AMERICAN PROHIBITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19760, 10 April 1926, Page 11

AMERICAN PROHIBITION

MODIFICATION CAMPAIGN. DEFENDERS OF THE LAW ALERT. : (Preaa Association — By Telegraph-Copyright.} WASHINGTON, April 8., ~ (Received April 9, a 10 p.m.) Mr Antcn Cermak, President of the-'-' Chicago Board of Commissioners, testifying before the Senate’s prohibition inquiry,declared that alcoholic patients had enormously increased in hospital wards since prohibition became effective. Ihe same applied to insane alcoholic cases. He stated that a new and larger gaol was now being built, while the appropriations for poverty and pauperism nad been greatly augmented. There had been a steady increase in the Chicago Police Department, but still the increase in crime continued,

Mr Geoige Brennan, a Democratic poli - tical leader, testified that the law had' ; increased drunkenness, immorality, disrespect, corruption, murder, insanity, blind-, ness and crime in general. He said that the sensible and honest thing to do was to modify or repeal this unenforcable. statute and restoie to the States their rights in this field of purely domestic legislation.

The “dry” forces throughout the United States are preparing to repel the “wet’ drive for a modification of the prohibition law. Hundreds of protests frem virtually , every State signed by women’s welfare organisations, church workers, and business houses have been presented to the Senate’s Prohibition Committee pleading that the law should be permitted to stand. Forty Women’s Christian Temperance Union; have sent an identical message stating; "We protest against any modifi- , cation of the Volstead code.” Many peti- ■ tions have been telegraphed. Numerous Methodist churches sent mimeographed copies of a pretest in which the only variar tion was the name of the church and the number of the congregation. Canadian Cabinet officers have lodged informal bitter complaints against the smug-- . gling of American liquor into Canada after it has been smuggled into the United; States as Canadian. —A. and N.Z. Cable.*