Evening star., 1932-02-26

The cunning with which the drys In
the House have avoided Tor III lone
years a roll call vote on any aspect OF
the prohibition question Except the
Jones and 10 enforcement bill was
again illustrated this week when the
annual appropriation bill carrying pro-
hibition funds was up Tor passage
There was the same fight as last year
on the question of wire tapping by pro-
hibition agents. The same motion to
write into the appropriation a ban on
wire tapping. The same rejection OF
the wire tapping ban amendment by a
division vote, 103 to 1872. but no record
vote because there can be no roll call
when the House is sitting as COM
mittee of the whole" as it always does
when considering a bill for amend
ments. The vets had planned parlla-
mentary maneuvers whereby they would
obtain a roll call on a motion to re-
commit the bill, but were outwitted by
the drys. All of the host of bills pro-
posing amendment or repeal OF the Vol
stead act or dealing with the eighteenth
amendment which If ever allowed to
come before the House and come to
vote would make possible a roll call.
have been smothered and pigeonholed
in committee year after year. 1t re-
mains to be seen whether the dryS will
be able to stave off record vote for
the remainder OF the present session.
They hope to do so. The vets Will at
tempt to muster las signatories to a
petition to force out OF committee a
prohibition referendum bill and thereby
get the bill before the House and force
a showdown.
Secretary Stimson's exposition of
Americas Far Eastern policy, as con-
tanned in the letter to Senator Borah,
constitutes a comprehensive and dev-
astating rejoinder to the arguments
by which Japan seeks to justify before
the League the high-handed course she
is pursuing in Shanghai. The letter is
interpreted as serving notice upon
japan that this country will not recog-
niZe the new government being set up
in Manchuria, and as an open invita-
ton to the other powers to join us in
that action. A further Interpretation
put upon the Stimson letter by SEN
atorial commentators is that the con-
tinued violations by Japan Of the So
called "open door" provisions of the
nine-power treaty, may Involve recon-
sideration by the United States of the
disarmament sections thereof. That the
White House may in due course issue
an indirect and diplomatic denial OF
this particular construction of the State
Department pronuncio seems to be
quite generally expected.
Secretary Stimson's projected trip to
Geneva to participate briefly but oSten-
tatiously in the current Disarmament
Conference has been indefinitely post
poned Ambassador Gibson and his
associates in the American delegation
now on the spot will carry on alone
unless and until "an emergency arises
or a situation in which Stimson can be
helpful" That Is the State Depart
ment explanation. Mr. Stimson from
the outset has evidenced no inclina-
ton to drop the affairs of the State
Department here for the prospectively
inglorious and prolonged disarmament
parleys abroad At the time OF the
abrupt withdrawal of Gen. Dawes from
the headship of the delegation to take
over a financial dictatorship here it
was announced that Secretary Stimson
would head the delegation and go to
Geneva Shortly. But war developments
in China serve to surround with further
uncertainty his Geneva pilgrimage.
y
Some senatorial cronies of Sunny
Jim" Watson, Republican old guards
man Of Indiana, were discussing their
colleague the other day in friendly FASH
ion. and one cited Senator Watson's
published comment on Mr.. Hoover's ap-
pointment of Judge Cardozo to the Su-
preme bench. Watson has said "he fills
the niche made vacant by Justice
Holmes, being liberal in tendency,
without being radical" Trust Jim to
look on the bright side" said the
speaker. Had Judge Cardezo been a
radical, Jim would have pointed out
that he was not Socialist. and had he
been Socialist, jim would have point