Evening star., 1931-12-27
LIQUOR SHOWDOWN
AIMED IN CONGRESS
Forces in Both Houses Seek
Action on Question Before
1882 Campaign.
Continued From First Page.)

ICcntlnued From First Page)
first of subcommittee to begin hear
lngs Will be the subcommittee of the
Manufactures Committee, which has be-
lore 1T the 4 per cent beer bill.
1t Is extremely doubtful that any of
these bills for the repeal or revision of
the liquor laws can receive a favorable
report from the Committee on judiciary
or the Committee on Manufactures.
What the vets are hoping for, however.
Is that they may be reported to tie
Senate, even If unfavorably; placed on
the calendar and brought to a vote.
Holds Time Not Right.
In the House, Chairman Summers Of
the Judiciary Committee, who halls
from Texas and is dry, has declared
that he does not believe it the part of
wisdom to take up prohibition measures
at time when the country is in the
throes of the depression, and legisla-
tion to aid in the economic recovery is
needed. However, the opponents of ma
tlonal prohibition are urging repeal or
revision of the liquor laws in the in
terest OF economic recovery, asserting
that the sale of alcoholic beverages
under license by the Government would
IleeOeU
by the Treasury, and that the farmers
would find greater use for their grain
crops. In the past, the supports of
prohibition have insisted that the pros
perlty OF the country was due to the
dry laws. But with prosperity a back
number, the argument does not reg
ister so strongly
The Republican and Democratic
leaders of the House, Representative
Smell OF New York and Representative
Ralney OF Illinois, both asserted recent
ly that the liquor issue must be faced
In the House and indicated that they
Will do nothing to oppose vote either
on repeal or revision of the eighteenth
amendment. The rules of the House
have been revised SO that a petition
signed by l45 members can have the
erect OF bringing vote in the House
on any measure, even though the meas
ure is still before standing committee.
Inc vote would be on motion to dis
charge the committee from further con-
sideration of the measure, but its effect
would be the same as thought the vote
were taken directly on the measure it.
sell. In the Senate the Republican
leader, Senator Watson. although a dry,
mas SAID that he would not oppose a
showdown on the liquor issue at the
present session. Like other drys, Sena-
tor Watson is confident that the vets
would be overwhelmingly defeated
This is admitted by the vets them
selves, although the wet block in the
House is perhaps twice as large as it
was in the last Congress and there
mas been some increase in the wet vote
in the Senate. However. the vets are
eager to place all members of Con-
gress on record, SO that the issue in
the various congressional districts and
IN those States which elect Senators
next year, on the liquor question will
be clearly drawn
Senator Bingham of Connecticut be-
cause of his activity in regard to anti
prohibition measures. has become
leader OF the vets in the Senate. In
the House, they have wet blocs on both
the Democratic and Republican sides of
the chamber with Representative Lin
thlcum OF Maryland heading the Demo-
cratic vets and Representative Beck of
Pennsylvania the Republican vets.
Strengthened Enforcement.
In the last Congress. House and SEN
ate Committees gave attention to meas
ures designed to strengthen prohibition
enforcement, several of which were
prepared on recommendation of the
Wickersham Commission. Some of
them were enacted into law. The House
Judiciary Committee then had a wet at
its head, the late Judge Graham of Penn
sylvania. The most recent extensive
hearings on prohibition before Senate
committees were those conducted by a
subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary
Committee back in 1926 At that time
Senator Jim" Reed of Missouri, one
of the few vets on the committee, con-
Quoted the hearings to a great extent
and by his examination of witnesses
centered attention on the failings of
prohibition enforcement.
showdown on the LIQUOR question
in the Congress. too, may aid both the
major political parties when it comes
to drafting their platform for the 1882
campaign. The vets in both the Re-
publican and Democratic parties are
urging that a liberal platform, SO far
as liquor is concerned, be drafted. Some
Of them are hoping at least to have
plankS for referendum on prohibition
Included in the platform, if they can go
no further. Democrats and Republicans
alike are afraid of the issue, however.
And many of the Democrats, even those
who oppose prohibition, are asking why
1t is necessary to take a chance, by in
serting wet plank in their platform,
of losing the election when, if the cam
paign is fought out on economic issues
and hard times, the Democrats seem
to have such a good chance to win.