Evening star., 1932-12-12
WOMAN DRYS HIT
BEER PROPOSITIONS
House Committee Is Told Re-
turn Would Lower Produc-
tivity of Workers.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
Congress could place his platform above
the wishes of his constituents" Mrs
Darby replied.
But we must assume that the dele
gates to the conventions represent the
wishes Of the people" Treadway said.
Several Of the prohibition grour
laughed
Mrs. Peabody then asked that all heI
colleagues give their direct statements
before being questioned. Her request
was granted.
Miss Margaret Hamilton, secretary
Of the Women's Law Enforcement Com
mittee. smartly dressed In brown
ensemble, then read her statement.
"Profs. Benedict, Miles and Dodge o.
the Carnegie Nutrition Laboratory havt
shown that even small quantities O
alcohol slow down the human machine
that is, reduce its productivity" sh'
said.
Fears Retarding Production
"The bill now before this COMMITTEES
advocates that 2.75 per cent beer, or
80 per cent beer, be legalized as {
non-alcoholic beverage under the ma
tional prohibition act, and sold with
out further restriction as a soft drink
with a tax for Federal revenue.
THE wealth of a democracy Is thl
wealth, real and potential, Of its citi
zens. Any industry which reduces tn,
productivity of those citizens decrease
the source of taxable wealth in tn,
state. In other words, it kills the COOS
that lays the golden egg.
Samuel Crowther, well known econ
omist, states that since prohibition a
least $4,000, ,000, 900 has been diverted
from booze to the consumption o
goods.
He goes on to say all taxes mus
come from the people, and If they d.
not pay them in one way they pa,
them in another. The excise taxes were
paid by the buyers of liquor, and sine,
the largest buyers of liquor were tn
people of moderate means-the wage
earners-they contributed heavily Il
the cost of government. Today thest
same taxes are paid in other ways, ant
largely through income taxes.
The excise tax was favorite one witt
politicians because 1t was a concealed
tax. The whole argument that tn
Government loses taxes because of tn,
passing Of the liquor trade shows ;
profound ignorance Of the nature o
taxes.
Opposed to Submission.
do you favor Congress submitting
repeal of the eighteenth amendment?
Representative Saunders Democrat, o
ackai Gicc HorniIfnv1
Il am personally opposed to submit
ting it." she replied, but I would no
oppose 1t being submitted If it wert
submitted in such a way so everybod,
could pass on it. I mean by that
women also. I would favor it bein.
submitted so State Legislatures coulc
pass on it."
You and your organization woulc
not oppose submitting it to State Leg
islatures for ratification" Saunder'
pursued
II would not oppose it being submit
ted to the State Legislatures, becaus,
they always have passed on constitu
tional amendments"
Mrs. o. Haines Lippincott of Camden
N. j., chairman of the New Jerse,
division of the committee, spoke on 'thl
profit and loss in account with prohibi
tion.'
Cites Wickersham Report.
She said the report of the Wicker
sham Commission listed as gains from
prohibition increased production, In
creased efficiency of labor, the elimina
ton Of blue Mondays, decrease in in
dustrial accidents, increase in saving
and decrease in demands on charitie
and social agencies"
She also quoted a statement by Dr.
Howard Kelly of Johns Hopkins Medi
cal School, Baltimore:
Whatever credits the Government
may place to the account of its take
on the manufacture of beer, the indi
rect losses sustained by industries ant
individuals will place vastly create
figures on the debit side.
There will be the insane asylum
largely kept for alcoholics and syphi
ltticS; poverty, today so deplorable, vii
increase; 1neffciency will be notable
beginning with the blue Mondays; thel
II we are to shorten work hours ant
increase the holidays, men will spen,
far larger sums in treating; our court
will be buster, and the accident an,
disease wards in our hospitals, and W
shall have to go on enlarging ou
hospitals. So I say, do not let u
hasten the day of fulf1llment of thes
forebodings, but rather restrain ou
people.
Surely we can trust Congress not t,
risk promoting an evil matter, b
showing any eagerness to enter prema
turely on a path which we all feel i
fraught with great danger"
Held Envy of Nations.
Mrs. Lippincott said in conclusion
"the prohibition law of the Unite,
States is the envy of nations" Tn
statement was applauded by other wit
nesses.
A statement by her that savings de
posits had increased during prohibition
was questioned by Representative Estep
Republican, of Pennsylvania.
do you attribute all the increase II
savings deposits to prohibition?" Este
asked.
ut is a very significant thing that tn
savings of the people have gone int,
banks instead of liquor" she retorted.
You have said that prohibition
brought prosperity, but now that we ar
in depression you do not admit tina
awaken to their duty and responsi
bilitY."
"Cue after another" he said, "thes