Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-01

Der Of Congress, intimately identified
with the pre-convention campaign of
Herbert Hoover, thought. the subject Of
Sufncient importance to address the
House of Representatives In an at
tempt to lift the whole discussion to
higher plane
Mr.. Fort would not embarrass Mr..
Hoover. He resigned q few days ago
his connection with the Republican
national committee in order that he
might not embarraSS his party. Com
ing from New Jersey, wet State, Mr.
Forts remarks were received with rapt
attention by the entire House. While
there was much criticism from both
vets and drys as to Mr.. Forts con-
cluSlon the applause he received showed
that the House approved his conscienti-
Gus effort to find some way out Of the
present prohibition mix-up.
Speech Significant.
The New Jersey Representative thinks
the eighteenth amendment and the
Volstead law were intended to suppress
the liquor trafic, but the making OF
intoxicants in ones home Is a private
matter not prohibited by law. Mr..
Fort Is a prohibitioniSt and his speech
takes on the greatest significant be-
cause of his exhortation to the extreme
drys to avoid doing things which he
believes viii cause the prohibition move
ment to lose ground and perhaps I'M
pair the economic advantages which he
thinks have been derived from the pro-
hibition laws.
There were drys, of course, who COM
mented on Mr.. Forts speech as an eff
fort to produce by definition something
which the law itself in spirit prohibits.
The Volstead act legalizes home brew,
but at the same time makes 1t unlawful
for any one to sell utensils or to dis
tribute q recipe telling people how to
manufacture intoxicating liquor.
If Representative Forts speech had
come at any other time and under other
circumstances, 1t would have gone into
the Congressional Record as lust an
other prohibition speech" But, even
though Mr.. Hoover was not consulted
in advance and is in no way respon-
sible for Mr.. Forts views, 1t Is known
that he regards highly the Representa-
tive from New Jersey. In fact, Rep
reSentative Fort Is one of the outStand-
ing men in the House Of Representatives
today, and he Is being doomed for Gov
ernor OF New Jersey, q position which
his father held more than 20 years ago.
Mr.. Forts speech may be an indica-
CAOh VI AoW seriously the QryS are TAX
ing the prohibition discussion. There
Is tendency to divide into two camps
those who uncompromisingly insist that
the issue Is the repeal or the retention
OF the eighteenth amendment and that
the word manufacture does cover the
nome as well as the liquor trafilc out
SIDE the home. The other group Of drys
are nearer to the middle Of the road,
being anxious to avoid any material
modification Of either the eighteenth
amendment or the Volstead law, but
recognizing that the constant lombard
ment Of the prohibition statutes Is hav-
ing an effect on public sentiment and
making 1t more and more difiicult to
secure observance Of the law.
Mr.. Forts suggestion was that II the
law were directed at the liquor trafic
public sentiment would rally behind 1t,
whereas the consumption at home CT
Intoxicating beverages was such q per-
sonal and private matter that when the
law seeks to invade this precinct public
sentiment rebels
The fact of the matter Is. however.
that II the distinction made by Repre-
sentative Fort were to be formally sane
TONED II would lead 10 agitation for the
repeal Of those sections Of the Voistead