Evening star., 1942-10-21
Stimson Urges
:
Defeat Of Dry
Zone Proposal
Would Seriously
Undermine Morale,
Secretary Says

by the Associated Press.
Secretary of War Stimson to-
day urged defeat of a proposal
to prohibit sale of all liquor, in
Guiding light wines and beer, in
and adjacent to Army camps,
saying that it would seriously
undermine morale" and encour-
age bootleg operations.
He wrote Chairman Reynolds of
the Military Affairs Committee that
bone dry" amendment by Senator
Lee, Democrat of Oklahoma, to a
bill to draft youths of ,l8 and 10
would prove destructive rather than
constructive
Il am convinced that any at
tempt to control the liquor problem
through legislation applied exclu-
sively to military personnel will only
impede the progress now being
made in our own effective meth
ods of attaining temperance: would
impose upon us the difficult problem
of combating bootleg operations;
and would seriously undermine
morale" Secretary Stimson's letter
said. Il urge that it not be imposed
upon us by the Congress"
Smathers DenOunces Move.
While Senator Lee claimed mount
ing support. Senator Smathers,
Democrat of New Jersey denounced
the amendment as "a sneaking, un-
democratic and un-American effort
OF the old Anti-Saloon League"
This effort, Senator Smathers said
in a statement, is an attempt ''to
take advantage of world conditions
and use the war as an excuse to
foster the terrible curse of national
prohibition upon the country again.
A showdown was possible tomor-
row on Senator Lees bone dry
amendment to legislation lowering
the draft age to 18 and the Okla
homan told reporters that some of
his senatorial supporters were "peo-
pie who don't favor general prohi-
bition.'
Hits Thou Shalt Not Rider.
But they are for my amend
ment," he added.
Majority Leader Mccormack, Dem
ocrat, of Massachusetts told the
House he hoped the draft bill would
not be converted into a prohibi-
ton bill" and predicted that if the
Senate attached Senator Lees
amendment, the draft measure
would not be disposed of finally
until after the November 3 elec-
tions.
Representative Mccormack ex-
pressed the view that the draft was
an essential matter, which should
be disposed of Immediately, and that
all other matters, regardless of their
merit, should wait for separate con-
gressional consideration.
Senator Smathers said he had two
boys, one 18 and the other 49,
They will both go into the service
under this new draft act" he con-
tinued. land I do not intend to have
them enter the service to fight for
liberal democracy with thou shalt
not rider amendment attached tc
the very act that takes them into
the service.
Regulation Already Exists.
There is whisky on the side
board in my dining room. and there
is whisky on every street corner
They pay no attention to it there
and they will pay no attention to
it in the service, unless we are fool
ish enough to forbid them"
After his reference to the Anti
Saloon Ieaguers, Senator Smathers
added:
IF they succeed in this first step
it will only encourage them to make
the final drive to curse this country
with the demoralizing and hypo.
critical act known as national pro.
hibition. The Secretary of War ane
the Secretary of Navy have tn,
power to regulate the conduct ane
habits of all inductees."