Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-27
'DU POINT IN FAVOR
OF STATE CONTROL
Delaware Capitalist Would
Place Prohibition in Hands
of Commissions.
Continued From First Pase)

Continued From First Page)
saying until its passage there had been
little effort in the States to control
alcohol.
The records showed, he continued,
that all votes for prohibition in the
States were light and added that no
popular vote was taken on the amend
ment itself.
Four prohibitory amendments, he
went on, had been added to the Con-
stitution, including those against
slavery, suffrage of persons formerly In
servitude, woman suffrage and the
eighteenth amendment. He noted that
with the exception of the eighteenth
amendment, there had been no legisla-
ton necessary to enforce them.
He asked why this condition existed
and, answering the question himself
said the reason was because the f1rst
three met with the approval OF the
people and the eighteenth amendment
did not.
When the proposition of national
prohibition was submitted, he contin-
ued, nine States had absolute pronlpl-
ton, six others had indefinite prohlpi-
ton laws, and the remainder, in which
90 per cent of the population lived, per-
mitted liquor through the laws.
13I Different Laws.
In these States, however, he said
there were 131 different laws regarding
liquor, adding:
There was very little evidence to
show that the people in the States had
decided to deprive themselves of liquor.
Du Pont described as deplorable the
conditions OF the past 10 years.
There was little liquor drinking In
1920, he said, because of the lack OF
means of obtaining liquor, but he added
that liquor consumption was on the in
crease, especially since 1925, with the
people developing a taste for strong
drink instead of light wines and beer.
He said he did not believe that the
Volstead act could be modified to suit
the people and asserted 1t was necessary
to go farther and repeal or modify the
eighteenth amendment. Du Pont rec
commended that a uniform law be
adopted for the entire United States.
Repeal More Simple.
He asserted uniform law that would
suit all of the States would have to be
liberal law, but expressed doubt that
the country was quite ready for such q
statute. If the eighteenth amendment
were repealed, he continued, the old
State statutes then would become effec-
tive and the States could modify their
laws to suit their respective problems
of Statewide control.
He argued it would be more simple to
repeal the amendment than to modify
it. Continuing, he said, liquor control
should be placed in good hands, while
now I'VE have turned the liquor busi-
ness over to criminals, the worst type"
Good men are needed, he went on, to
handle the liquor business, and he then
suggested that the Anti-Saloon League,
churchmen and ministers undertake
control of the business.
The only solution Of the liquor prob
lem, Du Pont contended, was for the
best people Of the country to give it
their attention, arguing that the United
States had done everything to debase
liquor traffic when 1t should be raised
to respectable standard.
Du Pont, under questioning, said he
believed that a majority of the people
of the country favored repeal of the
eighteenth amendment.
Ninety per cent of the $4,000 replies
to QUESTIONABLE sent out in Delaware,
he said, favored repeal.
He asserted he did not think that
prohibition had added to the prosperity
of the country in the past 10 years.
Fallen Into Disrepute.
Fundamentally the liquor traffic
should be turned over to good hands"
Du Pont insisted, saying that at first
the tavern keeper was a respected citi-
zen, but later had fallen into disrepute,
and that finally a condition had arisen
whereby a man was looked upon with
suspicion for entering q saloon.
Conditions now have arisen, he con-
tinued, to require that our best citizens
take control and put the liquor traffic
into reputable hands, and treat those
who won't agree and abide by the
regulations as they should be treated
Du Pont said all that concerns" the
country is the excessive use of liquor,
reiterating that the percentage of ex-
ceSsive users was small, and adding
that the great majority of those who
drank did not use liquor to their own
bodily harm before prohibition.
Replying to question by Representa-
tive Bachmann, Republican, West Vir-
ginia, Du Pont said he believed the
majority of the people of the country
would be more likely ito be for repeal
than against" If referendum We're put
to the county.
Representative Moore, Republican,
Ohio, questioned Du Pont about his
statement that ministers should try to
OCbbGL lAlC llQuOI IIddiCp anu JAlC WAOllCSS
replied the ministers previously had
tried to stamp out the old saloon instead
of trying to improve the conditions sur
rounding them.
Admits Disagreement.
Asked by Representative Kitchener,
Republican, Michigan, If Alfred P.
Sloan, president of General Motors, did
not differ with him on prohibition, the
witness replied in the affirmative. Until
recently Du Pont was chairman of the
board of that corporation.
Kitchener said the point he wanted
to bring out was that great and intel
ligent industrial leaders may honestly
differ on the question"
'I would like to attack the word hon
eStly,'" Du Pont answered.
Du Pont said that many industrial
leaders believed prohibition was good
for the working classes, but that they
did not apply it to themselves.
do you mean to imply that the gen.
tleman I mentioned and other big in
duStrialists do not practice what they
preach?" Michener asked.
"They will have to speak for them
selves" Du Pont answered.
The witness said he had attended a
dinner with man who advocated pro-
hibition for the working classes, but