Evening star., 1932-11-30
WASHINGTON OBSERVATIONS
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

BY the irony Of fate 1t is Texas.
whence sprang in the person Of Senator
Morris Sheppard the statesmanship
which gave birth to the eighteenth
amendment, that looms largest In the
developments about to lay the noble
experiment away in lavender. Two
Texans are conspicuous In the rites
which will pave the way for the pass
ing Of prohibition. Speaker Garner Is
In the forefront Of the program to give
repeal precedence on the House caien-
dar on the opening day Of the impend-
ing session. That other Lone Star
State representative. Hatton w. Sum-
ners Of Dallas, In his capacity Of chair
will be, next to Mr.. Garner the most
important single factor in the legisla-
tion requisite to enact repeal submis-
sion and send 1t speeding on its way to
the States for ratification. Texas, there
she stands-one Of four Southern
States which turned their normal
Democratic backs on AL Smith, wet, in
1928 and Is now leading the van In
Congress for the annihiliation Of pro-
hibition. Who would have thunk 1t?
It's thought to be a $3.50 proposition
that the drys will carry beer legislation
into the Supreme Court and test its
constitutionality If enacted in advance
of repeal Of the eighteenth amendment.
That prospect gives rise TO q good deal
OF curiosity as to whether the present
bench, presided over by Chief Justice
Charles Evans Hughes, is dry or wet.
Hitherto, In every case designed to test
the Courts views on constitutional as
poets of the national liquor laws, 1t has
turned out to be dry, although in the
celebrated Lambert physicians pre-
scription case the division was to 4.
The last occasion on which the Federal
courts passed on the eighteenth amend
ment was the decision Of United States
Judge william Clark Of New Jersey on
December 16 1880. That jurist held the
to be invalid and quasned the tndict-
ment of q man charged with trans
porting and selling so half barrels OF
beer. Judge Clark declared that the
eighteenth amendment had never be-
come part Of the Constitution because
1t had been ratified by State Legisla-
lures rather than by conventions elected
by the people Of the several States. He
based his decision on the nth article
Of the Constitution.
~ -
Il Franklin Delano Roosevelt really
President-elect or not? Or, rather, Is
he entitled to be known and described
as such? A hair-splitting constituent
Of this radio scribe, writing from Lans-
dale, Pa. contends there Is no justifi-
cation for referring to Gov. Roosevelt rs
President-elect until the Electoral Col
lege meets" William Tyler Page vet
eran clerk of the House Of Representa-
tives who knows all about these things,
says that ancient custom sanctions the
labelling of the President-elect as such
the morning after the count of the votes
indubitably indicates that he is the
chosen OF the people, Anyhow :
adumbrates the seasoned congressional
ofIicial 1.-The gentleman from Pennsyl-
vania is in error The incoming Presi-
dent Is not actually elected at the
meeting of the Electoral College, on the
first Wednesday in January. but only on
the first Wednesday in February, after
the electors have cast their votes a
month previous and the result thereof
has been duly certified"
One Of Washington's interesting visit
ors Is j. L. Gleave of Manchester,
England, the architect who designed
the Columbus memorial lighthouse
which some day Is to stand on the soil
Of the Dominican Republic. When the
economic times are more propitious
the members Of the Pan-American
Union plan to spend $500, 900 on
erecting the memorial, some $3.50. 900 Of
which will be forthcoming from the
United States. Mr. Gleave Is only "A
years old. He can barely remember the
outbreak of the World War. He sub
mitted the prize-winning $4,000 design
in . worldwide architectural competi-
: of ~ entrants. Mr.. Gleaves desis