Evening star., 1932-12-22
The Political Mill
By C. Could L;ncoln.

dicted that the present House would
pass . 4 per cent beer bill would have
been looked upon a. Just another wet
optimist. In view of the defeat Of the
Hull-O 'Connor beer bill, providing for
a less alcoholic content than the meas
ure passed, last Spring by q vote of
228 to 1853. the vote for the beer bill
of the Ways and Means Committee
yesterday Is all the more remarkable.
The same House which defeated 2.75
beer in May voted 230 to 1855 for 4
per cent beer, or 80 alcoholic content
per cent by weight as compared to 4
per cent by volume.
While to many Of the friends Of
repeal Of the eighteenth amendment
the passage of bill to legalize 4 per
cent beer may seem stupid and perhaps
threat to speedy repeal Of the con-
st,tutional amendment, the strength
which the wet cause Is now manifest
ing in Congress cannot help to be
SO wet, the incoming Congress, elected
after both parties, the Republicans and
the Democrats, had turned wet in their
platforms. may be expected to be drip
ping. Unless there should be q huge
change In sentiment within a few
months the submission Of a new amend
ment to the Constitution repeating the
eighteenth amendment to the States
seems absolutely inevitable. Further
more. the passage OF q bill modifying
the Volstead act so as to permit beer.
and possibly wine, prior to the repeal
OF the eighteenth amendment seems
equally assured. providing, of course, the
pending beer bill does not become a
law.
The tide has turned politically against
national prohibition The politicians
have jumped of the water wagon, on
which they rode for mere than q decade.
Yesterdays contest in the House might
reasonably be dubbed the Battle OF Beer
Run. In view of the big swing from
dry to wet on Capitol Hill-and out in
the country-it seems like tempting fate
to say that the beer bill will not pass
the Senate at the present session. either
because Of lack Of time or because OF
lack OF votes, or that 1t will be vetoed
by the President and thus fail to be-
come law. Yet the chances for final
action in the Senate on the beer meas
ure before March do not seem very
good, nor does 1t appear probable Presi-
dent Hoover would sign the measure If
it were sent to him.
The Republicans mustered 1Ol votes
in the House yesterday egain-t the bse-
bill end 96 for it. The Democrats gave
against. end the sole Farme--Labor
member Of the present House voted for
the bill. The Republican leader Of tn.
House, Representative Smell of New
YORK. although he voted for the repeal
resolution on the opening Cay of this
session OF Congress, declined TO vote for
the beer bill. The Republican strength
cast for the beer bin was I-ss than 10
votes shy Of the Republican vote for
repeal. On the Democratic side the
opposition to the beer bill ives approyi-
mately score greater than to the re-
peal amendment.
Should the beer bill muster sufficient
strength in the Senate-and it appears
likely that it can-to pass the upper
house. it will 60 to the President The
House vote yesterday clearly indicated
that the bill could not be passed over
{; presidential veto. It is no. likely that
q single member of the House who
voted no" on the beer bill Yesterday
could be persuaded to change his posi-
ton and seek to override presidential
c,ats Of the House who voted against
the bill have given their reasons for so
doing. One hundred and sixty votes
in the House. which has all told 435
members. is more than third Of the
membership. Since it takes two-thirds
to override a veto, 1t looks as though
the teer bill had no chance Of becom-
ing law It does not seem al all ik-lv
that the President would permit tn
bill to become law. TIL, action of tn
Republican leader of the House. MI
Smell. in voting against the beer meas
ure is significant
Hurrying measure IS important as
the beer bill through the Senete-par-
ticularly the present Senate-doe7 mo-
fit into the picture. With the Sou hen
Democratic Senators-eXcept f-r Shsp-
rard Of Texas. author of the eighteenth
amendment. and a few others-aIl will
ing to vote fer the beer bill. the
measure doubtless would receive the
necessary mE jority vote in the upper
house. There remains Ct the pre- ent
Sc sion of Congress very little more the n
two months Within that time it is
proposed to pass all the big supply bills
for the Government. the Glass banking
bill. a farm relief bill and other
mea.ures. 1t would be little SHIRT Of a
to vote. In the first place. the
Democrats Of the Senate have decreed
the bill must go to two Senste commit
tess, the Judiciary to pass upon 1t on
constitutional grounds and the Finance
Committee to deal with it as revenue
measure One committee might held it
up for some time. But two Senate COM
mittees might keep the bill bouncing
around for the rest of the Sc sim. But
cnce it is paced on the Senate calendar
the flcod gstes Of oratory are likely to
open and delay action. Cthe- mea ur:s,
despite the revenue feature Of the b.c-
bill, will crowd it.
Whether Congress shall take a recess
for the Christmas holidays o. stick on
the job is agitating many of the men,
bers. In the Senate, less inclined to
camouf1sge, there is a demand for a
straight-out adjournment for 10 days
or weeks. The House is baking. pre-
ferring to take no more than three
day recesses. However. it is said. there
is to be gentlemen's agreement on
the House side not to do any important
legislative business during the holiday
period, thereby permitting members
who wish to go home to leave Washing
ton without feeling that their votes
would be REQUIRED.
In view of the many important prob
lens pressing for consideration and &C.
ton in Congress. the demand for a
very brief holiday seems sound on the
surface. When the actual situation in
the Congress is considered. however,
and the fact develops that because of
the existing political divisions in that
body it is practically impossible to get
anything important done. beyond the
passage of the appropriations. it does
not seem to matter whole lot whether
Congress takes. its two weeks of or not.
i 4 X X
The repeal of the eighteenth amend
ment, which struck a snag in the House
en- the opening day of the session largely
because no chance was given to offer