Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-24
SENATE APPROVES
SEARCH CLAUSE IN
DISTRICT DRY BILL
CONTINUED Prom First Pase.l

amendment has the approval Of the
President.
Doubts WheeIer's Sincerity.
Senator Bingham replied he did not
think the Montana Senator really In
tended to ask that question in view Of
the message the President sent to the
Senate recently. Senator Bingham
added that he did not want to be di-
verted into a political discussion when
he was trying TO discuss from scien-
tif1c standpoint what Is and Is not IN
toxicating.
Senator Bingham expressed the view
that some people get intoxicated at the
sound of their own voices. while some
others do not get intoxicated with
number of drinks"
Before the search warrant amend
ment was acted on, Senator Howell
complained that the dry laws are not
enforced In the District, that police
seize liquor, but that technicalities
raised by the defense are permitted by
the courts to rule and the Uolators 60
free
eff it Is impossible to enforce The
Volstead act in the District if the
judges and law officers do not enforce
existing law, will they enforce new
laws?" inquired Senator Norris Of
Nebraska.
Other Amendments Later.
at looks to me as though the diff
Guilty Is the failure to enforce the exist
ing law rather than the lack Of law.
We need men who will do their duty"
Senator Howell replied there must be
q different spirit with reference to the
enforcement of liquor laws. including
the Judges in the Tistrict 81
The Senate this afternoon Is goin.
through the preliminary procedure OF
acting on the various changes in Ian
guage made to the bill in committee,
following which will come other amend
ments prepared by individual Senators
on the floor.
The senate voted late yesterday, 30
to 90, to take up the Howell bill.
Tydings Wants Referendum.
Senator Tydings, Democrat, Of Mary
land urged q referendum Of the people
Of the District, predicting the bill
would be rejected three to one. The
Marylander also announced he was con-
sidering an amendment to provide life
imprisonment for violators.
In explaining the need for a local
law to supplement the Volstead act.
Senator Howell said he found that
1852 Of the 1900 District policemen
have no duties whatever in connection
with prohibition enforcement, except
to arrest intoxicated persons.
Hits Attitude Of Some Judges.
Continuing his argument in support
Of the bill. Senator Howell said:
'I found that there were justiflable
complaints because of the restoration Of
policemen to the District pay roll after
suspension for drunkenness while on
duty; because Of the appointment to and
personnel unquestionably wet-both
personally and constitutionally; because
of the congestion of the court dockets.
81 found complaints because of a not
unusual attitude on the part of some
judges to give defendants better than q
sporting chance by leaning backward in
prohibition cases, to say nothing of a
manifest tendency to multiply the tech
nical hazards of the judicial golf course
to such an extent as to render 1t diff
cult and often impossible for prose-
cutors to secure convictions for patent
liquor violations.
II found that bootleggers freely main
tanned storageS of liquor in the city
without interference.
II found that not only was Washing
ton a virtual sanctuary for stores of
bootleg liquor, but That, professionally,
high-claSS bootleggers led a charmed
life, while the hazard of the common
garden variety was nominal, as evil
denced by the 10-year record of one of
of liquor violations
charged. 54 times served in jail, not /
day; forfeitures and fines paid, $500, or
at the rate of $39 per annum, a mod
crate occupation tax, indeed.
Assails Diplomatic Violations.
IT found that, contrary to law and
the Constitution, as set forth in opin-
ions filed by the Department of Justice,
persons of diplomatic status were Sc
curing the unlawful delivery in WASH
ington of hundreds of thousands of
quarts of liquor annually by virtue of
permits and protection afforded by the
executive branch of the Government"