Evening star., 1932-06-22
BORAH ANDGARNER'
STARTLE CAPITAL.
Senator Charges Brown,
Hoover Aide, Wants Open
Saloon.

by tne hSSOCldte0 PreSS.
A svift succession of starting devel-
opments around the prohibition ques-
ton today kept the Capital stirred to
fever pitch.
Hardly had political Washington
oalmed down from Speaker Gamers
unexpected declaration for repeal of the
eighteenth amendment yesterday wher
Senator Boraf of Idaho told the Senate
that Postmaster General Brown close
political adviser to President Hoover,
had said he preferred return Of the
saloon to present conditions, and that
he expected to see it return.
Up to noon today this statement had
gone unchallenged by Brown.
After stating that the Republican
platform declared at least for subnis-
sion and that the Democratic platform
will declare at least for submission"
Representative Andrews Republican. OF
New York; today urged the House to
act Immediately to submit prohibition
to the people.
Challenges Opposition
What is to prevent working on it
now and not waiting six months more?"
Andrews shouted. drawing applause
from both sides of the aisle.
Andrews began by referring to the
thousands of bonus marchers camp
ing in Washington. and said some Of
their leaders had come out against
prohibition.
L want every man in that outfit
to know how every State voted on the
prohibition question" he said
Andrews then read the numerical
division of votes cast in the House Of
Representatives from Southern States.
from which most of the strength for
the cash bonus bill came.
L want these men to write their
Congressman and tell them to vote
for submission" he said.
Borahs second spectacular prohibi-
ton declaration in as many days.
was the direct outcome Of his speech
to the Senate Monday condemn
ing and rejecting the Republican plat
form and all its planks. particularly the
resubmission one In that speech he
said Brown and Secretary of the Treas
urv Mills were for repeal
Both denied it. Browns statement of
denial revealed private conversation
he and E. A. Van Valkenburg of Phila-
deIphia had with Borah in which, he
SAID both opposed naked repeal.
Gives Different Version.
This stirred Borah to give his version
OF the meeting.
Il said in that conversation that
had been for months undertaking to
devise a plan by which you could pro-
tect the States which wanted to be
dry. and secondly, by which you could
prevent the return Of the American
saloon. That is precisely what l stated
to Mr. Brown.
Il said that had made progress
with reference to the question Of pro-
tecting the States which wanted to be
dry but that had reached the con-
clusion that once you legalized the sale
of intoxicating liquors in the United
States there was no possible way to
prevent return of the American saloon.
That is practically word for word what
I said.
Mr. Brown replied I think you
are right. Once We legalize the sale
Of intoxicating liquors I DO not see
how you are going to control the meth
Cd of selling them He said: I ex-
pect to see the return of the saloon.
and I would rather have it than the
present condition of affairs"
Borah then read to the Senate the
prohibition plank draft which he had
urged in vain upon party leaders prior
to the convention It declared for
enforcement Of the law until the peo-
pie chose to change the eighteenth
amendment through the election of
members of Congress
Quotes Mills Letter.
As for the Treasury Secretary's denial
that he was for repeal. Borah quoted q
letter written by Mills in 1926. In this
Borah said Mills held the eighteenth
amendment an object of scorn and
contempt" and "a fostering sore on the
body polite"
Gamers declaration for repeal has
caused political appraisers. who weeks
ago consigned his presidential chances
to the outer darkness, to revise their
ideas. Today they were estimating the
potential consequence of his dramatic
anti-prohibtion and willing -to-run an
nouncement.
The Speaker timed and staged his
statement in manner that hardy
could have been surpassed for effective
ness It hit just on the rising tide of
final convention tumult. with the
Roosevelt preparations in Chicago
at fever heat. He had been absent from
Jne congressional picture IOr III Gays,
kept to his bed by illness. The House
was all but done with its work for the
session. his job as Speaker, to which he
ascribed earlier silence, virtually COM
pleted for the time.
Those who watched him had ex-
pected him to say yes or no just before
the convention or at adjournment OF
Congress, to the support given him for
the Democratic nomination by Texas
or California. But, so much had his
presidential stock gone down after the
House dealing with vital legislation
twice burst all the bounds of control
exercised by him and his group Of
leaders that they were not prepared for
what happened yesterday.
Newspaper men went to his noon
conferences daily fixture since he be-
came Speaker-to ask him how he felt
after his severe bronchial attack and
maybe to CLEAN word or two on the
unemployment relief question or some
other legislative issue. Almost any
thing. in fact, but his militant words
inviting the presidential nomination.
The extreme definiteneSS OF the en-
tire platform he enunciated. with the
declaration that prohibition Ought to
be repealed" that the Government
must provide work to keep people from
starving at any cost. that tariff walls
r,,,rt c0v,,o ~}ov-y, that the cOSt of oOy-