Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-01-22
TESS SAYS HOOVER
HASN'T BARRED WAY
FOR DRY REVISION
Declares Statement Was
Only Rejection of Substitute
Offered by Law Body.
PRESIDENTS MIND OPEN,
LEADER OF PARTY SAYS
No Support Found for Assertion
Executive Took Hand in
Wickersham Report
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Emphasis was made today by Sena-
tor Fess, Republican. Ohio, to the point
that President Hoover in objecting to
the Wickersham Commissions substi-
tute eighteenth amendment had not
closed the door to all revision proposals.
Party leaders looked significantly at
this statement of Senator Fess. who is
chairman of the Republican National
Committee and an adviser of Mr.
Hoover's. He was at the White House
yesterday.
The Ohioan, one of the staunch
supporters of national prohibition him
self, would not say that Mr.. Hoover
favored any other revision or had any
other idea for modification in mind.
IT just simply say" said Fess, that
Mr. Hoover did not close the door to
any revision when he rejected this
substitute amendment because it would
throw prohibition forever into politics"
Says Hoover's Mind Open.
The law enforcement commission
SdlQ III It's COlCluSlOLlS.
"All the commission agree that if the
amendment is revised it should be made
to read substantially as follows:
Section /. The Congress shall have
power to regulate or to prohibit the
manufacture, traffic in or tranSporta-
ton of intoxicating liquors within, the
importation thereof into and the eX-
portation thereof from the United States
and all territory subject to the juris-
dictiOn thereof for beverage purposes.
Senator Tess stipulated he had no
idea whatever that Mr.. Hoover had any
modification or revision plan in mind.
Il believe the President has an open
mind explained the Ohioan. He wants
10 do what is right"
II don't want to say that he is
keeping the door open for do not
want to put him in the position of
considering any revision or modification
of prohibition.
IAN I do say and can say is that
Mr.. Hoover In his message has simply
rejected this particular plan of the
commission for the obvious reason that
it would place prohibition into politics
forever.
1t would make prohibition the ever
lasting paramount issue"
Differences Bitter.
AS Congress and the country plunged
into new phases of the long prohibition
dispute today, enough of the inside
story of the Wickersham Commission
was disclosed TO indicate the bitterness
of some of its internal differences.
There was no authoritative support,
however, for reports that the disagree
ments of the commissioners arose either
from any Interference by President
Hoover, or frc.i any alteration of the
commission report after it had been
signed by members.
In the course of its preparation the
wording of the report was changed
again and again in an effort to arrive
at a draft all IL commissioners could
sign.
Had Vigorous Discussions.
This process brought to the surface
in an emphatic manner the varying
views Of the membership. It led to
many long and vigorous discussions.
1t shufied some of the members into
positions of determined insistence which
their colleagues found difficulty in
accepting.
In the end all but one CT the IL
signed. He was Monte M. Lemann OF
New Orleans who, in a separate report,
declared for repeal of the eighteenth
amendment. Lemann thus far has de-
clined to add any public comment to
his Official findings but he NAV be in
vited along with other members to talk
to a Senate committee under an in
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