The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1930-02-19
NORRIS KNIFE
|. IS DRAWN FOR
DRY LEADERS
Custer Of Doran, LoWman
Is Declared Back of
Probe Demand.
B0RAH DEFlED BY BOTH
Charge Commissioner With
Allowing BootIeggers to
Get Alcohol.
By scripps-HOoGrd Newspaper Alliance

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10. - The
ousting of Prohibition Commission
er j. M. Doran and Seymour Low
man, assistant secretary OF the
treasury in charge of prohibition,
was declared today to be the prin-
cipal objective of sponsors OF the
Norris resolution for a nationwide
investigation of enforcement con-
ditions.
Both officials recently defed Sem
ator Borah Republican, Idaho
when he demanded the discharge
of Colonel John F. G. Herbert, dry
administrator for the Montana
Idaho district. Doran exonerated
Herbert of charges which, Borah
declared, were serious enough, if
true, to place him in the peniten-
tiary." Senator Wheeler Demo-
crat, Montana) then introduced his
resolution for investigation, and the
Norris demand is a substitute for
that proposal.
Lowman Political Dry
On other grounds, too, Borah and
Norris are said to believe the two
prohibition officials ought to be sew
cred from the service before the dry
unit is transferred from the treas
ury to the department of justice.
They regard Lowman as a political
dry who has permitted partisan
considerations to influence his re-
gime, and charge that Doran has
permitted large supplies of indus
trial alcohol to get into bootleggerS'
hands.
With administration and anti
saloon representatives trying to
block the proposed investigation, its
fate rests in the hands of four
Democratic drys on the judiciary
committee So far they are op-
posed to the inquiry and will vote
against it unless they can be in
duced to change their minds.
Borah may take the floor to deliver
his long-heralded blast against
prohibition personnel in an effort
to force them to switch.
To Floor for Debate
Even if debated in committee, the
resolution may be brought to the
floor for debate. Insurgent dryS
hope to use the proposal when they
renew their attack on Mellon and
his associates. Administration
spokesman contend there is no need
for an inquiry on the eve of the
shift of enforcement activities to
the department of justice, and the
inauguration of other methods de-
signed to improve conditions. Drys
on the committee declare it merely
would be duplication of the law
enforcement commissions work"
If the investigation is authorized,
it is understood Norris hopes to take
the committee to vets centers like
New York, Boston, Detroit and Chi
cago, where wide-open conditions
prevail, according to testimony be-
fore the house judiciary committee
by Walter Liggett, a magazine writ
er and investigator.
King Is Ill
With King Democrat, Utah) Ill
and absent from the city, the COM
mittee lineup now is five for the
investigation and eleven against.
The Republicans who want an in
quiry are Norris, Borah and Blaine
of Wisconsin, while the Democrats
are Walsh of Montana and Cara
way of Arkansas. The Democrats
opposed are Overman of North
Carolina, Ashurst of Arizona, Dill of
Washington and Stephens of Mis-
sissippi.
Republicans expected to vote in
the negative are Robinson of Indi-
ana, Deneen of Illinois, Steifer of
Oregon, Waterman of Colorado, He
bert Of Rhode Island, Hastings of
Delaware and Gillett of Massachu-
SattS