in favor Of the liquor drinking
fad at private gatherings and enter.
tainmentS," Mrs. Strawbridge said, 81
found that most Of these society womer
regarded it as an unutterable nuisance
and their only anxiety was. IS to how
most effectually TO free themselves anC
their families of it.
They were eager to support Presiden
Hoover loyalty in his appeal for genera
law observance. A favorite theme II
their response was that of the expenS,
of the custom and the disgrace o.
maintaining relations with bootlegger.
in order to keep up with the reputet
style of the day"
Miss Strawbridge said she represented
no organization. She took sharp issue
with w. W. Atterbury. president OF thu
Pennsylvania Railroad and O director
Of the Association Against the Prohibi'
ton Amendment.
CritieizeS AtterbuFy