Evening star., 1932-11-22
EARLY YbEERA ACTION
FORECAST BY BECK
Representative, in Radio
Forum Address, for Modi-
fication First.

Declaring modification of the Vol
stead law should not await the slow
process of repeating the eighteenth
amendment, Representative James M
Beck. Republican, of Pennsylvania. pre-
| dicted last night that legalization OF
beer of n-intoxicating alcoholic con-
tent probably will be among first meas
ures considered by the coming Congress
The forecast was made in a radio
address on 1.-The Constitution and Pro-
hibition Reform" given in the National
Radio Forum, sponsored by The Star
| and broadcast over Nationwide net
work of the National Broadcasting Co.
THE will Of the American people
must be respected" Mr.. Beck said.
THE time for discussion Is past and
the time for action has arrived"
Course Advocated.
The course advocated by the wet
leader IS modification of the Volstead
law "by excluding from its operation
matted liquors of small alcoholic con-
tent" and the imposition of "a reason
able tax upon the commodity in relief
Of the public treasury"
The "cold reality should be recog-
nized by ALL" he stated, that the
CtS4lCcC4ltII
pealed or modified if 13 States refuse
to approve the proposal. It is by no
means certain, he said, that all States
would approve naked repear-one
without a guarantee against "recog-
nized abuses of the liquor traffic and
the return of the saloon"
Text Of Address.
Representative Beck's address follows:
When Congress reconvenes on the
first Monday of December, it will be
at once confronted with the question,
how and when it can effectively and
speedily carry into effect the impera-
tive mandate of the American people
to repeal the eighteenth amendment
and modify the Volstead law.
The mandate to restore to the States
their former right of local sef-govern-
ment is clear, but the method of carry
ing 1t into effect Is not SO clear. The
cold reality should be recognized by all,
that the eighteenth amendment can
not be repealed or modified unless the
Legislatures or conventions of 36 States
formally ratify some specific proposal.
The refusal of 13 States, or even their
inaction, can defeat repeal. While iC
Is now probable that 36 States will
| favor repeal in principal, it is by no
means certain that all would ratify q
naked repeal of the eighteenth amend
ment. If the repeating amendment is
submitted in that form, the possibility
must be reckoned with that at least
| 13 States may reject or refuse to ratify
the amendment and will only ratify one,
which contains some guarantee against
| the return of the saloon.
President Hoover had this hard real
| ity in mind when, in his speech of
acceptance, he argued that in restor-
| ing the right of local self-government
| to the States, the Federal Government
should by constitutional fiat guarantee
| against the return of the saloon either
in wet or dry States. At the time he
made this suggestion I reluctantly ex-
| pressed my dissent to such rigid and
| inelastic provision in the Constitution.
1t seemed to me to perpetuate the
| fundamental evils Of the present sys-
tenn, which gives the Federal Govern
n1ent police powers in matter pecu-
liarly of State regulation.
While thus disagreeing with the
Presidents suggestion in detail, it
seemed to me that he was right in
| principle, that the reasonable vets and
| drys must cooperate to propose an
amendment, which, without sacrificing
any fundamental principle, would yet
insure its acceptance by the requisite
number of States. had this spirit Of
reasonableness in mind when I drafted
I the Beck-Linthicum repeating amend
mend, for that amendment provided
! that the. Federal Government, in pro-
tecting the dry States from violation of
their laws. should not only have the
| existing powers of the Federal Govern
.ment, under the commerce clause Of
| the Constitution, but a further reser-
! vation Of plenary power to pass any
| legislation that was necessary thus to
| protect the dry States.
If it be desirable, in restoring the
| power Of regulation to the States, that
the Federal Government should make
impossible the return Of the saloon, then
it would be wiser to add to the Beck
Linthicum amendment q reserved power
in Congress to pass any legislation
necessary to prevent the return of the
saloon. Congress could then from time
to time, and in the light of experience,
determine whether to exercise the
power, and to what extent. This seems
| to me preferable to an arbitrary and
inelastic fat of the Constitution, that