Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-22
The Political Mill
BY C. Could Lincoln.

The report of the wickersham Com
mission on prohibition has accomplished
one thing at least. 1t has given added
impetus to the proposal that the whole
question of national prohibition. as pro-
vided in the eighteenth amendment to
the Constitution, be resubmitted to the
people through the constitutional con-
ventions in the individual States. Sew
eral of the members of the commission
state specifically in their individual re-
ports that they believe that such a
course would do much to clear the at
mosphere. Practically the entire mem
bership of the commission wishes the
question of the eighteenth amendment
resubmitted in one form or another.
The statement in the summary of the
report signed by 10 of the IL members
to the effect that the commission is OPP
posed to repeal of the eighteenth
amendment is about as clear as mud.
1t means, probably, that the commits
sioners agree that it would not be
proper to eliminate the prohibition
amendment and go back to the old
conditions prevailing before that amend
ment to the Constitution was adopted.
X X x
However, If the country is not to have
national prohibition and control of
liquor as they now exist, what is 10 be
substituted? There's the rub. 1t is
the failure of all opponents to agree on
any single plan to take the place of the
present system that gives the drys
added confidence. Some of the vets
wish modification, others wish fiat re-
peal. If the drys can keep The opposi-
ton sufficiently divided over this mat
ter, they feel they can hang on to the
eighteenth amendment without much
difficulty.
Chairman George w. Wickersham'S
separate statement or report embodied
in the report of the commission sent
10 Congress by the President is perhaps
the dryeSt in t-ne Of any of the state
ments of the individual commissioners
with the exception Of that of Judge
Grub. Mr.. Wickersham recommends
a resubmission of the eighteenth
amendment to the people, through the
State constitutional route. Judge VIII
liam S. Kenyon of Iowa, Henry w.
Anderson CT Virginia. Ada L. Comstock,
bridge, all express the opinion that the
matter should be resubmitted, as DO
still other members of the commission
X + X
Mr. Wickersham's plan would be to
have the people vote for delegates to
the State conventions with the prohi-
bition question the sole issue in their
minds. He suggests, however. that Con-
gress put through resolution proposing
to amend the Constitution simply re-
pealing the eighteenth amendment"
He does not suggest substitute amend
ment be submitted to the people. Prob
ably that is the form the ultra drys
would prefer to have the question take
if submitted to the people. feeling that
It would be easy to picture to the voters
the evil conditions which existed before
national prohibition became part of the
basic law of the country. A substitute,
such as that written into the commits
stems own report, giving Congress the
power TO regulate or to prohibit the
liquor business, seemed not to be in Mr..
understands mind at the time. Presi-
dent Hoover has fatty opposed such
the Congress.
Apparently the commissioners when
they wrote the substitute giving the
Congress the right to determine whether
there should be regulated liquor traffic
in this country or fiat prohibition had
in mind the dificulty of revising the
Constitution itself and preferred to leave
the matter to Congress in the future, so
that if evil conditions arose again UNI
der the proposed regulated liquor traf-
tional prohibition by a vote of ma
jority in both Houses of Congress and
the approval of the President The
great difficulty about such plan would
be the fact that it would leave the
liquor issue perpetually in politics, with
a wet and dry side in every election
At least that is the argument urged
against the proposal. However, it ap-
pears that the liquor issue has been
IT.
for many, many years already. Before
the eighteenth amendment was adopted
it was an issue in congressional cam
paigns. Since its adoption, it has been
an issue in at least one national cam
paign for the election of a President
and promises to be an issue in the COM
ing national campaign of 1882.
x x
Although President Hoover in his
letter sending the Wickersham Com
missions report to Congress declared
against the proposed substitute for the
amendment written into the
report, some of his friends
say today that the President has IAN
open mind" with regard to possible re-
vision; that some other form of re-
vision might suit him. If that is the
case, the sooner it is officially stated
will become the situation to the voters.
The ardent drys have interpreted Presi-
dent Hoover's letter as a fiat refusal
to accept revision of the eighteenth
and a determination to
drive ahead with the present system.
If these ardent drys believed anything
else, there would be a torrent of dis
approval Immediately loosed at the
President. On the other hand II the
of national prohibition as it
now is practiced were informed that
the President favored revision in some
form, they would cease firing" at the
Chief Executive.
One thing is certain, as a general |
thing, in politics. That is no candi- |
late for public Office, whether for Presi- |
dent or constable, ever gets far or con- !
,inueS to win victories if he straddles |
an issue in which his constituents are |
vitality interested. Unless the country |
oses its present interest in the prohibi- |
ton question before the next presi- |
Dental campaign gets under way, Presi- |
dent Hoover, if he is to be candidate |
to succeed himself, undoubtedly will |
make his position clear as crystal. To |
10 otherwise would be to court disaster. |
Already his Democratic opponents, |
through Jouette Shouse, chairman of |
The Executive Committee of the Demo- |
cratic, National Committee, have put |
forth a statement pinning the dry label |
On President Hoover, or seeking to do |
50. Furthermore, the Democrats are |
Gliding the President because having |
set up a commission to deal with this |
question of national prohibition, he has |
declined to go along with the suggested |
revision of the eighteenth amendment |
which has been approved by the COM |
mission.
The indictment by the members of |
he Wickersham Commission of the COR
-upt conditions that have existed under |