Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-24
Wickersham Stirs Tempest
By Comment on Dry Report

Judge Understands statement as to.
misunderstanding and abuse Is quoted
by the st. Louis Times. which con-
cludes: I'VE agree with Judge Wicker
sham. We feel, also, as the report Is
digested, Congress VIII ind Q growing
sentiment for revision Of the law under
the suggestions and findings Of the
commission" The Springfield MASS
Republican, however, advises: II the
commission could investigate the
broader question Of regulation Of pri-
vate morals and the interference with
personal liberty. its studies Of the Illicit
liquor trade under prohibition would
be made more Illuminating. What Is
enforceable in this country? It is i'm
possible to have too broad foundation
for sound conclusions"
"Mr. Wickersham sums up the argu-
ment," according to the Cleveland News.
"by saying that the vets should have
derived more encouragement from the
report and the separate statements of
the commissioners than the drys.' Left
to interpret the findings In the light Of
the individual members opinions, they
doubtless would. Furnished with what
appeared to be a censored and edited
verdict, 1t did not follow" The Balti-
more sun contends that nothing In the
ofdcial summary Of the report, or in
the accompanying statement OF the
President, gave the public true under
standing Of what the report contained"
The Chicago Daily Tribune believes
that "a fairly general feeling regarding
the report is that it lodged its own con-
illusions"
since first impressions are lasting,
the truth concerning the commissions
findings has not yet entirely overtaken
and dispelled the Misunderstanding
AYERS the Erie Dispatches Herald, while
the Lynchburg News concludes: THE
main point is that, even after Mr..
Wickersham has undertaken to explain
that the report was, after all, a wet re-
port there are drys who contend that
1t was dry report and vets who aren't
satisfied. In other words. opinions held
before Chairman Wickersham spoke are
the opinions held after he spoke. The
conclusion still exists, and the report
still isn't worth whatever was paid for
it." incidentally, the News quotes an
Anti-Saloon League official at the
league convention at st. Petersburg.
Fla, as contendtng that the report lis
very, very comforting for the dryS and
he doesn't understand how the vets
could like it at ALI; that "he says that
the Wickersham Commission holds that
the eighteenth amendment enforced is
until some better substitute is found"
Endorsing Senator Borah's criticism
of the commission method of settling
such matters, the Omaha orld-Herald
emphasizes 1.-THE tendency to shift pub
lie responsibility to commissions, with
all the delay that is entailed and the
little progress made" The Topeka Daily
Capital raises the question Of the small
amount paid by the States for prohibi-
ton enforcement and offers the iudg-
ment: About the best the Wickersharn
Commission could say Of State enforce
ment is that it Is on the average per-
functory or spaSnnodic,' and 1t applies
this to the case of Kansas. This agrees
with general local opinion. Enforcement
of1cials and the Legislature have been
perfunctory and spasmodic In backing
prohibition. The surprising thing is
that prohibition holds as much popular
respect as 1t has done, in view Of the
Indifferent enforcement except by the
Federal Government. In Kansas 1t Is
observance rather than enforcement
that makes any creditable showing"