Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-19
FUTILE DRY PLAN
CLEARLY DEFINED
Presents ConCretely PropoS-
ed Substitute for Present
Prohibition Law.
HY MARK SULLIVAN.


announcement Of Charles H. futile of
New York about prohibition has one
outstanding virtue. 1t presents con-
cretely and in detail just what is pro-
posed to be substituted for the present
status. The standing of Mr.. Tuttle as
Federal district attorney of New York
and as potential Republican candidate
for Governor of New York, gives to his
utterance an Importance similar to that
of Ambassador Dwight Morrow, Repub-
lican candidate for Senator from New
Jersey. and several others, including the
formal statement of ex-Gov. Smith of
New York when he was candidate
for the presidency.
AS to the bulk of such statements,
dry leaders in Congress have COM
planned that they are not sufficiently
definite or detailed as to just what is
proposed to be substituted for the pres
ent prohibition amendment and the
present law. Some dry Senators ex-
pect. for example. to cross-examine Mr..
Morrow when and II he enters the Sem
ate in December as to exactly what he
would substitute for the present status.
Such dry leaders claim that If they
are ever to consent to a Nationwide
referendum or to a squarely drawn de-
bate and vote in Congress, the issue
must be clearly set forth as lying be-
tween two specific alternatives One
alternative would be the present status.
The other alternative is the thing which
the drys say must be clearly set forth.
One possible alternative would be re-
turn to the status existing before the
prohibition amendment took effect. AS
to a referendum or a vote in Congress
between the present status and the old
status. the drys make two suggestions.
One is that they would oppose having
this particular kind of referendum or
vote in Congress. The other is that
such referendum or vote would result
in victory for the present status and
would therefore leave us exactly where
we now are. The drys are very con-
fldent and there is evidence TO sustain
their belief that the country, includ-
ing great many moderate vets, would
refuse to go back to the exact condition
which the prohibition amendment was
designed to cure.
The drys say, in short, thst If there
is to be referendum or action by Con-
gress the question must be squarely
posed between two alternatives. One
alternative would be the present status.
The other would be some concrete de-
tailed proposal having the general pur-
pose of approximate maximum prohi-
bition, though to be attained by a diff
ferent method
futile Proposal Concrete.
Drys feel that Mr.. Tuttle's proposal
comes closer to being properly con.
crete and detailed alternative than most
OF the other proposals coming from wet
leaders. The actual status contemplate
ed by Mr.. futile is made sufficiently
clear. The net of it amounts to SAYING
that there shall be no manufacture or
sale of liquor except through one meth
cd. The method Is that If any State
government acting IN its governmental
capacity, wishes itself to manufacture
and sell liquor such State should be
permitted to do So Every other method
than this one is excluded by Mr.. Tut
ties proposal
This proposal of Mr.. futile will be
looked upon with one degree or another
OF tolerance by considerable number
Of moderate drys. 1t is less unwelcufne
to the drys than the bulk of wet pro-
posals from other wet sources. The
central ideal of Mr.. Tuttle's proposal Is
that the commercial manufacture and
sale of liquor for private profit hall
continue to be absolutely prohibited. He
says there shall not be amy direct or
indirect return to a system of saloon or
private traffic in intoxicating beverages
for private profit" Again he says ne
would ENSURE that the saloon or private
traffic system shall continue to be OUT
awed and forbidden by the Constitution
everywhere in the United States"
Drys' Ideal FULFILLED.
This ideal of Mr.. futile really CO.
incides with the ideal entertained by
many drys during the years they fought
Tor prohibition. What was in their
minds as an odious thing, intolerable
to endure and necessary to be pre-
vented was the commercial exploitation
and stimulation of the consumption of
liquor for the purpose Of private profit.
One other objective of the drys was
allied to this. They we're outraged by
and determined to prevent the control
of politics by liquor interests. Control
of politics by organized liquor interests
was, of course, an incident of the desire
for private profit Consequently this, as
well as the fundamental ideal of the
drys, is completely fulfilled by Mr.. Tut
ties proposal.
What is here said about the attitude
of drys on Mr.. Tuttles proposal applies
to moderate drys only. Even as to these
moderate drys what is here said about
their attitude should not be construed
too strongly. All that is meant is that
some moderate drys are less antagonistic
toward Mr.. Tuttle's proposal than they
are toward many other wet proposals.
A considerable number OF exception
ally earnest drys, especially those who
| look upon prohibition as a moral issue,
will feel strong distaste for Mi. futile g
suggestion. Their comment will have
| the spirit and in many cases take the
! form of an exclamation, "What Allow
State governments to run grog shops?"
| This type Of dry viii also recall the one
experiment that one State Of the Union
once made In what Mr.. futile pro-
poses. South Carolina during the 1905
/ tried a "dispensary" system, in which
the state took monopoly of liquor
and sold It under stringently defined
| regulations.