Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-04
Paints Picture of Corruption,
Increase in Arrests and
More Speakeasies.
ASKS REPEAL OF LAW,
BUT OPPOSES SALOONS
Magazine Writer Replies to Kansas
Attorney General in Letter
to Committee.

A summation Of testimony given Con-
gress by ti-prohibitionists in asking
change in the dry laws was under
taken today before the House judiciary
committee by the field marshal of the
wet forces, who argued it disclosed q
picture of corruption in Government:
an increase in arrests; crowded court
dockets; packed jails: more speakeasies
than there had been saloons in the old
days, and more than thousand per-
sons killed as result of the activities
Of enforcement officers.
The man speaking was Representa-
tive Linthicum of Maryland, a Demo-
crat. AS head of the House wet bloc
he has conducted the presentation by
the vets of their side of prohibition
during the hearings before the House
committee. Today, the last to be al
lotted to the foes Of the dry laws, he
was the first witness.
He said the anti-prohibition group
had presented witnesses from practi-
cally every field of human endeavor.
They had revealed, he commended, that
liquor could be bought throughout the
country; that in some places saloons
were wide open; that the amount of
liquor manufactured in stills had in
creased materially during the decade Of
prohibition, and that all this had taken
place in the face of efforts by the Gov
eminent to prevent it, even to the point
of denaturants, some of which are de-
structible poisons, causing blindness,
cirrhosis of the liver and at times
DEATH"
Opposed to Saloon.
Linthicum asked for repeal Of the
eighteenth amendment, defended the
right of the anti-prohibitionist to seek
its repeal, voiced "unalterable opposi-
ton" to the return of the saloon, and
said: I'VE have the Anti-Saloon League
and its friends to thank for elimination
of the saloon. Let them now help us
to eliminate the speakeasies and the
underworld, who are profiteering under
the Volstead act"
While Linthicum was testifying
Chairman Graham made public let
ter from Walter Liggett, washington
magazine writer, replying to Attorney
General Smith of Kansas, who had de-
MED Liggett's statement that pruhibi-
ton was not enforced In Kansas. Lig-
gett said Smith had challenged his
testimony because of luminosity over
the statement that the Kansas ''snoop-
ing squad" was composed of bootleg
gers and ex-convicts who frequently
got drunk while of duty. The maya
zine writer added, however, since pub
lication of his charge all members Of
the squad had been dismissed.
Cochran Asks Referendum.
After Linthicum a number of other
witnesses took the stand, including
Representative Cochran, Democrat, Mis-
souri,. who Endorsed the Norton reso-
luton proposing Nationwide referen-
dunn on the eighteenth amendment.
DR.. Stewart Patton of Baltimore, q
professor of pSychiatrics at Johns Hop
kins University. another witness, ex-
pressed the opinion that a moderate
drinker had greater expectancy of
life than either an excessive drinker or
total abstainer.
Noel B. Martin, an attorney of Lewis
ton Iowa, told the committee that there
had been an increase in juvenile GRIM
1nality in that State under prohibition.
Martin Is director of the association
against the prohibition amendment.
Drys Present Case Tomorrow.
Tomorrow the friends of prohibition
will start presentation of their argu-
ments in favor of the dry laws. They
Will be allotted the same amount Of
time given the wets-Seven days.
When they conclude it has been ar
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