Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-09
DRY TRANSFERB BILL
APPROVED IN HOUSE
First Step in Hoover'S En-
forCement Program Calls
for Shift.
Continued From First Page.)

subpoena witnesses, but would be glad
to hear the Massachusetts, "wets" If
they came to Washington.
The hearings before the House judi
ciary committee are the first under
taken by that committee since prohibit
ton went into effect 10 years ago. The
Senate judiciary committee, however,
through a subcommittee headed by
former Rice w. Means of Colorado. held
extensive hearings on proposals to re-
peal or modify the dry laws about
three years ago.
Prohibition continues to hold the
limelight in congressional debates. Dur
ing the last two weeks prominent men,
bers of the House have discussed the
subject, with Representative James M.
Beck of Pennsylvania, former solicitor
general, making the most recent argu-
ment in opposition to prohibition. He
has recommended the repeal of the
Volstead act, leaving the eighteenth
amendment without an enforcing
statute.
AIchohOl Proposal Is Defeated.
The Williamson bill, for the transfer
of prohibition enforcement to the De-
partment of Justice, was put through
the House late yesterday without
record vote. Efforts we're made by
minority of the committee on expendi-
lures in the executive departments to
amend the bill so that the Attorney Cen
eral should prescribe all regulations re-
lating to permits for industrial alcho-
f1ol, without the Secretary of the Treas
ury having hand in such regulations.
This proposal. however, was voted
down by the House in committee of
whole, by las to Al. It's proponents
urged that the Attorney General should
have full authority in this matter. par
ticularly as much of the alcohol
which finds its way into the bootleg
traffic comes from the diversion of in
dustrial alcohol.
Representative Dallinger OF MaSSa-
chusetts. a member of the committee,
supported the provision of the bill under
which the permit regulations are to be
written jointly by the Attorney Gen
eral and the Secretary of the Treasury
He pointed out that the Attorney Cen |
eral himself has favored this plan.
The actual issuance of the permits |
for industrial alchohol remains in the |
Treasury Department, under the bill, |
and the Bureau of Prohibition in the |
Treasury is hereafter to be known as |
the Bureau of Industrial Alchohol with |
a commissioner Of industrial alchohol
at its head.
Cochran's Move Loses.
Representative Cochran of Missouri,
q member of the committee on expendi-
lures in the executive departments,
proposed that the Treasury Depart
ment should continue to have full con-
troll over the issuance of permits for
industrial alcohol and for medicinal
and sacramental alcoholic beverages,
instead of having the Attorney Cen
eral acting Jointly in these matters
with the Secretary of the Treasury.
He expressed the view that business
houses using industrial alcohol would
suffer under any other arrangement.
But his proposal was Overwhelmingly
defeated too, as were other amend
ments of a similar character.
Representative La Guardia of New
York, one of the wet group in the
House, during the debate on the Will
hanson bill charged that a Senator !
from Washington had pulled of the |
Department of Justice" and kept it
from interfering with prohibition ad-
ministrators who were violating the
law at Puget Sound. Mr.. La Guardia
did not name the Senator during the
debate, but when he left the floor he
said that he referred to Senator Jones
of Washington, author of the So-called
IS and 10" law, imposing heavy pen
alties for violations of the dry laws.
In the debate La Guardia referred to
him as "a great statesman in the
other body and foremost champion of
prohibition"
The charge was made during the
consideration of an amendment to pre-
vent the employment of prohibition law
violators in the Bureau of Prohibition. |
Jones Denies Charge.
II want to present a situation which /
exists in the State of Washington, |
where you have administrators of pro-
hibition who are violating the law, and |
when the Department of Justice tried !
TO interfere, great statesman in the |
other body and a foremost champion
OF prohibition pulled the Department
OF Justice of. That is the kind of |
situation We are trying to prevent"
Senator Jones later denied fatty he |
had ever asked the Department of Jus !
ice to stop any investigation He said |
ne knew OF no administrator of prohibit !
uon who had committed a crime.
AS matter of courtesy to me-" said |
Senator Jones. 81 should think that Mr.. /
La Guardia would see if there. was any |
truth IN statement of that kind before |
he made it,
The House judiciary committee, !
through a subcommittee headed by /
representative Christopherson, is con-
SANCAALS lilo6 pdIb Ol IIle pTeSlQenIldl |
program for strengthening prohibition |
enforcement through the use Of United |
States commissioners to hear cases of |
minor violation of the prohibition laws !
~ has already had number of hear |
1ngs on the proposal. |
Border Patrol Plan in Program.
Another feature of the Presidents |
program calls for a unified border
patrol, to prevent the smuggling of |
liquor into this country. The commit |
tee on immigration of the House has |
this matter before it, but is waiting to |
see If the committee on expenditures in ,
the executive departments plans to bring !
in bill dealing with this matter as it |
also has Jurisdiction of the subject
Predictions have been made that the
only bill which may be expected to be-
come law at the present session of Con-
gress. of those to carry out the Presi-
dents program for strengthening en-
forcement of the liquor laws, is that
providing for the transfer to the De-
partment of Justice of the enforcement
unit. However. the House committees
are going ahead with the consideration
OF the other features
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