Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1932-11-11
FOES OF BEER MAY
STAGE FILIBUSTER
AT SHORT SESSION

| c
| Speaker Garner has declared himself
wet and there is no likelihood that he
Will go back on the Democratic plat
form on which he was elected Wee
| President last Tuesday.
! 1923 VETS in Next House
+ The House in the new Congress. which
comes into existence after March 4, will
be divided along wet and dry lines. it is
estimated as follows: 1923 vets, 26 dryS
and Sc doubtful. If this estimate proves
/ correct. then a beer bill should romp
/ through any time it is taken up in the
next Congress.
! The Senate division on the liquor
question Is another matter particularly
in the short session of Congress now
coming. 1t has been estimated that the
! Senate was divided in this Congress 81
vets and G5 drys. 1t is obvious that if
! the Senate continued to divide i'll that
+ way. there would be no slightest chance
of passing a beer bill. But lot Of
water has run over the dam since that
division was made. There are Al DEM
Ccratic Senators in the present Con-
gress, and when ell the returns are i'll
there may be 40. Many Of these Sem
ators who in the Dast have been count
ed DRY" are expected now to go down
/ rational platform On the Republican
side there is a considerable Sprlnkllng
of wet Senator'S. who would certainly
vote for beer bill.
The last vote in the Senate on a
prohibition question came on july 10,
the last day of the session. when, by
vote of 81 to 81. with 38 Senators not
/ voting. the Senate took up for Consld-
Grafton a Joint resolution proposed by
/ Senator Glass of Virginia to resubmit
/ the cightesnth amendment to State
constitutional conventions. This vote
was taken after the conventions OF beth
Republican and Democratic parties had
adopted their platforms and shows
very great turnover on the part OF the
, Senate.
Many Left for Battle.
II left. however. a group of irrecon-
CilableS which might prove most eHec-
tive in the conduct CT a f1libuster either
{ against a resolution proposing repeal
of the eighteenth amendment or beer
dill
In addition to Senator Borah, among
the d Senators voting against taking
up the Glass resolution were Brook
, hart OF Iowa, Capper of Kansas Robin
son OF Indiana, Sheppard OF Texas.
author OF the eighteenth amendment,
CoStigan Of Colorado, Hatfield Of West
Virginia all Of whom might be eX
1ected to fight vigorously a beer bill
Furthermore, i'll the list voting to take
up the resolution TO reSubmit the
eighteenth amendment were such stall
Wart drys as Senator Jones of Wash
lngtOn and Senator Mcclellan of Ten
nessee. Whether Mr. Mcclellan will fol-
low the Democratic platform and vote
iDc to no Tn no
group OF Senators who were not re-
corded on the Glass motion are other
drys.
In the Senate which comes in after
March 4. it is estimated that the
division On the liquor question will
stand as follows: Vets. 6l: drys. 80.
and doubtful. 5. II takes a tWo-thirds
vote of the Senate and House to sub
nit a constitutional amendment but
only majority to pass beer bill
Whatever happens in the short ses-
sion. 1t seems entirely probable that
when the new Congress meets there Will
be sufficient votes not only to submit
constitutional amendment. repeating or
revising the eighteenth amendment. but
also TO put through in Jig time a beer
bill.
O'COnnOr Quizzes Members.
WhNe Senator Borah yesterday was
putting a camper on the hopes of the
beer supporters. Senator ByrnS, Demo-
crat OF South Carolina, issued a state
ment in which he said that the Ques-
ton Of modifying the Vostead act so
as to permit beer would be out of the
wa by Christmas. Representative
! John J. O'ConnOr. Tammany Democrat
from New York and sponsor Of beer
Z ii ,1r,., lot. ,al,
Der Of the present House and to all
members-elect of the next, asking their
views on what should be done about
the beer legislation. what alcoholic con-
tent should be fixed in the proposed
legislation and what the tax should be
The vets have been still more en-
COuragod by the results of the elections
in ssveraI States where referenda on
State prohibition laws have gone
against the drys.
Additional election returns increased
the margins by which II States ap-
proved anti-prOhibitiOH measures They
, were: Louisiana. Michigan. New Jersey.
California. Washington. Oregon, Colo
RADIO. Arizona, North Dakota, Con-
necticut and Wyoming.
All but Connecticut and Wyoming.
whose voters expressed themselves
against Federal Constitutional prohi
bitlOn, voted 10 repeal State COnStitu
tional or statutory dry laws.
Old Tax May Stand
Senators Robinson of Arkansas and
/ Harrison Of Mississippi, Democratic
leaders. both said there should be no
reason why the present Congress should
not act on the prohibition question.
A taxation committee, headed by Rep
IN +T-rn of I,ply 4fV.
instance. has found that if the short
session Of Congress modifies the Vol
stead act to permit the manufacture and
sale of beer and light wines. the war
time taxes automatically become eff
fectlvp in the event new rates are not
imposed. Roosevelt has declared for
Federally-taXed legalized beer.
This tax on beer is Sc a barrel of 81
gallons. The lowest levy on wine not
exceeding IA per cent alcohol is 16 cents
a gallon.
l.. H. Parger. chief of the staff of
! the Joint Internal Revenue Taxation
Committee estimated for the Vnson
Committee that Federal revenue would
be increased by S300.000000 annually
on beer and wine alone at the existing
rate.
IL formal statements, F. Scott Mcbride
! superintendent of the Anti-Saloon
/ League. and Matthew VOL, chairman of
/ Labors National Committee for Modi-
/ fication of the Volstead Act. took op-
/ posite sides of the prohibition outlook.
ComstOck Plans Amnesty.
IF the party CDemocratic) misin-
| terperts the election as mandate for
! beer and a demand for repeal it need
| not hope to succeed Mcbride said.
We are confident of modification
! in the short session and our organ
ization is bending every effort to assure
! that re. ult." Vol said.
Meanwhile, Governor-el william
| A. Comstock of Michigan, Democrat,
| announced if it were legally possible
he would grant general amnesty to all
| dry law violatCIS now in Michigan
prisons when he assumes the Governor
| chair He based his contemplated step
| on the fact that the State adopted a