Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-22
Politics at Large
By C. Could Lincoln.

Despite the antagonism of those vino
do not wish to see prohibition enforced,
and some of those who do, the program
| of legislation to strengthen enforce
ment recently transmitted to the Con-
gress by the President shows signs of
being given consideration at an early
| date. Mr.. Hoover, backed by the Law
Enforcement Commissions recommen-
datlons and those of the Attorney Gen.
eral and the Secretary of the Treasury,
| has proposed certain changes in the
law, saying, in effect, that If these
| changes are made it will make for more
| efficient administration and enforce
ment of the dry laws. If his program
is turned down, in whole or in large
! part it will be because of certain dry
| opposition in Congress rather than be-
cause of the antagonism of the "wetS."
Both branches of Congress are over
! whelmingly dry, when it comes to vot-
| ing in support of prohibition, and the
vets could not block legislation except,
| perhaps, through fiilibustering tactics in
| the Senate.
President Hoover, it appears, has
| effectually passed the problem of better
| enforcement of the dry laws to Con-
greSs. His recommendations came at
a time when some of the drys, partic-
ularly in the Senate, had been denounc-
| ing the administration for failure to
enforce prohibition. Senator Borah of
| Idaho was one of those whose criticism
was most severe. There have been
| limitations that some of the members
of the Senate judiciary committee are
not satisfied with the proposal that
United States commissioners shall hear
cases of minor violations of the prohi-
bition laws, brought on information or
| complaint by United States attorneys
| instead of by the grand jury process.
1t has been charged that this proposal
denies the right of jury trial and vio-
| lates the spirit, If not the letter, of the
| Constitution. But the proposal IS
backed by some of the best legal minds
in the country, members of the Law
Enforcement Commission, by which 1t
was worked out. Nor does it deny a
| jury trial to defendants in these minor
cases, since they are given three days
in which to demand a jury trial after
the findings of the United States COM
| missioners are made known to them.
X
Already bills have been introduced in
the House to carry out this proposal
| of the Law Enforcement Commission,
which it says will go far to relieve the
congestion OF cases in the Federal courts,
| and members of the House judiciary
matter say that the proposal is con-
| stitutional. Hearings on the proposal
are to be held soon before the House
! judiciary committee, and the Senate
judiciary committee has appointed a
subcommittee to deal with the proposal
also. There has been more criticism
directed against this particular proposal
than against the other recommended
| tons of the President. In certain quar-
| tnFc a. &c hold fhof tho Eracidar1fbc
gram for better law enforcement will be
practically disregarded. The politics of
| the situation does not sit that way,
| however. Congress has this problem
| before 1t, and it will have to give some
good reason for not dealing with 1t, If 1t
| fails to do so. 1t is rather difficult to
be an ardent advocate of law enforce
ment and at the same time attack pro-
posalS for strengthening the hands of
| the Government to enforce the laws,
when the proposals have behind them
the principal officials of the Govern
| ment and commission with the dis
| tinguished personnel of the Law En-
forcement Commission. This question
OF law enforcement is coming more and
more to be real issue that cannot be
kept out Of politics.
X X
Up in Massachusetts, there is a ter
AAOAC oOCW ONCL bA1C EbGpuDllCdu GcI6=
torial candidacy. Why not Charles
Francis Adams, Secretary of the Navy,
the Bay States representative in the
Presidents cabinet? It is true that Mr..
Adams might need some persuading,
and also he was at one time a Demo-
cratic mayor OF Quincy, but that was
way back in 1897, and he appears to
have been enough of Republican for
the President to place him in the cabi-
a &E ls-AE.
family, which has been represented in
the White House itself. He was treas
urer Of Harvard and has been active
In business. They may be many good
reasons from the point of view of the
politician why Mr.. Adams should not be
the choice of the Republicans for the
Senate in Massachusetts, but to the Law
mind he would make good Senator of
the United States. At present he Is
one OF the delegates OF the United
States at the London Conference on
Naval Limitation. He may not return
to this country for a couple Of months.
But the Massachusetts, primaries for
the nomination of senatorial candi.
dates is not to take place until next
September and there is plenty of time
for his friends to put him in the race.
II he does not oppose it.
X
Perhaps it would be as well to ask
former Gov. Fuller what he thinks
about Mr.. Adams, however, before any-
thing Is done. Every time a candidate
Tor the Republican senatorial nomina-
ton Is put forward, Mr.. Fuller takes
large swat at him. 1t has been sup
posed that Mr.. Fuller wanted the norni-
nation himself, but he has so far made
no formal announcement of his candle
oacy. A few days ago report was pub
llshed to the effect that Mr.. Fuller
would take himself out of the sena-
torial race, If he has been in it, in
favor of William M. Butler, at one time
Senator and chairman of the Republi-
can national committee. Mr.. Fuller de-
nounced the report, saying he had not
decided not to be candidate for the
senate. Mr.. Butler took the matter
ph1loSophically. 1t has been generally
understood that Mr.. Butler would be
willing to make the race for the Senate
again, provided he could be assured of
the united support of the Republicans
Of his State. He was defeated by Sena-
tor David I. Walsh, Democrat. But
Dave" Walsh has a popular following
In Massachusetts, that might defeat al
most any candidate. Senator Walsh is
not running this year, however, and the
Republicans should be able to elect
their candidate, provided they don't
squabble too much among themselves
They have a large majority of the
House delegation and a governor and
control of the State Legislature. So far
the Democrats have not put forward a
senatorial candidate who can be said
to be anything like as strong as Sena-
tor Walsh. The suggestion crops out
now and again that Massachusetts, Re-
publicanS nominate Mrs. Edith Nourse
Rogers, representative Of the fifth
Massachusetts, district in the House.
Mrs Rogers is one of the ablest men,