Imperial Valley press., 1931-01-20
WICKERSHAM REPORT OPPOSES
CHANGE in PRESENT DRY LAW

would be unable to provide liquor
lin competition with good liquor
supplied by the state agency at low
er prices than he could meet"
Revision of the 18th amendment
would be a necessary preliminary
prior to adoption of Anderson's
plan. He proposed the Amendment
be changed to read:
The congress shall have power
to regulate or prohibit the manutac-
ture, traffic in or transportation OF
Intoxicating liquors for bever-
age purposes"
While Anderson signed the COM
mission report he disagreed with its
conclusion that the law has been
more effectively enforced since Gre
alton of the prohibition bureau IN
1927. He also opposed its proposal
for enlarged enforcement appro-
, priations and increased agents.
UnalteIable opposition 10 the re-
turn of the saloon was voiced by
Anderson.
ATlt,ciZe tOiSteau ACT
The commission was critical of
that provision of the VolStead act
W h h permits Misunderstanding
fruit juices in the homes, declar-
ing it to be an invitation to hypo-
c,isy and evasion" This provision
under which the California grape
growers have engaged in a wide
spread campaign to market grape
Juice which will turn to wine if
exposed to air, was described as an
anomalous provision which In ef-
feet removes wine making from
the file Of practicable enforce
ment"
why home wine making should
oe lawful while home brewing of
, beer and home distilling of spirits
are not; why home wine making for
home use is less reprehensible than
making the same wine outside the
home for home use, and why it
should be penal to make wine
commercially for Use in the home
and not penal to make in huge
Quantities the material for wine
making and set up an elaborate SELL
ing campaign for disposing of them,
is not apparent" the commission
said. The report added that IF,
as has been decided, the provision
means to sanction home making of
wine of greater alcoholic content
than permitted" in other sections
of the Volstead act, lit is so ar
bitrary, so inviting of evasion and
So contrary to the policy announced
in section three (of the Volstead
acD that it can only be a source of
mischief.
The commission was also critical
of the conditions under which the
prohibition experiment was inaug-
urated
1T couldn't be expected that leg
islation seeking to make a whole
people at one stroke enforced total
abstainers' would escape the diff
ficulties of forcing settled habits
and social customs to yield to leg
islative flats" the commission said.
Reciting the difficulties attend
ing the beginning of federal prohib-
lLlOu, illt COlllllllSSiOll SdlQ IL tdIlle
into existence during emotionalism
of the war.
THE 18th amendment and the
national prohibition act came into
existence at the time best suited
for their adoption and at the
worst time for their enforcement"
the report said. 1T must be said
that enforcement of the national
prohibition act made a bad start
which has affected enforcement
ever since"
The commission held that cor
luption in connection with the
liquor traffic is operating on q
large scale sometimes involving
the police, prosecuting and admin
istratiye organizations of whole
communities. Unwarranted search
and seizures and the character and
appearance of prohibition agents
result in distress in prohibition en-
forcement for many United Statei
attorneys and judges.