Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-25
BY WILLIAM HARD.

| At this week end the WickerSham re-
port still has Washington in the grip
of a sort of circular insanity In which
retainistS Of the eighteenth amendment
| and repealiStS and reviSionistS chase
one another about in a merry go-round
which has become whirling blur. One
of the secretaries Of the President re-
marked the other day:
What we need is a prohibition CLOS
sary so that everybody will at least
know the meaning of the title OF the
| faction to which he belongs.
Acting upon this helpful hint, this
| writer proceeds to attempt to display
| the teachings and tendencies OF the
various prohibition factions of the Cap
ital City, with special reference to the
Presidents membership in all or none OF
them.
&
The retainists, to begin with, are
those who wish to keep the eighteenth
amendment and the Federal prohibition
enforcement laws exactly as they are.
except for minor changes in the en-
forcement laws tending toward an en-
forcement more competent and more
effective. In this school of thought the
Republicans, proportionately to their
numbers, are more prominent than the
Democrats-that is, the percentage OF
Republicans in our politically doubtful
States who are retainistS Is larger than
the percentage OF Democrats VINO are
retainistS.
r \ r
Last Wednesday the President, in con-
sequence of his wording OF his message
to Congress conveying to it the find
ings of the Wickersham Commission,
was confidently classified as a complete
retainist. Thursday morning, in the
midst of fogs arising out of converSa-
tionS between newspaper correspond
entS and White House officials. this
classification of the President began TO
appear dubious. BY Friday it was def
nitely ascertained, and this writer here
definitely and with absolute assurance
states, that the President is not neceS-
sarily a complete retainist.
What he actually is can truthfully be
said to be a matter requiring prolonged
further research, even by himself. He
does not claim that he has explored the
subject all the way through to its ulti-
mate finalitieS. His mind, in degree,
at any rate, is open. In another degree,
nevertheless, it is closed. Whatever the
President is in this prohibition dispute,
there is one thing that he is not. He Is
not repealiSt.
This is really sure. 1t is fixed. The
subsequent mist of abatement or ex-
tenuation Of 1t has arisen from the
White House grounds
4 *
The President profoundly believes
that the Federal Government has a
function, some sort of function, what
ever it may be, in the liquor problem.
A repealist, q mere sheer repealiSt, by
simply taking the eighteenth amend
ment out of the Constitution, would
simply and totally take the liquor prob
lem out Of the Federal field. He would
restore it totally to the 48 fields of the
48 States.
The President for the liquor problem,
is, in some degree, at any rate, a Fed
eralist. He thinks that the liquor prob
lem has national aspects and requires
at any rate some or many national pro-
hlbitory or supervisory restrictions and
| controls. He therefore is not and, so
far as present calculations can be
projected, will never be, a repealist.
Thus an arrival Is made at the cli-
matte and clamorous question: Is the
President a revisionist?
X X X \
Last Wednesday the President in his
Wickersham report message to the Con-
greSs said that he objected to the pro-
posed revision which that report con-
tanned. On Thursday and Friday a
specific rumor was circulated that the
, Presidents original draft of his message
was narrower in its condemnation of
revision. His objection, originally, it
was asserted, was directed against this
particular proposed revision
The President, 1t is well known, has
the habit of consulting large numbers
of his intimates regarding the wording
of his messages and speeches. In the
course of the consultations in this in
stance the word particular" or some
such word, got temporarily or negligently
edited out and then, by reason cit is as
serted) of haste or by reason of error
or by reason of the numerousnesS of
the clutter Of cooks surrounding the
spelling Of the broth, never got edited
back.
*
This story this writer believes to be
true in essence. True or not, however,
it corresponds to the Presidents actual
state OF mind. From many OF his
closest friends it is we'll known to many
! newspaper correspondents that the
President, while believing that the Fed
eral Government has function in the
liquor question, believes also that
the State governments have q function
in it. The Wickersham Commissions
proposed revision commits the whole
liquor problem to the Congress and
leaves the solution of the problem still
entirely Federal. For that reason, If for
no other, the President cannot bring
himself to accept it. He at the same
time is not condemning and has never
condemned, the revision theory as a
whole.
The pivot Of that theory is that
some sort of Federal Intervention in
the liquor problem must continue. The
repealists, strictly SO called, return the
problem totally to State jurisdiction.
The revisionists, strictly so called. per-
petuate Federal Jurisdiction, complete
or partial. The Wickersham Commits
sion revisionists perpetuate it complete.
The President, by his own explicit
statement u not that variety Of re-